When your skin starts acting up – tips and a routine for troubled skin
Written By Jenny Wu on
For the most part my skin has been pretty good – it’s got its occasional issues, but nothing serious.
Of course, when I least expect it, my face decides last week it was going to be a little sh*t and break me out like a pubescent boy. I’m literally dealing with more acne than I’ve dealt with my entire life up to this point. Time for a some serious changes.
Having your skin suddenly go bananas on you is not fun, especially when this never (or rarely) happens and you’re totally unprepared.
5 tips to deal with troubled skin
- Minimize your skincare routine. This was painful for me as I loved layering on my toners and serums, but I cut down from my usual 10-step routine to just 5: cleanser – toner – serum/mask – snail essence – moisturizer on cheeks – sunscreen (am only). The key here is that the less products I use, the less chances I have of provoking the beast I call my skin.
- Seek out healing ingredients. There are some ingredients that can calm and soothe your skin, and would be great for when your skin is acting up: aloe, calendula extract, centella extract, chamomile, honey, and snail goo! Also avoid potential irritants like actives, alcohol, and fragrances. Your skin may be ok with them normally, but when it’s in beast mode, you never know what will set it off. #truestory
- Always have some anti-acne products in your stash. I had to place a 1-day shipping Amazon order last week because nothing in my current skincare wardrobe could deal with acne. Everything I owned was geared towards anti-aging and brightening, and most contained ingredients that are now too strong for my overwhelmed skin. Not saying you need a whole set of anti-acne products, but having one or 2 in your stash wouldn’t hurt.
- Adjust your lifestyle. I’m pretty sure my angry breakout is 99% stress related. That and my husband decided to buy 4 bags of gummy bears unleashed the skin beast from within. While the stress is hard to control, I’ve sworn off sugar (and run out of gummies) for the time being and am trying to be in bed by 11:30pm. Drinking plenty of water helps too!
- Seek professional help. If the situation is bad and your insurance covers a dermatologist consultation, use it! Since I subscribe to Curology, I was able to get in touch with my derm and she recommended several products that would improve my situation.
As mentioned in tip #2, the ingredients you use during your problematic-skin routine is important. Using products with healing ingredients can not only help your skin calm down faster, but it can prevent any PIH spots from forming.
My calming skincare routine
Here are some products I’ve been using to help me get through my difficult skin times. Remember, I didn’t have any anti-acne products to begin with, so I had to make do with what I had:
Noble Formula 2% Pyrithione Zinc Bar Soap (CosDNA ingredient analysis) – Yes I’m breaking my rule of no-high-ph-cleansers here, but this came at the recommendation of my dermatologist, who said to rotate the soap with my regular cleanser. It’s surprisingly not drying, but it’s also totally unglamourous. What is great about this soap is that it’ll probably last me forever, so I’ll always have this ready to go when my skin starts acting like a little sh*t again.
purchase on Amazon for $12.99
Albion Skin Conditioner Essential (CosDNA ingredient analysis) – Almost every Asian beauty blogger I follow considers this a holy grail for when their skin is problematic. So I cringed and spent more money than I cared to on a small bottle. Prior to my break out, I didn’t really notice anything special about this. But now that my face is a war zone, holy crap it works. I don’t know how, as alcohol is high up the ingredient list, but when I used this as a toner mask every night, my redness went away and the pimples seemed less angry. The beast has been tamed, but I’m also out $$$.
purchase on BGO for $60, Amazon for $56.99
Klairs Supple Preparation Toner (CosDNA ingredient analysis) – This is such a gentle toner with healing ingredients, making it perfect for situations like these. Depending on how my skin feels, I may use the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum instead. Both are great for providing my skin the hydration + nourishment it needs while calming it down.
