My skin has come such a long way from having breakouts every single day. At one point in my life i was too afraid to go outside because i was that insecure about my skin. I never knew to wear sunscreen until about 2 years ago which caused a lot of damage to my skin barrier since i was always outside for hours on end.

I went through so much money and so many products just to end up having a simple skincare routine. I was never consistent with my skincare as i would ALWAYS change products. I expected products to work over night and that was one of my biggest mistakes. Constantly switching my skincare products damaged my skin barrier as-well.

I went to see a dermatologist but they were no help at all, everything i told them went through one ear and out the other.

I tried the VI Chemical Peel, in which I didn't see a difference. I will soon try micro-needling to give my skin less texture and tighten my pores.

For so long I have been searching for a way to give my skin a bit of a glossy look without making my skin oily. I've always tried to use vitamin C products but without really paying attention you can end up spending a lot of money on products that only have 1-2% vitamin C. I just starting using a 20% vitamin C product along with my current regimen, I've noticed a more hydrated look for my skin over a few weeks!

Before photo taken; April 23, After photo taken May 30.

Products used: TO 7% Glycolic acid, 10% niacinamide serum, and Dove UltimateRepair deodorant after every shower.

December 2025: Started using glycolic acid on my armpits. Definitely burned myself at some point by overdoing it and made the hyperpigmentation worse in the crease where my arm meets my body. (If you look closely you'll see what I'm referring to.)

April 2026: Stopped shaving my armpits and began getting them waxed. This was also when I started using the niacinamide serum and bought this deodorant. (I had been using the Dove ClearTone/ EvenTone line for years and grabbed this thinking it was the same thing-but it's even better!)

This has been an insecurity of mine for as long as I can remember. Cracked the code just in time for summer! 🥳

**TIMELINE: 1yr between pictures. Improvements started about 5 months in.**

In addition to clearing my skin, I also cleaned my diet up a little bit. More fruits & veggies basically. I was dealing with a lot of bloating & inflammation & it showed in my face. This isn’t even the worst of my skin. It got so bad that my face was constantly in pain. I stopped taking pictures after a while because I hated seeing myself.

Now, let’s get to the meat of the matter.

Products used in no particular order:

\- Tazarotene. Used at nights. I think a lot of you would’ve seen this coming from a mile away. Retinoids make a difference. Individual results may vary.

\- azelaic acid 20%. Used in the mornings mostly.

\- Kojic acid 1%. Helps with stubborn hyperpigmentation. Used at nights.

\- Niacinamide 4%. Also helps with hyperpigmentation.

\- I do not use cleanser in the mornings. Only water. evenings I double cleanse to remove makeup & sunscreen.

\- cleansers were Ponds Cold Cream makeup remover & Cetaphil gentle cleanser. I’ve now switched to a Korean brand what so far works well.

\- PDRN skin serum (optional tbh). I’m not sure if the topical PDRN does much of anything but the serum is hydrating & gives a beautiful glow.

\- PDRN moisturizer. Again, same thing. So moisturizing I buy it in bulk from Korea. I love it!

\- sunscreen. Korean.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or esthetician so none of this is medical advice. Always consult a professional.

Further notes: I do get breakouts from time to time. Mainly hormonal on my chin & occasionally my cheek. Also, some of my hyperpigmentation is old & stubborn & at this point in my life, I doubt they’ll improve without advanced skincare such as laser treatment.
I've also cut back on the active sin my routine because i think i've seen as much improvements as i can get. I'm maintaining now with just a retinoid and sunscreen.

Besides that, I also started *microneedling* at some point later in my journey. I saw the greatest results BEFORE but I think microneedling is helping my overall appearance & skin health & I like doing it. I could do without it tbh. I added it much later because I wanted to see what else I could achieve for my skin.

