A Simple (yet effective) Skincare Routine for Sensitive Blemish-Prone Skin

In my experience, blemish-prone skin needs very gentle treatment. I feel it is just stressed out from all of the lotions and potions we slather on it, so it needs a little break! Whenever my skin starts to freak out, I always revert back to this fool-proof routine, and feel I've perfected it enough to share with you!

I start off by cleansing with Cetaphil. It it white in colour and has a gel-cream like consistency, and I massage it in to my skin for around 30 seconds then remove it with a muslin cloth soaked in warm water. I find folding the muslin a couple of times helps it to retain the heat, therefore cleansing your pores better and making for a more spa-like feeling! It is extremely gentle yet effective, but it doesn't remove makeup very well so make sure you remove it beforehand. Cleansing with a muslin cloth is ideal, as it acts as an exfoliator. This means you don't have to use a separate product, and reduces the amount of products you need to use on your skin. Less is more with spot prone, stressed out skin!

Depending on whether it's night or day, I will apply a specific moisturiser. For the day, it is imperative to use a moisturiser with at least SPF 15. When spots heal, you may notice the area goes purple/red. This is because the new skin is especially prone to UV damage. If you don't use SPF, your skin won't go back to its normal tone, and you will have purple spot scars (not very nice!). A light moisturiser with SPF is therefore, a must. And yes - oily skin does need a moisturiser! If you don't moisturise, your skin will just create more oil.

Finally, if I do have any troublesome spots, I will apply a little Nixoderm. This is a white cream which smells quite strong, but doesn't irritate my sensitive skin. It is antibacterial and has a plethora of uses, and I find it gets rid of spots in no time. What's more, it is dead cheap! I don't think I paid more than £2 for mine on Ebay.

So there it is: my extremely simple and effective skincare routine. I would highly recommend anybody who suffers with spots to strip their routine back to just the basics, try not to over-load your skin and be very very gentle! It may not seem like much is happening at first, but give it a couple of months and your skin will look and feel miles better!

How do you tackle problem skin?

xxx