I know I have to use a sun screen for certain. However, I don't go in the sun that often because I'm more of a night person and during the day I don't get time because I'm in work. As a teenager I was mostly inside in school and only played football (every day for 12 years) during the evening. So I hardly ever get any sun exposure.
I really want to get a good skin care regimen going, I just dont know where to get the products from, I need something really basic to start with that I can order from the UK. I also have sensitive skin. At the moment I'm just using aloe vera twice a day and neutrogena gentle exfoliating wash once a day. I need something to repair or fade the hyper pigmentation I have and I don't know which is the best. Vitamin C? Copper peptides? Retinoids? One day I'll have perfect skin, It's probably best to try now rather than later. When I had acne i did use a chemical peel thing but it made my face red for like months, I didn't use any moisturizer with it though... so that probably didin't help.
You really can't order from outside the UK? There's a site called United Pharmacies that is based in Hong Kong where I get some of my skin care products. It's one of the only places you can get a prescription cream for cheap without an RX. There are other sites as well that have worked for members on here.
I've done a lot of reading on skin care regimes, and I'm very skeptical of anything that doesn't have a strong scientific basis in the literature. People will tout tons of snake oil cures. For example, despite its reputation, there's no evidence that moisturizer does anything slow down aging. The only things that have really been proven to work are retinoids and some topical antioxidants (to a lesser extent). Given your skin sensitivity I would recommend Retin A .025 Microgel as a starter. It goes up to .1 strength, but studies show that the higher strengths don't actually do more, they're just more irritating. As inflammation is often linked to aging, I would err on the side of caution. The .025 micro should be pretty easy on your skin. I would also start by applying it ever other night, just a pea sized amount spread evenly across the face and a pea sized amount for the neck. Don't be surprised to see some redness and irritation for the first few weeks as your skin gets used to it. Then gradually work your way up to every night. It takes awhile to see results, may be as long as six months. But soon your pores will look smaller and your skin tone will be more even. Also, be sure to sunscreen since your skin will become more sensitive.
For sunscreen, I'd recommend La Roche Posay +50, which you can find on ebay. It has the highest protection on the market.
The antioxidant is applied beneath the sunscreen. People have had the best results with skinceuticals C + E (few drops every day, waiting 20-30 minutes to apply sunscreen). Unfortunately a full bottle is pretty expensive, so if money is a concern you can buy a pack of six small sample bottles on ebay, which will last you at least a few months.
Oh, and you might want to get a prescription anyway for the Retinoids from your derm (just say it's for adult acne), because it will be hard to land Microgel without it. I've only seen the .1 Microgel online offered without a prescription.
If you follow that simple routine, stay out of the sun, and wear sunglasses when you do, you should be good to go.
Keep in mind you need to wear sunscreen rain or shine, indoors or out (unless you're not near a window), because UVA rays penetrate through cloud cover and glass windows.
They say 10-15 minutes of sun exposure every other day is enough to induce aging. That could mean the three minutes running from the bus to work, standing in front of a window, whatever. It adds up, believe it or not.
Edited by marqueemoon, 23 December 2008 - 02:22 AM.