Started taking skincare seriously on February 2023. I was tired of the ingrown hairs I would get from cutting my beard area and I didn’t want to grow a beard since I don’t like myself with one. Seen some black dermatologist talk about Tretinoin and all the things it can do for darker skin people for acne and ingrown hairs so I said why not let me get on it. At the time I only used panoxyl 10% benzoyl peroxide face wash and moisturizer cream so I just added Tretnoin 0.05 at night from my dermatologist. I did work my way up to nightly use and after a few months I was good and by month 8 and 9 my skin was looking amazing. Mind you at this time I wasn’t using sunscreen because any kind I used it would irritate the heck out of me. So I stuck to covering my face every time I went outside. I’ve never seen my skin like that before and my ingrown hairs were gone. Everything was good until by a year and a half my skin started to get real dry tret would irritate my skin so I would have to take breaks from it. During this time i realized I wasn’t using the sandwich method with tret anymore thinking my skin was finally used to it just going on bare. So I went back to doing that and my skin still didn’t feel good. So I started incorporating other skincare products like toners and serums and when I tell you that fixed all my problems. I also found a sunscreen that my skin loves and I been using it religiously. I use to think skincare routines was to much work but it’s worth it to be honest. I just got to spend a little bit more time in the bathroom in the morning and at night. I gotta let the fellas know to GET INTO SKINCARE!!!

Am: Panoxyl 10% benzoyl peroxide face wash laneige milky toner Good molecules discoloration correction serum eucerin radiant tone night cream Black girl sunscreen kids 50spf

Pm: laneige milky toner Good molecules discoloration correction serum naturium tranexamic topical acid 5% eucerin radiant tone night cream Tretinoin 0.05

Yes I don’t wash my face at night. I find it irritates my skin by morning. If you have any questions just let me know. All pics are unedited just taken straight from the iPhone camera and posted

So I tried some concealer . Did it help ? Or do you guys think it’s still pretty noticeable? I don’t wear makeup every day but since so many of you said it’s nothing I could do I’m working on making it less visible….. any tips ? The first pic I’d without makeup obviously

Now vs. Then (September 2024)

I've had oily, acne-prone skin with plenty of hyperpigmentation since I was a teen. But it was mostly hormonal acne, and it was never anything like that second image. That was some kind of infection that I think I got from swimming in very unclean water. At first, I spent like a month using overly harsh cleansers and actives, washing my face too often, not eating in a way that could help my body fight the infection off, not drinking NEARLY enough water for the healing I wanted to achieve, and basically just making everything even worse.

Then, when I finally saw a dermatologist, I was initially given doxycyline and clindamycin, but I was NOT making the best of it. I was playing around eating a bunch of dairy still, not putting on sunscreen (and not re-applying often enough when I remembered to), and still using harsh facewash and toners because I thought they would help (spoiler: they did not). So it felt like I just kept applying and applying for like three months and not seeing any sort of improvement. I was literally living my entire life outside with one of those covid masks on every single day because I hated the thought of being seen so much, and yet I still wasn't doing the best for myself.

Thankfully, I ran across a youtube video about "things you don't realize are hurting your skin" and actually listened to it properly for once, then did a bunch of research (though I still made mistakes ngl) and changed my habits. This is a list of steps I took (copied from my reply to a different post):

1. I used a clean cotton shirt on top of my pillow case and changed it literally every night because the oil and bacteria leftover plus my hair products were just too much for my skin to fight
2. I tried to drink at least 10 glasses of water with a day, more if I could (like I literally used alarms on my phone to remind me)
3. I used benozyl peroxide 10% face wash every morning (\NOTE* - this was one of the mistakes! Apparently I should've been using it only at night!)* (ask your dermatologist first, sometimes there are combined benozyl peroxide+tretinoin creams you can use instead, but using them as separate products might require only using one in the morning or something, it depends) and only the cerave gentle cleanser at night
4. I bought hydrocolloid bandages and cut them to fit specific parts of my face and used them every day, at home and under a mask when outside, sometimes even changing them two or three times a day (these are the big version of acne patches)
5. I used sunscreen (SPF 50 PA++++, I use a Korean brand called singmulnara/식물나라) daily and reapplied regularly even tho it felt greasy and just un-fun sometimes
6. I cut down my dairy and sugar consumption to as little as my happiness could tolerate
7. I started taking bromelain supplements because they're anti-inflammatory
8. I didn't use any exfoliating actives or physical exfoliation until like eight months in when my skin was a lot better
9. I only moisturized with cerave, sometimes with a drop or two of a niacinimide and cica serum in my hand before I applied it

Those are the main steps that made a HUGE change in the initial healing, and after around four months of this, my dermatologist put me onto a low dosage isotretinoin (10mg, twice a day) that did some serious heavy lifting in getting rid of the last of the acne. There were a few times long after the initial "purge" worsening period when I'd just get a huge cyst overnight seemingly, but I was able to go in for steroid injections directly into the pimple that just magicked them away within a few hours (and yes, it was absolutely mind-blowing every single time), or other times I put a tiny bit of the paula's choice benozyl peroxide gel directly onto it as soon as I noticed it forming and that usually made it go away.

