Will my skin just look like this forever?

I’ve never fully gotten rid of my acne, even if I don’t currently have pimples for a week or so. It’s just always red and deep looking. Recently I’ve been taking a skincare routine more seriously, but it hasn’t helped.

I tried tretinoin for years after being prescribed, and it kept new acne from coming, but it never got rid of the existing redness. Then I tried panoxyl wash for a while and that helped my skin feel cleaner and made my pores appear smaller, but it didn’t get rid of the redness or texture.

Now I use a gentle makeup cleanser every day and SA cleaners every few days, but I have no idea how to get rid of acne. When I have a new spot, I use patches that help with insecurity, and the spot is usually gone in a few days. But I can never get rid of everything on my cheeks!! It’s so frustrating

Tret, niacinamide, azelaic acid. These and some others help remove post-inflammatory erythema. Don’t skip sunscreen. It doesn’t improve PIE/PIH directly but indirectly prevents them from getting worse.

I had it forever until I started spironolactone. But mine was hormonal and idk what the cause of yours is. :woman_shrugging:t2:

I don’t know what causes mine either :smiling_face_with_tear: I’ve had acne since I was 9-10, and it’s never gone away since then. I’m only 19 but still, 10 years with this is frustrating! I know a lot of it has to do with my diet, but even when it’s been very good, the past acne never goes away.

I used to have skin that looked pretty much like yours + destroyed the skin barrier. My acne was hormonal and my treatment did nothing to help with hyperpigmentation. Got a lot of hydrating and moisturising products, and now I don’t even feel like I need foundation. Took quite some time to get there though (~1-2 years)

I completely understand your frustration—persistent redness and texture can be really tough to deal with. I faced similar challenges for quite a while, trying different products without success.

One product I strongly recommend is The Skin Story’s Anti-Pigmentation Serum. I found it very effective for reducing redness and enhancing skin texture, which could really benefit the deep-looking areas on your cheeks.