Start with the condition, not the treatment

Blocked, inflamed pores that surface as papules, pustules and cysts.

Deep, cyclical breakouts along the jaw and chin that track your cycle.

Open plugs that oxidise dark, most often across the nose and chin.

The pits, rolling dips and raised marks acne leaves once it clears.

Flat brown or red patches left where a spot used to be.

Symmetrical brown patches on the cheeks, forehead and upper lip.

Scattered patches where years of UV have switched pigment cells on.

Patchy colour and lost clarity, with no single spot to point at.

Under-eye shadowing from pigment, thin skin, or the hollow beneath.

Creases that first appear on movement, then stay when you relax.

Loss of jawline definition as collagen and fat pads shift downward.

Flattened cheeks and temples that read as tiredness, not age.

Puffiness from fat pads or fluid that makeup can't quite cover.

Persistent flushing across the central face, with visible vessels.

Skin that stings, tightens or flakes with almost any new product.

Tight, dull skin that drinks in moisturiser and asks for more.

Itchy, inflamed patches that come and go in the same places.

Pores stretched by oil flow and lost elasticity around the nose and cheeks.

Skin that has stopped reflecting light the way it used to.

Bands where the skin grew faster than its collagen could follow.

Regrowth that shaving and waxing only ever postpone.

Shedding beyond the normal hundred strands a day.

Receding temples or a widening part driven by genetics.

Flaking and itch that keeps returning once the shampoo stops.

The same hair tie going round one more time than it used to.

A parting that reads wider in photographs than it feels.

Sharply defined smooth circles that appeared without warning.

Hair snapping mid-length from heat, bleach or tight styling.

Temples moving back and the front line losing its shape.

Roots that look unwashed by the evening of the day you washed them.

Heavy loss two to four months after giving birth.

Breakouts across the back, chest and shoulders that clothes aggravate.

Darkening at the underarms, inner thighs or neck folds.

Trapped hairs that turn into painful bumps and leave dark marks.

Underarm or palm sweating that soaks through a shirt in normal weather.

Dimpling over the thighs and hips from fibrous bands under the skin.

Fullness under the jaw that stays whatever the scale says.

Tiny hard white bumps under the eyes that never come to a head.

Rough, goosebump-like texture on the upper arms and thighs.

Small growths on the neck, lids or underarms that catch on things.

A stubborn shade change on exposed skin that doesn't fade back.

Horizontal creases across the neck from years of looking down.

Vertical lines around the mouth and lips that have thinned out.