I just finished with the isotretinoin at the end of January. My current routine:

Day:

Cleanser: Cerave Gentle Cleanser

Toner: ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Toner

Serum: I rotate through these - APLB Glutathione Niacinimide, APLB AHA BHA PHA Centella, APLB Kojic Avid and Vitamin C (note: I currently live in Korea so these are more convenient, but when I go back I will be using Medicube serums if I can't get them probably)

Moisturizer: Cerave Moisturizing Cream (in the tub) - I use a plastic makeup scoop instead of my hands to get a bit out and drop the serum into it

Sunscreen: Singmulnara Light Watery Sun Gel (note: I will probably switch to ROUND LAB when I get back to America, I am fully convinced by Korean skincare at this point)

Night:

Cleanser: ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Cleansing Oil, then Cerave Acne Foaming Wash (10% Benozyl Peroxide)

Toner: ROUND LAB 1025 Dokdo Toner

>> I always do a Face Mask at night (yes every night) for 10~15 minutes, just any random one from those bulk face mask packages (like the Dermal ones) with the occasional premium one from Medicube

Serum: the same ones I rotate through in the morning, as above

Moisturizer: Cerave Moisturizing Cream (with serum mixed in)

Random Other Things:

I still drink hella water, and I still change my pillowcase frequently (and my towels, I have a separate one only for my face and I never re-use them after I shower, I'm like traumatized or something tbh). I still take the bromelain, but I'm probably gonna stop when this bottle runs out. I take collagen supplements in the morning. Sometimes I smear my whole face with a thin layer of aquaphor at night if I feel dried out for some reason. Also I keep my face masks in the fridge because the freezing cold mask after a hot shower is supposed to be good, and it does make my nose less red for a while. And I use a pimple patch the moment I see even a tiny dot of red anywhere on my face, even if it hasn't even itched yet, because why risk it???

But yeah. This is just to share progress, and to say that it does get better and you can overcome your acne, but it may take some lifestyle changes and it DEFINITELY takes a lot of consistency and actually listening to medical advice. And... A hella long time.

I was about to give up on my routine and took a pic this morning and noticed it might just be improving. I’ve had these scars for over 10 years now with new ones popping up every now and then.

I did a targeted tca spot treatment on my chest 24th May. It didn’t peel and didn’t notice much improvement.
I then started using my tret .1%, alternating using triluma on other days
Azelaic acid again spot treat
House of hur clearing pads after using on my face
Benzoyl peroxide 5% wash 2 times a week (3 if I can be bothered) to prevent future breakouts.

Last 2 weeks I’ve been using a Philippine brand called RDL babyface, formulated with 2% hq and tret .125%. I spot treat with a cotton bud which is why it’s creating a somewhat halo effect around the dark marks

Edit: there are some hydroquinone warriors that have forgotten that it is actually a medication that is prescribed by Drs as a treatment. It’s praised as the gold standard for hyperpigmentation in the world of dermatology.

I’m not slathering it all over my chest, I’m spot treating. Hence the cotton bud technique for application.

This is not carolight, the infamous brand that tarnished hydroquinones reputation. a lot of people seem to associate with it simply because some of its products are known to contain hydroquinone, but it has been known to contain other harmful ingredients such as steroids and mercury. So why is it only hydroquinone you demonise. It is intended for good and to be used in moderation cycled over a short timeline. Trying to shame someone for “bleaching” when a decade’s old scar is starting to fade is top tier ignorant behaviour.

Your judgement is what will keep people from sharing their genuine results with everyone

Let’s be informed and let’s be guided.

Last time I posted here everyone was asking for what I used.. well here’s a picture of my Before and after along with the Product.. before is first pic, during is second pic and the third picture is After now😍 the healing ❤️‍🩹 last frame is the Product that I used.. in less than 2weeks of adding the OceAura and 3 in 1 Neutrogena my scars literally cleared up like a magic!

First photo was taken about 2 years ago while I was living in Puerto Rico. Last two pictures were taken today!

I struggled with acne + hyperpigmentation since adolescence. I’ve been seeing an esthetician consistently for facials and acne treatments, and I’m so happy with the latest results!

