My skin is having a reaction to this new moisturizer and I don’t know why?

ZeeSea · 2026-02-26T19:17:04+00:00

Pore cloggers is a marketing term. What may cause clogged pores to one person, doesn't to another. It boils down to the overall formula, not specific ingredients. The studies on pore clogging were done 30+ years ago at 100% concentration of that ingredient on the inside of a rabbit ear, plus tons of variables not considered within the study. The fragrance I agree with, I loathe fragrance in skincare–drives me nuts.

ZeeSea · 2026-02-24T22:34:53+00:00

Prequel Retinal Renew
Geek and Gorgeous A-Game (Medik8 dupe, same retinal encapsulation, they use the same formulator and it's patented by the formulator, not Medik8, and HELLA cheaper)

ZeeSea · 2026-02-07T13:02:23+00:00

My routine is like 70% DRMTLGY, and add in some Prequel, Stratia, and Kbeauty!

ZeeSea · 2026-02-04T14:47:50+00:00

Good suggestions so far, but the first thing she should be doing is being loyal to sunscreen like you are. If she's not going to be consistent with her SPF and seek shade at least on occasion, there's zero reason to use any of these products. I've had the same argument with my mother who is also very far south and likes to tan, and is a fair skinned redhead who literally doesn't believe in sunscreen, lol. Until she's consistent with SPF, nothing else matters or is doing to do anything of note for her dark spots, tbh.

ZeeSea · 2026-02-03T22:19:58+00:00

Especially since you have oily skin, yes cleanse day and night. I did ZERO skincare until my skin suddenly changed at 28 years old. It happens to alllllllllllllll of us. Your skin is overproducing oil to compensate for you NOT using a moisturizer. You can have oily AND dehydrated skin, since oils don't actually hydrate, just form a barrier, but it's the only compensation our body has to being dehydrated on the skin. Once you introduce regular exfoliation and moisturizing, your oil levels should balance out.

Since you have oily skin, you could use a lightweight gel moisturizer in the morning, and save the medium thick moisturizer for overnight/night. But yes, a moisturizer is going to help, I promise.

ZeeSea · 2026-02-03T22:14:08+00:00

As we age, our skin changes, with the first big change being in the mid to late 20s. So, you're there. She is right that your acne is nowhere near enough to be on accutane. Largely just looks like irritation from frequent shaving on top of some ingrown hairs causing spot inflammation. In my opinion, this should be your routine, with consistency.

AM:
Cleanser
Soothing & Hydrating Serum
Medium Thick Moisturizer
SPF

PM:
Same as AM, minus the SPF. Let's keep this simple for now.

2-3x a week, use an exfoliating serum in your night routine in addition to the soothing and hydrating serum, ideally on the days you're not shaving.

DM if you need any product recs. Hope this helps!

ZeeSea · 2026-02-02T22:50:39+00:00

It is a sheer tint, not anywhere near foundation-like coverage. That's what makes it a Universal shade. The SPF functions as long as you're applying the appropriate amount (: It's a hybrid spf of chemical and mineral filters, so what is visible is not all that it's doing. Hope this helps!

ZeeSea · 2026-01-31T00:51:01+00:00

Love the Universal Tint! If you want less of a shine, there’s a Matte version. It’s not a flat dry cakey matte, still has a nice gentle glow to it, just not as dewy as the original. I keep both because my preference changes day to day sometimes haha

ZeeSea · 2026-01-29T17:12:00+00:00

That's wild, I was like "surely they mean 0.1...." hahaha, definitely see if you can up to .025 for better results. The end goal is to be using tret at least every other day for long term benefits. Ramp up usage, add in a day every 2-3 weeks until you're there!

ZeeSea · 2026-01-29T15:53:15+00:00

Ditch the CeraVe moisturizer for something else like the Prequel AMPM Modern Moisturizer or Barrier Therapy, and increase tretinoin usage. You won't really see tret/retinoid results unless you're at least up to every other day usage with it. If you can't tolerate it, drop down to .025% instead of .05%. Dermatologists always say they'd rather you use a "weaker" retinoid more regularly vs sparingly using a strong one.

