Current skincare for hormonal acne

I've spoken a few times about my hormonal (menopausal, ugh!) acne & after a re-jig of my skincare, I seem to have found the perfect products that have really helped to clear up my skin in the last 7 weeks so I thought I'd share them with you.

Cleansing

After using my Simple eye makeup remover cream, I take the bulk of my makeup off with the Garnier Micellar water & then follow up with a deep cleanse using the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil.  I love this silky, lightweight oil as it never feels greasy or leaves a film on my skin.  I always use a clean flannel every day to remove this as the lightweight muslin cloths leave too much product behind for my liking - Primark luxury facecloths/flannels are excellent.

Exfoliate/toner

These Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Pads by Nip + Fab are a recent discovery, bought on a total whim one day when I spotted them on offer but I'm soooo glad I found them!  I noticed a huge difference in my skin after using these for just a few days - my blemishes starting clearing up immediately & redness was reduced.  Don't be put off by the 'glycolic acid'  or 'exfoliating' tags as these pads are so gentle on the skin but incredibly effective.  The acid is the exfoliating agent whilst they also contain witch hazel to tone, hyaluronic acid to hydrate & blue daisy to soothe.

If my skin is having a particularly bad breakout, I give it a light spritz with this Serozinc by La Roche-Posay.  I don't think it particularly treats blemishes but it helps to mattify the skin without drying it out.

Treatments

Another new purchase is La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I.  This is a targeted breakout corrector cream & I apply this on any new blemishes.  You only need a tiny amount & it really helps to immediately reduce imperfections & reduces the chance of scarring.

Another wonder product from LR-P here & one I've spoken about before on the blog - Effaclar Duo+.  This lightweight gel-crème helps to rapidly clear up any breakouts & refine the skin's appearance & I'm now on my third tube of this.  It's really helped to reduce the scarring on my chin & any redness is immediately soothed - I love this stuff!!

Hydrate & nourish

More new products, this time from Vichy.  After Vichy kindly sent me the Liftactiv Supreme to try (read my review here) & I loved it so much, I decided to buy their Aqualia Thermal serum.  It's so important for all skin types to keep really well hydrated so I always use a hydrating serum under my moisturiser.  I had been using Hydraluron & Clarins Hydraquench but I really like this from Vichy too.  One pump is enough to cover my whole face, neck & décolletage & teamed with the rest of my skincare routine, my skin still feels really well hydrated when I wake up in the morning.

My skin has cleared up enormously since using this regime & scarring is reducing all the time.  My breakouts are not so regular - or horrific! - now & overall, I'm much happier.  It's amazing how much having acne can zap your confidence!

Are there any other skincare recommendations out there?

Vichy Liftactiv Supreme

I posted back in June that I was approached by Vichy to see if I'd like to try their Dermablend range (see my review here) & the new Liftactiv Supreme moisturiser.  I reviewed the foundation straight away but wanted to give the moisturiser a fair trial before posting my opinion.  I've now been using this cream for 6 weeks & I have probably enough product left for another 3 or 4 days.  During this time, I've used no other day or night creams or facial oils, just the Liftactiv Supreme for normal/combination skin & a hydrating serum underneath.  

On receiving, I did the usual texture test & even though this felt rich & immediately nourishing, because it is more of a gel-crème formulation rather than a heavy cream, I knew my skin was going to like it.  The only thing that slightly concerned me was the merest hint of shimmer given by the the white micro-pearls as in the past, any product with 'illuminating' properties (ie, anything with shimmer so most highlighters & a lot of other primers & creams) have broken my skin out terribly but I'm very happy to report that I had no reaction whatsoever to this - yay!!  You can read more in depth product information on the Vichy website, I just want to give you my findings on this today, not bamboozle you with science!

So, after 6 weeks of twice-daily use, what are my thoughts on this cream?  Hand on heart, it's been a long time & a lot of products since I've used a moisturiser that I've loved this much.  I've noticed a tremendous difference in the texture & firmness of my skin, my face just looks a lot 'fresher' at the moment!  When I wake up in the morning, my skin still feels plumped & hydrated & that hasn't happened in years, believe me.  Also, I could be imagining it but I'm positive that the fine vertical frown lines I have between my eyes are less noticeable now - I'm so annoyed I didn't take a closeup 'before' photo as proof!!

 I was so impressed with this & happy that this suited my skin so much that after only 3 weeks of using it, I ordered the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Serum to replace my depleted stocks of Hydraluron & Clarins Hydraquench Serum & another pot of the Liftactiv Supreme.  Never before have I used a product that I've felt the need to replace before I've even finished it so that in itself speaks volumes!! Thank you so much Vichy for sending me this & bringing your lovely products back to my attention!

Liftactiv Supreme is available from Boots at £31.00 but shop around online, as other sites sometimes have it on offer.