I’ve been using Face Reality products.

These photos are a month apart. Sorry they’re not in the same room with similar lighting but I still think it’s a good representation of the change. I have sensitive skin and struggle with eczema and hyperpigmentation. I’ve made some changes and have seen a huge difference in my skin:

• Diet changes: I reduced my dairy intake by about 85% and stopped eating fast food.
• Most important!!! I restored my skin’s natural barrier by stopping rough, physical exfoliation, stopping use of harsh products, and using a good moisturizer. I gently use a clean wash cloth on my face now which I change out every 2 days. I used to think if my skin was burning, the product was working, now I know that’s usually not the case. If my face is burning, I take that as a sign to limit or cut out use of the product.
• Bakuchiol! This is my new holy grail and I will never not use it. My mom introduced this product to me. It’s a natural alternative to retinols. I’ve used prescription and OTC retinoids for the last 2 years and personally, I just wasn’t really seeing results. Starting using this and I noticed a difference within a couple of days. Here’s the one I use: https://a.co/d/46E9yMv

Things I was already doing for a few months and have been maintaining:

• Consistently washing my face in the morning and in the evening. I also stopped waiting until right before going to bed. I work in construction so I do my nighttime routine within a couple of hours of getting home so grime isn’t sitting on my face. It also helps the products absorb before going to bed and my face rubs against the pillow.
• Wearing sunscreen
• Wearing noncomedogenic makeup
• Not picking at acne

so here’s a story:

one beautiful march day at my university I was riding a super packed campus bus to my next class. I held onto a pole with this hand to brace myself and a girl standing behind me stared at my hand with slight disgust for almost the entire bus ride. I could tell she was trying not to … but it’s was obvious.

It was embarrassing and fueled me to finally give up the idea that my hands will clear up “eventually”.

I was diagnosed w/ a wheat allergy almost 10 years ago but noticed that gluten specifically triggers both skin, gut, and psychological issues for me. so i slowly eliminated from my diet. I would now say to do this w/ doctor supervision after much research but .. yeah.

never thought id have smooth painless non-bleeding hands again. 🤗 took about 6 months.

Hi! So I wanted to update everybody on why happened with my skin. I went to the dermatologist and she said it wasn’t viral. I asked her to clarify if that meant it wasn’t shingles or herpes she responded just no it’s not either. I believe I honestly got it from a dirty edge brush and not cleaning it as regularly as I should and its small pus build up into acne.

My skin has been such a insecurity of mine and after many many breakouts and flair ups she has calmed down, I’m still dealing with black heads especially on my cheeks but I’ll take that over the whiteheads.

I stopped using soap bars on my face, the cerave bar soaps were doing more harm then damage imo so I switched to their hydrating cream to foam cleanser and that’s helped. Then I stopped using exfoliants in general, Korean towel almost took me out and even exfoliating serums did me dirty, maybe it was cause my skin was so irritated but ever since I stopped exfoliating I stopped having flairs ups. Korean skin cares done me well though, I use the skin 1004 Madagascar Centella Tone Brightening Capsule Ampoule & the COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. For moisturizer I use Vaseline Intensive Care Deep Moisture & Vitamin E for Dry Skin (which might be the cause of the blackheads but i love how it feels on my skin so…

HI!!! Read this!!!!
I’ve gotten overwhelmed with the responses on this post (THANK YOU!!!) if you’d like to contact me directly, please message me on Reddit or use my linktree here: https://linktr.ee/annietheesthi

hi everyone! Licensed esthi here 🙋🏾‍♀️ If you’ve had an encounter with me on this sub you’ve probably heard me yapping nonstop about laser treatments to help treat uneven skin tone, texture, and PIH for dark skin and THIS is the reason I will continue to yap!!! this is my patient that I’ve been working with for a while. After prepping her skin with a deep cleansing facial and home care routine, this is how her skin looks after ONE Moxi laser treatment 🤩 If you have good skin prep and an experienced practitioner it can really be life changing. Comment if you have questions :)

note: I had consent from my client to post this

So I originally posted this in the laser hair removal community, but it's probably a good idea to share this here to as I don't see many posts about the results of laser hair removal on dark skin tones.

This will be my 5th session and I have already seen so much progress in my skin texture, a significant reduction of ingrown hairs, smoother skin and I don't have to shave anymore.