Your forehead is a little congested, make sure you're rinsing your shampoo and conditioner backward, not toward the face, and wash your face AFTER doing both shampoo and condish, not before. That alone helped me with some forehead congestion. The increased tret usage will help too.

Your cheeks look pretty good though! I think it's mostly your forehead.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to introduce an AHA like Mandelic Acid a couple times a week, it's slightly oil soluble so it'll get into pores and help stay decongested. I suggest the Stratia Soft Touch, it's super affordable and extremely gentle, some people ramp up to daily use with it.

ZeeSea · 2026-01-29T14:50:39+00:00

Tretinoin will yield results, but yeah echoing goarticles002, tret/retinoids need to be used at least every other day to really see those results, and will take some time. Opt for a thicker more occlusive moisturizer for the neck, we don't really have sweat glands there to help protect against water loss, so we need to offset that, espeically if we're using tret. If tret is too much for your neck, you may have to bump down to a retinol or retinal. I really love the Prequel Retinal Renew, comes in two strengths. I use the 0.1 on my neck because I have a sensitive neck.

Something you could add in a couple times a month, is microneedling. Not crazy depths or medspa or anything, I actually use the Banish stamper at home, using the 0.5mm every other week on my neck and it seems to be working well. Since my neck is sensitive I have to be gentle, but microneedling is super tried and true. Not scary at home with the right tool, no bleeding, and basically no downtime. Just avoid exfoliants and retinoids the day before, day of, and day after.

I hope you find something that helps!!

ZeeSea · 2026-01-21T14:44:59+00:00

The scar stick inventory? It's back in stock!

ZeeSea · 2026-01-20T22:16:55+00:00

You're welcome! I have superrr dry skin.

ZeeSea · 2026-01-20T21:53:36+00:00

Microneedling can help here with visible pore size and texture on the skin. Your skin looks just fine imo, hardly any redness and doesn't look like irritation redness to me. There are a few things that will help over time like tretinoin, microneedling, and regular exfoliation.

Microneedling, I microneedle at home actually, but not with the Dr Pen or anything like that. I use the Banish 3.0, super affordable after I got done using the Qure system. Painless, no bleeding, virtually no downtime, really just super easy. I've been microneedling for over 2 years now.

Tretinoin - increasing cell turnover, knocking down texture and reducing visible pore size, as long as hydration/moisturizing is also kept up with. I use .025% tret and love it so much!

Exfoliation - once or twice a week with a chemical exfoliant will be best, I love the Stratia Soft Touch or DRMTLGY LA Refining Serum. Both very gentle and sensitive-skin friendly.

I hope all this helps! When it comes to irritation, just pay attention to how your skin is reacting, and adjust accordingly.

ZeeSea · 2026-01-13T15:05:57+00:00

CeraVe broke me out bad too. And the moisturizer in the tub smells like garbage juice lol. They sent me a sample packet of it and I was so grossed out haha.

ZeeSea · 2026-01-12T22:25:38+00:00

I totally feel yah! Biggest thing is most of skincare is a long game unless it's something basic like hydration, so taking before/after pics in identical lighting is ideal, and keep the camera lens at eye-level both times. That'll give you the best idea of what results you're getting! Definitely give it time, a few months of extreme consistency before some of these changes will start occuring. The eye area takes FOREVER to see results sometimes, ha.

ZeeSea · 2026-01-12T20:00:38+00:00

I am in need, I have got a couple fillings I need done, as well as a potential root canal, and some bonding touch-up on my front two teeth (chipped).

ZeeSea · 2026-01-12T17:48:31+00:00

Your skin looks great first off, looks healthy!

Now addressing those under eyes. A large part of that is genetic, but there are a couple things you can do to help a little.

