Horrible Skin
 

Yes, thats what I have.
I have an oily t-zone, and really dry flaky cheeks and chin. I break out pretty easily, especially on my chin.
I have been trying to lose weight for some time (emphasis on try. I have failed miserably at the doing). My diet isnt very good at all atm, but believe me Im ready to change!
I think my bad skin is very much related to my diet and lack of water (as in drinking).
I don't smoke, I don't tan and I have good skin genes, I really think I could have nice skin, and I so badly want to!
So, any ideas what I can expect if I do change my diet and drink more? Any of you ladies have gorgeous skin as a side effect of changing your lifestyles?

I should also mention that I have a lot of facial hair. Im not quite sure why. I think it might be hormonal, and if so, would that affect my skin?

Any favorite skin care product recommendations are very much welcome as well :)

Have you been tested for pcos?The season doesn't help any of us as far as skin goes.Mine is so dry the cream never seems to absorb.

I have to be honest about my one good feature, I am not bragging at all but I have an almost flawless skin, with virtually no lines and I am 36.
Like you, naturally I have a slightly greasy T-zone and drier skin on my cheeks but you cannot tell. I was prone to open pores, break outs and a nice shiny beak.
For the last few years I have taken 2000mgs of evening primrose oil every day (2 large capsules) this helps balance hormones which stops monthly break outs, acts as a great moisteriser for dry areas of skin and also seems to make your hair healthy and glossy. I also take 2000mg of Vitamin C a day, it helps your body replace collagen stores which is needed for elasticity in the skin. It takes about six weeks to see a difference but once they start working, you see major results.
Most importantly I use a non greasy sun cream (spf 20) on my face every day instead of a moisturiser to prevent sun damage, however I do not put any on the tip or sides of my nose as this blocks your pores and they start to relase more oil. If I am going on holiday or it is the middle of summer I will put the suncream on my nose so I dont burn, but day to day the nose stays bare.
Finally the old dreaded water, I drink 2 - 3 litres a day and my skin does start to break out if I knock either the water or the vitamins on the head so I know they must work for me.

Hope this has been some help.

Love Boo x x

I used to have a T-zone problem as well, even though people think I'm 10 years younger than I look. And I'm not a fruit and veggie gal, nor is water my favorite thing. I take a good vitamin every evening and I cleanse my face twice a day. I also started using Bare Minerals make-up about three years ago and now I have a breakout once every 6 months and I use their blemish therapy that has sulfur in it to get rid of it fast.

You may want to have your hormone levels checked. I've been on a hormone patch for a while and it has helped as well.

I agree with fitbyforty I think that you should go to your doctor and get tested for PCOS. I have had symptoms of PCOS since I was about 13 years old, and in your post you have described some things that that people with disorder suffer from. There is a PCOS forum on 3FC if you want to check it out. See if any of it sounds familiar to your own case.

Thanks for some great input. I don't know much about PCOS, but I will check the forums out. Will all doctors have heard of this, or is it one of those "things women get that they make up"?
I have only recently started to care more about my skin, and hopefully it will improve :)

Thank you all!

There was a nice informative thread about skin care a while ago. Let me see if I can find a link.


Here it is ... http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=121627

OMG sounds like we have identical skin. I STAY broken out all over my chin. Even when my diet is perfect I still break out on there.

BUT it's getting better. I started washing my face every night with the Neutrogena oil free face wash (comes in clear bottle, orange gel) and putting Neutrogena acne medicine on my spot. It's helped clear me up alot.

When all else fails, try some good makeup! Even on bad skin days, I can usually do a pretty good job of making my skin look nice with makeup (for instance in my AV pic, I had a terrible breakout that day but good makeup does the trick!)

i know water and healthy eating sucks...but i find that really helps my skin. Also, i swear by Origins skin products...ever since i started using them, the blackheads and zits have cleared up. Good luck!

I think you should see a Dr., especially if the excess hair is not genetic. And no, it's not one of "those" conditions. Dr.s are very aware of it.

Everyone I know that started using bare minerals make up have had improvements in their skin. And it looks so natural and light.

Ditto w hormones and eating habits
 

Once you start to eat more healthy, including taking a vitamin and mineral supplement, you will start to see a change.

I too have excess facial hair. It began in my mid 30s and has persisted up until present day. I have been treated in the past for hormonal imbalances but the facial hair was never addressed by any of the doctors I saw. I am not sure why.

I had some electrolysis(ran out of money) then I tried depilatory creams (burned my skin and left the hair!) and finally I resorted to plucking. About ten months ago I plucked about 300 excess hairs underneath my chin (yes it was double). It took me about a week. Then, I routinely plucked about 10-20 hairs per day. Now, almost ten months later, I only have to pluck about twice a week and I can do it in about ten minutes. I suspect that as I lose weight I(I've lose some) my hormones will even out and the regrowth will either stop altogether (I hope) or slow down dramatically.

I have adult acne. A couple years ago I tried Proactiv and have been using it ever since. I tried switching to other brands (like Acne free from Target), but none of them left my face as clear and skin as soft as the Proactiv.

The water definitely helps, but you might also try some meditation for stress relief, and make sure you wear sunscreen when you go out.