Im getting so tired. Started a new job and am sitting in the parking lot wondering why everything seems to keep getting worse. I broke out cause of stress and have gotten these huge pimples that now im trying to treat. Got some treated and they had a potential side effect of leaving an indentation and scarring which it did. Also trying out this new acne product that used to work for me in the past but has been causing a bad break out and now whiteheads or black heads on my nose... which i need to go to the dermatologist for again. I just don’t know what to do. I got my hair done and my scalp is flaring up. I feel terrible.

Thank you its really hard to do at times but I appreciate your words and will try my best to

@Coul.C yeah :( i try and stay in the moment too and it’s super difficult, i think learning mindfulness takes a lot of skill, i am definitely learning. but i’ve heard once it’s learned it definitely helps with ocd. :)

@hope Yeah mindfulness really helps with everything even outside of ocd its jusf a really good life skill. I will have to try better at mastering it

Thank you but ive actually been treated for my pimple there before and it went fine this second time though lead to some issues. It was a cortisone shot. I’ve never gone to the spa for acne or whitehead issues but in the past I haven’t had much luck with them. I mighy try again though specifically for white heads/blackheads and acne i can never differentiate which is which lol. Thanks for the advice

Im also using retionl at a higher percentage than last and im thinking that may be the issue. Im going to ask him to change it to a lower dose. Since im at .05 not sure if you’ve had experience with retionds that you could give me

@Coul.C But your words have been super helpful and I appreciate them and take them into account so thank you ah aint

@Coul.C Again*

@Coul.C Did you get cortisone shots for acne? I’ve never heard of that before, but that’s pretty cool. Whiteheads and blackheads typically aren’t red or inflamed. They’re just clogged pores. Acne is inflamed red bumps that can range from grade 1 (mild, almost everyone has had at some point)- grade 4 (cystic, severe, can’t be treated by an esthetician, needs to be treated by a doctor.) some are pustules, which form a head and need be extracted- properly, after heating the skin and sanitizing. Papules are painful red bumps that don’t form a head and cannot be extracted. I have had a lot of experience with retinol. Some brands are better than others. It depends on how frequently you’re using it, and what other products you’re using it with. Obagi and PCA Skin both have a great .5%. If you decide to try facials; dermaplaning, chemical peels, hydra facials, and deep pore facials may be some great things for you to try. I would book a consultation at a med spa and see what they reccomend for you. Having a really good daily skincare routine will help as well. Vitamin C in the morning, a good cleanser, double cleanse if you wear makeup. A good moisturizer. Either a glycolic or a benzoyl peroxide depending on how bad the acne is. And your retinol at night. And of course, sunscreen. I really hope you’re able to find something that works! It can be really difficult when your skin gets bad due to stress as well. I’m having this same problem at the moment. So many breakouts in weird places!

@Ald21 Yeah i got them for some pimples on my nose its a denser area so its safer for cortisone shots but then i got one on my face and the skin is thinner so its more prone to the problems like hyperpigmentation, indentation, and other skin ailments which sucks. As for retionl im using tretoniin you dont think that .05 is alot? I was using .2 before and i dont remeber breaking out this bad i heard there is a begning purging stage and I expected some breakouts but this huge black head is really disheartening. I tried chemical peels in the past and though my mom said it was nice I don’t think it really changed my skin much. I like using the products ive used in the past but idk if i got one or two products differently that are causing my skin to flip out. I wasn’t expecting such a terrible reaction. I have a skin care routine that includes retionl, hylouranic acid, and niancinamide, as well as a moisturizer and toner and niancimde with zinc. But idk if im missing or forgetting something or got the wrong product. I cant use vitman c rn as it conflicts with one of my other products but yeah. Im sorry about your skin breaking out as well. Im breaking out on my neck and i literally never break out on my neck. My acne hasn’t been this bad since hs/ms.

@Coul.C Usually .5% isn’t a tough amount to handle, but it varies depending on your skin. A lot of lines start out at a .5 and then go to a 1%. Everyone is different 😊 Most people start out just using it 1-2x a week, depending on the severity of the acne and the sensitivity of the skin. And then gradually increase to every other day, or possibly every day if needed. Tretinoin is very similar to retinol in that they’re both vitamin A, but retinol converts to retinoic acid only after it’s been absorbed into the skin. Whereas tretinoin is pure retinoic acid, making the results usually more immediate. This can cause a reaction for some people. Tretinoin can also only be prescribed by doctors, whereas a good retinol can be bought at a spa. I’m sorry you didn’t see great results with chemical peels! Sometimes they just need a longer series to see more of a difference, maybe it was the type of peel you got. But the results vary from person to person. It won’t always give you the amazing skin you hoped for lol. Stress does definitely suck though. I’m feeling that a lot right now, I’m also having tons of chest and neck breakouts. I just ordered a couple of new products for it though so hopefully they help. Also, sometimes it could take up to 4 months to start seeing results from your skincare, so hang in there. And be easy on yourself. Stress can be really tough on your skin, but it’ll be okay.

@Anonymous Thank you i watched some videos on the process and some people seem to have it way worse than me. I just got really down and scared because it was on my nose where it is a really bad spot for me. I was thinking of maybe switching to adaplene gel because i heard it has less problem than the cream. Again thank you so much for the advice. I hope we both get over this acne spout soon!

@Coul.C Also i use the trentonin every night so i think I’ll do 3 times a week for now instead. 4 months will be my checkpoint to see how im doing but i still think I’ll switch to adaplene since i heard good things about it. I hope the stress in both out lives passes or lessens ❤️ thanks again