A record of my skin condition today. I took a direct hit from fine dust, and my skin texture has exploded.

The weather has gotten warmer lately, making it great for outdoor activities, but on the other hand, fine dust is rampant, so my skin is truly in a state of emergency. This morning, when I touched my face to wash it, I could feel a lot of bumpy unevenness along my forehead and jawline that wasn't there before. They aren't red, pus-filled blemishes, and they are so tiny, millet-like bumps that can't be squeezed have completely covered the surface of my skin.

When I look closely in the mirror, my skin texture feels rough like sandpaper, so even when I apply makeup, it cakes and really accentuates the unevenness. I definitely think I got seriously irritated by harmful external substances after being out for a long time over the weekend. Haha. It’s not like I usually just skim through my cleansing routine, so seeing my skin break out like this is really stressful. I think I absolutely need to avoid irritating it with exfoliants for the time being, so I’m planning to go all-in on soothing tonight.

On my way home from work, I stopped by a drugstore and stocked up on soothing pads containing Houttuynia cordata. After washing my face, I plan to generously apply these chilled pads to my cheeks and forehead to drastically lower my skin temperature. Also, I'm skipping any heavy creams that could clog pores and just applying a thick layer of clear Cica hydration gel before going to sleep. It’s a real ordeal to go through this annual cycle of my skin breaking out every spring. How do you all manage to calm down the bumps that suddenly appear when the fine dust is this bad? If you have any personal tips, please share them with me! I just hope my skin is calmer by tomorrow morning.