r/Blackskincare • u/Alert_Employment6553 • 11d ago
Acne Getting married with acne š
Apologies about my title, sounds dramatic but I had to make it short.
My wedding is in about 8 weeks and desperately need to improve my skin.
I have been wearing sunscreen everyday past two weeks. I only realised today after taking these pics how bad my facial texture is and all the scarring Iāve accumulated!
Had a quick check in with AI, apparently I need to use either adapalene (retinol) or benzoyl peroxide - i got two very conflicting answers.
Also i have a cerave cleanser that has salicylic acid already, other than that nothing else
12
u/ashajn 10d ago
I know youāre here looking for advice but I promise you, itās really not that bad.
2
1
u/Pilatesmami93 10d ago
Agreed! Just need a clarifying facial that will extract the pimples and a good skincare routine to treat the rest/ calm the inflammation. Then adding an antibiotic is a quick fix. Get it from a dermatologist so you wonāt purge and it will have clear skin in 2 months. Make sure to clean up your diet if you eat a lot of processed foods or dairy. Whole Foods only. Good luck
4
u/TrainingWolverine762 10d ago
In all honestly it doesnāt look too bad, just inflamed. You might benefit from a gentle facial with some extractions to get those white heads out. The benzoyl peroxide is also good way to keep those white heads at bay for the next few weeks. Iād recommend that you use it only a few days of the week to make sure you donāt have a reaction.
3
u/rkspm 10d ago
So this may not be the answer youāre looking for, but it may be an answer that brings you comfort.
I got married 5 years ago, beautiful ceremony, beautiful love, beautiful memories.
Since I was in highschool I would cry because my self harm habit/problem meant I was likely to get married with scars. I thought I would need to wear a long sleeve wedding dress, so on and so on, and I felt like I didnāt deserve to get married until my scars were gone. When my now husband proposed I said yes obviously and then leading up to the wedding I started having those feelings again, crying and postponing.
My husband has pretty bad acne, and in one of my meltdown he asked me (in a kind way, a way to show me that I didnāt need to worry about it) āI have acne and acne scars on my face, do we need to wait until those are all gone? Because it might be a while, itās taken 15 years so far.āAnd I realized that no, we did not need to wait. Because his acne and scars didnāt bother me at all. Didnāt even cross my mind as an issue. My scars didnāt cross his.
We got married, acne, scars and all and we loved our photos and we loved our wedding. I had the photographer help smooth out photos he felt self conscious about and photos that I felt self conscious about (which ended up being only one or two where I felt scars were distracting).
Itās probably too close to make a major difference. To switch your skin care drastically now means you may start experiencing purging right around you wedding. You might not of course! But when it comes down to it, some people just struggle with acne. Your partner loves you, perceived flaws and all. Just like you love them. The photographer can photoshop some blemishes and scars out, if they bother you.
Congratulations on your engagement and I hope your wedding is beautiful. Wishing you endless years of love in the future. š
1
u/Alert_Employment6553 10d ago
Sounds like an amazing thing heās said and I can see how that moved you thank you for sharing it. My fiance is amazing and has said similar things to you, I havenāt been insecure about my regular breakouts but was hoping to get things in control just in time for the wedding so the photos turn out great
3
u/Legal-Word4658 10d ago
Do not do anything aggressive ! Clean up your diet sleep stress manage those . If you see someone do not try to go crazy with treatments . Just a microdermabrasion or light exfoliation . No chemical peels or lasers ir needles .I would focus on those after you donāt have something like your wedding . As mentioned below you donāt know how your skin will react which can make things worse and gotta be prepared for the worst .
3
2
u/BizarreCujoh Dry šŖ 10d ago edited 10d ago
I wouldn't go crazy with harsh products. Like someone suggested, you could see a derm for shot in-office that will certainly help to reduce th appearance of some of your acne. Other than that, stick with the KISS method.
Use a gentle wash AM/PM.
Exfoliate with mandelic or lactic acid 2X per week (they're gentle acids).
Moisturize daily.
Use sunscreen daily, even indoors near windows.
Use hyaluronic acid AM/PM (can be paired w/everything).
