Soleil

Mid-30s, combination and sensitive skin.

I always had fairly good skin after the requisite...

Mid-30s, combination and sensitive skin.

I always had fairly good skin after the requisite puberty breakouts, but unfortunately that’s no longer the case. So now I’m tracking my skincare routine to get back to my baseline.

Longer explanation: Almost 3 years ago I started using topical Vitamin C. I wasn’t having much luck, but I figured it was either the wrong formulation, brand, etc. so I just kept trying. I finally settled on the Olay in the yellow jar, because it had the best texture and I was also in the middle of trying out one-and-done products because I was tired of long skincare steps.

I started getting breakouts and really oily skin, but I thought it was just because I was getting used to a new climate/environment (I was in Vienna for the summer), and Vienna itself was suffering from unprecedented heatwaves.

It wasn’t until I was back in the US and still breaking out that I thought about stopping vitamin C. I also got a bunch of facials which improved my skin condition.

But I destroyed it all again when I decided to get microneedling. I don’t know if it was because I still maybe had active acne, or the esthetician was just bad, but the treatment really destroyed my skin barrier. After a course of antibiotics + a medical facial from a much better place, things are better, but still not anywhere near where I want to be.

Currently on prescription: tretinoin 0.05, topical antibiotics, spironolactone