Skin texture is weird?

Sep 11, 2016

Kathryn R.

I'm not a dermatologist but it looks like milia to me. You need to see your dermatologist, they can't be popped by themselves. Hope this helps!

Sep 11, 2016

Leuca S.

See your derm or esthetician, but that looks like a lack of exfoliation, and I think you could do well with a chemical exfoliant in your skincare routine.

Sep 11, 2016

Aurora S.

I would get similar bumps on my forehead too. For me, I just had to exfoliate and they started going way.
You can use a physical exfoliant or chemical exfoliant but I think a chemical exfoliant works better for this type of concern. I haven't used too many chemical exfoliants but I'm sure someone within this community can recommend you some

Sep 12, 2016

Lauryn E.

Thank you all for your suggestions, but I'm not very sure what an exfoliator is??

Sep 12, 2016

Leuca S.

Exfoliants are ingredients in skincare that help your skin more effectively get rid of dead cells that can clog up your pores and generally cause bad texture.

In terms of general skincare, there are two primary types and three specific ingredients to look out for.

The two "types" are Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) and Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA).

Alpha hydroxy acids are water soluble, and tend to be better for drier skin that is not prone to breakouts, as they attract moisture but cannot exfoliate inside your pores since they are not oil soluble. The two ingredients you should be looking for in this category are Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid.

Beta hydroxy acid essentially is a category and an ingredient: Salicylic Acid. This ingredient is oil soluble, making it excellent for those with oily skin or acne prone skin, as those as those struggling with a lot of sensitivity when used in gentle formulas at 2% or lesser concentrations, as it's related to aspirin, whose chemical name is acetylsalicylic acid.

These ingredients are pretty prolifically used in a lot of skincare lines, but very few companies bother to put in the effort to formulate them well. In order for them to function as exfoliants, they must be in an product that has an acidic PH. However, you cannot drop the PH too low in a product without causing undue irritation to your skin, which leads a lot of companies to either not bother adjusting their PH to actually make the ingredient work as intended or to take the easy route and use damaging penetration enhancers such as SD alcohol, which will make the product easier to get to the correct PH but will also wreak havoc on your skin. This results in a lot of products that give people bad results with ingredients that could be doing a lot of good for their skin.

Glycolic acid is quite popular and there are a few companies that really nail it at a decent price point, including Olay, Alpha Skincare, and Paula's Choice.

Lactic acid is much less widely used in mainstream products at concentrations where it can actually function as an exfoliant. In recent years I've only really looked at Sunday Riley's formula, which is extremely expensive.

Salicylic acid tends to be the most finnicky and is the one you'll find in alcohol-based toners the most. My absolute favorite brand hands down for this ingredient is Paula's Choice, as they have a huge selection of formulas for different skin types and they make absolute sure to get their PH levels correct.

I have yet to see a super cheap exfoliant that was actually worth the money you spend on it ever since Neutrogena dropped that odd gel one from their Stress Control line, but some of the brands I mentioned are somewhat affordable.

Sep 14, 2016

Lauryn E.

Thank you for explaining!

Sep 14, 2016

Leuca S.

Of course. Just remember that you'll always get better results from your skincare routine if you're also making sure to use broad spectrum sun protection every day. :)