Skin problem treatment methods

The core conditioning logic for 90% of common skin problems (sensitivity and redness, recurring acne, external oiliness and internal dryness, and false dry lines) is never to follow the trend and buy the most expensive functional skin care products. Instead, it is to repair the skin barrier through "subtraction" first, and then make precise intervention based on your own skin type. To put it bluntly, less fussing is much more effective than spending tens of thousands on skin care products.

I'm not just talking nonsense. I've been involved in skin care for almost ten years, and I've seen too many examples of people ruining a good face. A while ago, I helped a post-00s girl in my company to save her face. In order to cure her cleft lip, she followed the blogger and did morning C and night A, plus acid treatments twice a week. She also applied a moisturizing mask every day. Within half a month, her face was as red as a ripe peach, and it hurt even to touch hot water.

Of course, some people don't agree with this statement. I have a friend who is a skin-loving ingredient. He is naturally durable. He applies 0.5% retinol and 10% niacinamide to his face all year round. His pores are so fine that it looks like he has had microdermabrasion. He doesn't even have any problems when changing seasons. But you must first understand that people are naturally "thick-skinned". 90% of ordinary people do not have this tolerance at all. Blindly following the trend will only ruin their face.

Let’s talk about the most common sensitivity problems such as spring sensitivity and redness. Don’t buy random “anti-fire” essences and apply them on top of each other. My best friend suffered from spring allergies last month, so she followed the trend and stocked up on four or five kinds of so-called soothing essences. She applied seven or eight layers of them on her face every day. As a result, her eyes were so swollen that she could hardly open them. Later, I asked her to stop all effective products, wash her face with warm water of about 32 degrees Celsius every day, only apply a fragrance-free and alcohol-free ceramide cream, and wear a hat and mask when going out to protect herself from the sun. She even temporarily stopped using sunscreen. Within a week, the redness disappeared and the itching stopped. Oh, yes, if the redness is particularly severe, you can also try moistening gauze with saline and applying it for 5 minutes. Do not leave it for more than 10 minutes, otherwise it will cause overhydration. This is an emergency method recognized by dermatologists. However, some friends who do aromatherapy told me that using diluted chamomile hydrosol as a wet compress is also effective. As long as it is a regular product and does not add unnecessary ingredients, it is indeed suitable for some people, and there is no need to stick to a certain method.

Let’s talk about the most troublesome problems that everyone has: recurring acne and oily T-zone that can fry eggs. When many people see oily and acne-prone skin, they think of washing their face with acid and soap-based cleansers, hoping to rub their face until it becomes sore. As a result, the more they wash, the more oil they get, and the acne becomes more severe. In fact, what many people call "oil on the outside and dry on the inside" essentially means that the barrier is damaged and cannot lock in water. The sebaceous glands receive signals and work hard to produce oil to protect the skin. The more you exfoliate, the more oil they produce. I used to have a male colleague like this. He washed his face with sulfur soap every day, but his acne disappeared. Later, he changed his face to an amino acid cleanser. He only washed his face twice a day and applied a refreshing moisturizing lotion. In less than a month, his oil production was reduced by half, and his acne disappeared. Of course, if you already have red and swollen inflammatory acne, don’t take it hard. The advice of evidence-based dermatology is to apply benzoyl peroxide gel, or apply adapalene at night to build tolerance. If cystic acne is severe, go directly to the hospital to prescribe isotretinoin, which is much more reliable than any anti-acne mask you use. Some friends who like traditional skin care will use diluted tea tree essential oil to apply on acne. The anti-inflammatory effect is also good, as long as you are not allergic to the essential oil.

There are also many people who complain that their faces are dull and have dry lines. They buy thousands of whitening and anti-aging essences as soon as they start using them. However, after using them for more than half a year, there is no effect at all. Ask yourself first, are you applying enough sunscreen every day? Do you stay up until two or three o'clock every day before going to bed? I once had a colleague who spent more than 20,000 yuan to buy a whitening ampoule set from a famous brand. He didn’t use an umbrella when commuting to and from get off work every day. He didn’t even remember to apply sunscreen before applying it. After using it for two months, he got a full tan. Later, I was forced to wear a hat and an umbrella when I went out every day. I applied enough sunscreen to the size of a one-yuan coin and sat as little as possible by the window. Even without the use of whitening essence, my skin became whiter. Even the dry lines at the corners of my eyes were reduced a lot. Of course, if your barrier is healthy and your tolerance is sufficient, you can use functional ingredients such as vitamin C, retinol, and peptides appropriately, which can indeed have a whitening and anti-aging effect. You don’t have to completely reject it. The only premise is: don’t be greedy for too much, don’t rush to high concentrations, and slowly build up tolerance.

I have combination skin with light sensitivity, and I followed the trend in the past few years. I poured all the popular products on my face. At most, I had to go through seven or eight steps of skin care at night. As a result, I would get redness and breakouts from time to time. Now I'm lazy. I wash my face with amino acid cleanser in the morning, apply moisturizing cream and sunscreen. If I have makeup on at night, I use cleansing oil to remove it. If I don't have makeup, I just wash it with warm water. I occasionally apply essence and only apply a facial mask once a week. My skin is much more stable than before. Even my friends ask me if I secretly undergo medical aesthetics.

To be honest, there are really not that many bells and whistles when it comes to skin care. You treat your face like a delicate little baby, and toss it as much as you want. You can exfoliate, apply acid, and pile on a bunch of essences. Once it feels comfortable, it will naturally be in good condition. If you really have a problem that you can't solve, don't blindly believe in the remedies posted by bloggers on the Internet. Go directly to the dermatology department of a tertiary hospital to get a consultation. It can be solved with a few dozen yuan, so you don't have to spend tens of thousands of yuan to get into trouble.