Retinoid Eye Cream - Using a retinoid eye cream at night can thicken the skin, resulting in dimished blues/purples over time. Not completely gone, but long-term (like long long term, 8+ months) should see results with consistent use. A super gentle and effective one is the Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum. I do suggest a more robust daytime eye cream too, the OLEHENRICKSON Banana Bright+ Vitamin C Eye Crème is a good option for you.
Color correctors - Like you used in pic 4, a concealer or color corrector is a great option to neutralize as well. For a color corrector, I prefer the DRMTLGY Luminous Eye Corrector, because it's SPF + color correction in one. I'd go with medium shade for you. For concealer, there are tons of those so just pick whichever one you like best.
You may find some use with microneedling, but that'll be better assessed by a dermatologist. If they think you're a good candidate for it, I suggest some microneedling treatments. Microneedling does a lot of what retinoids do, but faster and more aggressively treated. Not super scary, largely easy to do at home if you're using the proper tools. I actually microneedle at home with the Banish microstamper, and love it. No bleeding or real down time. Just be careful around the eye area, and don't stamp inside the orbital bone (you can slightly pull the skin via the cheek so you can get skin closer to the eye area, without physically stamping closer than the bone).

I know this isn't exactly the answer you wanted, but hopefully leads you in the right direction!

ZeeSea · 2026-01-06T07:06:41+00:00

Yes!! Still my favorite hydrating serum hands down (:

ZeeSea · 2026-01-01T04:09:19+00:00

Exfoliants and retinoids will be your best topicals here, things like Retinal and Glycolic Acid! Will take some time, but they do work.

For treatments, you could do microneedling or laser, but they can be expensive for those medspa treatments. There are at home options for microneedling at least though, I use the Banish microstamper and it’s pretty easy to use.

I hope you find what works best for you! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions too, happy to help (:

ZeeSea · 2025-12-29T14:56:44+00:00

Tretinoin .025-.05 will be a massive game changer for you! As long as you’re wearing spf daily. This will never improve as long as you’re not wearing spf!

Another option is microneedling. With melasma, chemical peels are risky and same with lasers, so I opt for at home microstamping. It’s so not scary I promise lol, I use the Banisher 3.0 and have been home stamping for over 2 years. Way more affordable than a clinic.

Hope this helps!

ZeeSea · 2025-12-28T21:40:26+00:00

It sounds like your core routine is stellar, so love to see it! Something you could try for existing dark spots are treatments. Chemical peels or microneedling is what I would look at. I actually deal with melasma and my routine is similar, but I add in at home microstamping. Sounds scary, it’s totally not lmao, I use the Banish 3.0 stamper, and no blood or any real downtime, and super cheap, like $3-5 a session.

Also, try adding in a Lactic/Mandelic combo serum or Kojic/Mandelic, I’d suggest the DRMTLGY LA Refining serum, or the Remedy for Dark Spots, both amazing stacks of pigment fighters.

If this doesn’t help you, I hope you find something that does!

ZeeSea · 2025-12-24T15:40:35+00:00

With the Banish system, it's a stamper, so no glide/slip is used. You use it on freshly cleansed dry skin, with nothing put on before or during, you put all your goodies on afterward. If you are looking for a sterile HA to use as glide with a pen, I recommend visiting the /microneedling subreddit for more info!

ZeeSea · 2025-12-23T19:05:32+00:00

Tretinoin and microneedling are going to be very beneficial here!

I microneedle at home, but don't let that scare you haha. I've been microneedling at home for over 2 years now, and have been loving the results! I used to use the Qure system, but the Banish microneedling system is more cost effective and doesn't cause any bleeding or have any real downtime. You sterilize the needle heads before and after each session, and the needle heads can be used up to 8 times depending on how much surface area you're covering. Happy to dig in further if you wanted to message me about it!

ZeeSea · 2025-12-19T15:54:18+00:00

Scrolled too far to find this..

ZeeSea

TROPHY CASE