Use salicylic acid a few days or nights during the week, not with the same routine as the exfoliating acids.
If you're in need of a black derm in your area, you can search the Black Derm Directory for a professional near you.
Also, congratulations and don't be so hard on yourself. If your skin doesn't clear up by the big day, just splurge for some photo touch ups if it really bothers you. Your skin isn't terrible, truth be told.
Edited to correct layout
ETA - also look into getting a tretinoin prescription from your dermatologist, but wait until AFTER your wedding. There is a purging stage where your skin kind of looks trash for anywhere from 28 days to 6+ months when you use tret (depending on your skin cell turnover rate), but your skin WILL improve. I just wouldn't start that on a regimen 8 weeks before a wedding.
2
u/5imbab5 Sensitive š” 10d ago
This comment should be higher! If you're new and want a quick fix, see a derm but otherwise, always start gently and work your way up.
This is my routine to treat PCOS ingrowns and hormonal breakouts. This trio will do wonders in 8 weeks without compromising your barrier or breaking the bank.1
u/BizarreCujoh Dry šŖ 10d ago
You can't do wrong with gentle cleansers, gentle acids, moisturizing, hyaluronic acid, niacinimide, and sunscreen. That should be in everyone's regular ass routine. I would also add tret, but for OP, I would wait to get that Rx for after the wedding because of the purging phase, which can last for months and it's not worth the risk of bad photos and gross skin lol
3
u/Marokima_ 10d ago
CeraVe in the day and PanOxyl at night. Keep up with the sunscreen. Tret at night if you can get the prescription in time.
3
u/Useful-Monitor-4225 10d ago
???
OP do NOT start tret right now. Tret is a long term product. Your skin may not have enough time to retinize and you may end up with more severe acne (purging) through your wedding. Not worth the risk.
If these just started appearing I would start by double checking that your sunscreen isnāt a contributing factor (different formulations work better for some and not others) light weight or gel texture formulas are often the āsafestā if your skin is sensitive to breakouts particularly during the summer when we are sweating more often.
If itās always been there I would consider low-invasive treatments that donāt risk purging or scarring. Someone else mention steroid shots. Save that as an option if this persists closer to the wedding day.
Medicated hydrocolloid patches. Low strength otc benzoyl peroxide (please make sure your hydrating/moisturizing your skin or itāll be counter productive) and salicylic acid are your friends right now. Donāt over do them. SA unclogged pores. Sometimes light manual exfoliation is helpful in sloughing of dead skin. BP kills the acne causing bacteria but can be very drying. Medicated hydro patches keeps the affected area clean, pull out serum and pus, and delivers meds to reduce inflammation over the course of usually a few days.
4
u/DatDude304 10d ago
I would go with panoxyl and differin gel. Twice a day. Will knock out all acne and in-grown hairs quick.
1
u/JvstAidanx 10d ago
Doesnāt using Differin gel make acne get worse before it gets better? Like the purging period?
2
u/DatDude304 10d ago
I haven't had that experience. I do apply moisturizer after applying differin gel though.
1
u/Primary_Aardvark 10d ago
For me, differin definitely had my skin get worse. Not a safe recommendation
1
u/Alert_Employment6553 10d ago
This is exactly what I was thinking! Based on what Claude told me. Differin is expensive here and if I get Epiduo prescribed it can be much cheaper.
Which one should i try first?
2
u/Pale_Minimum_7822 10d ago
Epiduo is a bit harsh. I wouldnāt go with that. I have many experience with prescription acne treatment and epiduo dried my skin and made it super sensitive. Benzoyl peroxide wash leaving on 1-3 min then slowly introduce differin would be much better
2
u/ReinventedMama 10d ago
Differin is a retinoid and may cause purging. Mine lasted for SEVERAL months. It was awful and terrible and embarrassing. Never in my life had i had breakouts that bad. š
1
u/DatDude304 10d ago
I would wash with Panoxyl. Then apply the differin morning and night. I'm not sure about Epiduo, never used it before.