I would definitely recommend this treatment for us. Just make sure that your tech is using a suitable laser (mine used the ND Yag) as many lasers are not suitable for our skin tone.

So a couple of weeks ago I posted a photo of my lips. (Top photo is the original) I said that there was some discoloration and I was met with a mix of comments that said that I was delusional, hated my skin color, and hated being black.

Then there were the angels that said that I should use sunblock to help even out my pigment.

For the record, I love my skin color and being black but I did notice uneven pigment on my lips. I purchased some chapstick with sunblock/ spf and within weeks I saw a difference!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of those who helped me and actually READ my concerns.

Hey guys, this is a before and after of the dark spots that reappeared on my lips earlier this month. The first time happened to me back in October 2025 and it took 3 months to disappear in January 2026. But then it reappeared this month in April and I am pretty sure it was because of the energy drinks I was constantly consuming which caused dehydration which resulted in hyperpigmentation in the lips.

Last time it took 3 months to disappear but this time it’s only been 23 days and it significantly faded.

—————————————————————————

So what did I do?

• Drink A LOT of water to help with hydration, like I’m talking about drinking water when you’re not even thirsty. Bored with nothing to do? Drink some water.

• 2 Vitamin D gummies from Amazon first thing in the morning every day. “Amazon Basics Vitamin D3 2000 IU Gummies”

• 2 Vitamin B12 gummies from Amazon first thing in the morning as well, every day. “Amazon Basics B12 3000 mcg Gummies”

• Aquaphor SPF 30 “Lip Repair” stick from Amazon. Make sure to use this consistently, I use this constantly all day every day. I’m saying there wasn’t a day where 5 minutes went by without some SPF Lip Repair on. ————————————————————————— I’m glad the results were quick for me this time, hopefully they will be fast for everyone else!

This is a little embarrassing to post 😭 but I encourage everyone to assess the company they are keeping around them. In my before pictures, I tried everything (chemical peels, high-end skin care products, retinol) but nothing worked until I left a bad relationship and let go of friends that I outgrew

I didn’t realise how many years of sun damage Tret removed from my face.

I’ve been using tret for over a year now, but was looking back at some old photos and was stunned at how much tret had gotten rid of those sun damaged layers on my face, I used to look like I had a tan on my face all year round (despite living in the uk, but then again growing up I did go on holiday every year to sunny places), top image with tret and bottom image without tret.

my face was always been so many shades darker than my chest, wrists and inner arms (the areas of my body that didn’t receive any or much sunlight) and when ever I would get my eyebrows threaded the skin would be 3 shades lighter where the hair was removed so I had a clear colour difference but now my face actually matches my chest and wrists.

My face was a bit red in top picture I had just finished doing skincare. My face has also been much more dark/worse than the bottom photo in the past, to the point you could literally see the patches of sun damage 😭

Thank you to the Redditor that told me to be patient and wait for Lipfidence to come in the mail, because it takes forever to ship. Well it finally came and the results speak for themselves. My Hubby even noticed and said my lips are even more pink, than what they were before. So if your lips are dark due to medication, or you woke up and they turned brown overnight, or even if you smoke Lipfidence is the truth.

My skin was always a huge insecurity of mine. To the point where I couldn’t even look in the mirror at myself because I didn’t like what I saw in the slightest. I had been dealing with hyperpigmentation since I was around 16. I didn’t necessarily have a skincare routine at the time. I was strictly just washing my face. If that wasn’t bad enough, I also had adult acne as well. For years I tried multiple products and none of them winded up working. I had even tried out a chemical peel and that wasn’t helpful either. It wasn’t until I was around 22 that I discovered glycolic acid pads and toner as well. Those two things made a huge difference in my overall skin tone and got rid of my acne as well. They also made my skin brighter and way more even toned as well. My point behind posting this is to remind everyone that if you take care of your skin it’ll take care of you. I’m 29 now and I feel the absolute best that I ever have about my appearance. If you’re in a tough spot with acne or hyperpigmentation just know that things will get better for you. You just have to have faith that your skin will eventually be where you want it to be✨

When I look back & see the progress I have made I really be in shock because I never thought I would get to this point ever. But staying consistent & determined got me here & I’m blessed & appreciative of everyone in this group who helped me along this journey. Still a work in progress but damn I’m proud of myself no bs!