purchase on Wishtrend for $21.99
Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask (CosDNA ingredient analysis) – If my skin really needs some TLC, I’ll throw this into my routine in place of a serum. Seriously, the whole Klairs line is great for problematic or sensitive skin. I just wish I still had some of the Midnight Blue Calming Cream left D:
COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence (CosDNA ingredient analysis) – This is the product that made me fall in love with snails. It feels so light yet nourishing on my combination skin. The simple ingredient list means I don’t have to worry about irritants, and 96% snail goo means my skin is reaping all the repairing and antibacterial properties of this ingredient.
purchase on Amazon for $17.99, Jolse for $16.15
COSRX Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask (CosDNA ingredient analysis) – So this actually doesn’t contain honey, but it does contain 85% propolis extract which has anti-inflammatory + anti-bacterial properties. This mask is also in a gel form, making it lighter than the I’m From Honey Cream and why I’m using this one instead. It actually makes for a great moisturizer when applied in small amounts!
purchase on Wishtrend for $12.80, Amazon for $13.58, Jolse for $13.60
Are these the perfect products for inflamed and/or problematic skin? I’m going to say no, but they’re not bad. If it were up to me, I would love to add a couple tea tree products to my current routine, as tea tree oil is great against acne. The LJH Tea Tree 90 Essence is on its way as I write this, and I can’t wait to add it to my routine!
Let’s Chat!
What are your go-to products when your skin starts acting up? If you have any tips and/or product recommendations, do share!
Passionate about science-based skincare. Tested hundreds if not thousands of products since my 20's. Working regularly with brands like iHerb, Ulta, CurrentBody, and MedStar Health to share my knowledge and experience in all things beauty. Learn more.
Skin profile: 35+, dry/combination, focused on well-aging, hydration, and a healthy glow ✨
Comments & Questions
Alice B
oh my, i'm amazed that you have 5-10 steps for a skincare routine! honestly! how do you have all the patience for those?! LOL. mine is so much shorter; cleanse, tone, moisturize sometimes. that's the most basic. night treatment too, sometimes to replace the moisturizer at night. face mask / exfoliator once or twice a week and that's it? wait. maybe those exfoliation counts too ....so i have like around 5 steps too, huh? :))
it's kinda hard to avoid fragrance-free or/and alcohol-free products. my clean & clear cleanser contains fragrance ..which sucks...because they minimize the production of oil on my T-zone. i don't really have specific anti acne products except for aloe vera gel for my blemishes / zits. i just cleanser my face with a deep action pore cleanser kind of face wash :P
lack of sleep and tremendous stress definitely cause my skin to breakout. makeup too, sometimes but very rarely, i suppose.
i'm so. done. with seeking dermatologist. ugh. i hate them, lol. i'm scared of them. once i went to a dermatologist and she was so keen on force-pop my zit using an injection. it was hella painful!!! and that leaves a mark on my nose now. wtf really.
Jenny Wu
Haha, I find my routine really therapeutic, and actually enjoy the process :P I tried the minimal route for a while but I felt really uneasy, like I was missing something, haha
There’s been an increase lately in more alcohol-free and fragrance-free products, but unfortunately very free western drugstore brands that do this, the only one I can think of is CeraVe. On the other hand Korean brands have a lot of alcohol & fragrance free products, so you may want to look into those :)
That dermatologist sounds err, not pleasant. No wonder you're not keen on seeing them again!
Kelli K.
I love the title of this post. Sometimes our skin really can be a little sh*t, haha! I started getting into K-beauty a couple of months ago since I was wanting to focus more on skincare. I love blogs like yours that review the products. It helps me decide what to purchase, which is not easy when there are so many things to choose from. I am really liking the COSRX and Klairs brands, so I am glad you do too so I can see what else I should buy. :)
Jenny Wu
Thank you for your kind comment Kelli, I'm so glad you're finding these reviews helpful! I agree that with Korean beauty products in particular, the options available are overwhelming and it can be very difficult to know which products to buy! It helps when you can find a brand you like and that works well with your skin and just stick to it - makes shopping for products much easier :P