Sharing my home care routine that calmed adult skin troubles and milia without scarring ㅠㅠ

I never had acne in my 20s, but once I entered my 30s, it broke out in droves around my chin and mouth, causing me immense stress. At first, I thought it was just temporary hormonal breakouts and left it alone, but even after a month, instead of subsiding, it got redder and turned into hard, inflamed pustules. On top of that, small, bumpy whiteheads started spreading to my forehead, making me sigh every time I looked in the mirror. It was a vicious cycle where applying thick layers of concealer to cover them actually clogged my pores and made the breakouts worse. I was worried about the side effects of medication from a dermatologist, so I decided to completely overhaul my home skincare routine and focus on home care.

The first thing I suspected was the cleansing step. Worried that sunscreen or makeup residue might be stuck in my pores, I switched my first cleanser from a heavy cleansing oil to a cleansing milk, which is less irritating for acne-prone skin. I applied the cleansing milk to my face and gently rolled it to dissolve the sebum, then rinsed it several times with lukewarm water and lightly washed my face a second time with a mild, pH-balanced foam cleanser. Although it didn't leave that squeaky-clean feeling, it felt like it was gently washing away impurities while protecting the skin barrier, so I noticed that redness was definitely lessened immediately after washing. I also drastically reduced my basic skincare routine. I stopped using all the nourishing creams and oils I usually applied because they can clog pores, and I used just two products: a water toner based on Centella Asiatica extract, which has excellent soothing properties, and a lightweight hydrating gel cream.

Especially on the red, inflamed areas of pustular acne, I dabbed a cotton swab with tea tree oil and gently dabbed it only onto the localized spots. At first, there was a slight burning sensation, but surprisingly, the inflammation had subsided by the next morning. For areas where I was concerned about small bumps, I gently exfoliated once or twice a week using a pad containing BHA to prevent clogged pores. I absolutely never squeezed them with my hands and simply reapplied a soothing ampoule frequently.

After going on a "skincare diet" and consistently maintaining a minimal routine to minimize skin irritation for about a month, the number of new breakouts and blemishes significantly decreased, and existing red marks began to gradually fade. It seems that when your skin is inflamed, the right answer is to cleanse it so it can breathe and focus solely on cooling and soothing, rather than piling on various highly nourishing products. Haha. For those of you struggling with sudden adult acne like me, I highly recommend trying the combination of cleansing milk and Cica gel cream! If you have any other great products for soothing breakouts that have worked for you, I would appreciate it if you could share them with me!