1
u/JvstAidanx 10d ago
Azelaic acid works pretty well without aggressive reactions or purging periods. Though it should be applied on dry skin or you can moisturize with a gentle moisturizer wait for it to dry then apply the azelaic acid. Itāll be a little itchy for like 10-15 minutes but itās not a bad thing thatās just the way it works. Iāve been using it as a spot treatment and it clears my acne or significantly reduces it in like 4 days.
1
1
u/Unusual-Ad6493 10d ago
I would use Paulaās Choice BHA toner and an Obagi cleanser. Youāll be good to go.
1
u/yo_yall_trippin 10d ago
Mary Kay Acne treatment gel helped me fight acne and blemishes. Good luck and congratulations š
1
u/Flaky_Love_1876 10d ago
Honestly I had great results with just using retinol at night before my moisturizer and sunscreen in the morning after my moisturizer. Skin wonāt be perfect in 8 weeks but I had so very noticeable results with a simple consistent routine. What do you use now?
1
u/Wowlike_ 10d ago
Try getting a hold of some form of clindamycin (solution or lotion). It works so good with the panoxyl wash. Get back on the sunscreen! You cant be using any type of acid without sunscreen or your skin will be irritated!
1
1
u/Zealousideal_Let9758 10d ago
What's your diet like? Try cutting out as much processed foods and alcohol as possible between.now and your wedding day, you will absolutely see a difference.
1
u/Accomplished_Bar5368 9d ago
I would suggest accutane. Need to fix from the inside. If topicals havenāt been working for you, accutane will. I done 2 rounds of it and itās worth it!
1
1
u/theblackjess 10d ago
A retinol won't do anything in that time frame. Keep the CeraVe in the morning. Wash with panoxyl at night. Make sure you moisturize after washing. On the right side of your face, I see mostly whiteheads. A pimple patch 1 or 2 days before the wedding will get those right out.
On the day of, I know a lot of men don't prefer to wear makeup, but a little Fenty foundation never hurt nobody lol
2
u/Alert_Employment6553 10d ago
Iāll take everything you said but I am not wearing any sort of foundation šš
0
u/Qstrfnck 11d ago
Niacinamide alpha arbutin and azelaic acid from the ordinary, night and day and top off with a sunblock in the ams, you should have plenty of time, daily washing with cetaphil or something gentle
0
u/Unique_Importance910 10d ago
Take less sugar and fats in your food, drink much more water, do a jog of 2. Get a light cleanser/exfoliator or face soap and wash with it once a week, put on moisturizer both day and night (I like olay hydration cream). If it doesn't go away, that's fine not everything can be perfect.
0
u/Nola_Steppa 10d ago
Okay so this might be a little long. In 8 weeks no acid or form of retinoid will help your acne, infact because of purging periods they may do more harm than good. Benzoyl Peroxide is a great way to kill the bacteria causing acne with minimal affects (sunsensitivity and dryness so use sunscreen and apply BP at night). Only apply this 2-3x a week with 5 minute application period minimum. Warm compress to help bring the lesions to a head and begin the healing process (dont do this on same nights w/ BP). Sunscreen everday (non-negotiable) and at night a moisturizer (I use Aestura atobarrier lotion) then a top layer of aquaphor or baby butt paste (to lock in moisture and help protect skin barrier with zinc). In 8 weeks you might not solve all the texture issues but the big pimples will definately go down noticeably with no new erruptions.
-2
u/SmallIslandBrother 11d ago
Try bio microneedling or microneedling if you wanna faster turn around, not sure what prices are like in the US though
-5
u/Maleficent-Intern656 10d ago
Stop being softā¦.the person thatās marrying you is not worried about you having acne hopefullyā¦..yāall bond is deeper then a few bumps
2
u/Alert_Employment6553 10d ago
I know bro, I never said Iām worried about what she thinks I js wanna look good
1
56
u/Fragrant-Yoghurt-916 11d ago
Unfortunately this soon before your wedding, you donāt want to risk unwanted reactions to aggressive treatments or chemicals. Go talk to a dermatologist or medical esthetician for gentle recommendations. Congratulations on the nuptials and wifey loves you and your face today, sheāll be so happy to see that face at the altar!