General Thoughts: So from what I am hearing it seems like your skin isnt doing too bad! Just a couple of breakouts(probably caused by hormones, diet,etc) and your primary concern is the acne scarring. Your red acne scars are most likely PIE (Post Inflammatory erythema). The redness is a result of blood vessel damage due to the inflammation that comes with acne. The solution to PIE is unfortunately time and having a good gentle skincare routine that can prevent scarring and also prevent breakouts. Breakouts here and there are prone to happen to everyone but I think we should try to first limit some acne causing cosmetic ingredients in your routine first. Hopefully by reducing the amount of breakouts
you experience so your skin can heal faster and less scarring to tend to. Also if you do decide to take all
of my recommendations make sure to take it slow since you will be incorporating a lot of new things at once. Recommendations: 1) Moisturizer: I think you should stop using the Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream for now. The facial cream has some good moisturizing/hydrating ingredients such as Squalane and Glycerin but it does contain Myristyl Myristate. Myristyl Myristate can have a high chance of clogging pores for acne prone people. Here are some of my recommended moisturizers for your skin type(combo skin): a) Vegreen 730 Daily Facial Moisturizer (this is on Amazon and I put Khorng on this one as well) b) VaniCream Daily Facial Moisturizer (I think this is on Amazon and at Target) c) Versed Dew Point Moisturizing Gel Cream (This is lighter weight maybe better for Summer. It is at target and on Versed website) d) Stratia Liquid Gold ( this might be better in the winter for you. only available on Stratia) 2) Double Cleanse: I am not sure if you double cleanse or not but I definitely recommend you double cleanse every night. I assume you do to get rid of makeup but if not it is basically when you cleanse your face with an oil based cleanser first and then follow up with a water based cleanser. If you need recommendations just ask. 3) Water Cleanser: I like the Round Lab Cleanser a lot but Id say you don't really need the Cerave Foaming
One. Of course you can still use it but I do think the Round Lab one is gentler than the Cerave one. If you want other recommendations just ask. 4) SPF: This is probably the most IMPORTANT thing I would recommend you do if you dont do it already. You must must apply a facial SPF everyday. Your routine will not matter if you don't apply SPF whether you are inside all day or at the beach. It prevents UVA/UVB damage which is the number one cause of a lot
of skin issues such as acne and acne scarring etc. If you ever wonder how some of those asian moms have such nice skin, its mostly because they have been applying SPF since they were kids lol. I am still on the
hunt for different sunscreen options but its been difficult because I dont like western face
sunscreens. Here are one or two I do like tho. a) Skin Aqua UV super moisture essence (This is a japenese sunscreen and its on amazon i believe) b) Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel Clear UV (This is also on Amazon) 5) Vitamin C: So since the niacinamide you said isnt working we can try some other ingredients that can help with your acne scarring. Vitamin C is a great ingredient you help brighten your complexion and lighten up the scars. It is also an antioxidant so it will help with free radical damage. Also, feel free to use the niacinamide serum at night or you can take a break from it. You would use the vitamin C serum in the morning Some recommendations: a) Good Skin Days C's the Day Serum (This is only on Soko Glam ) b) SkinSo bright 20% Serum c) Timeless 20% Vitamin C E Ferulic d) Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner( this one is a toner that contains niacinamide and vitamin c. I have not tried this one but I have heard good things also very cheap) 6) Exfoliation: I am not sure if you do any chemical exfoliants already but a chemical exfoliant will help
unclog your pores that are packed with sebum, dead skin cells etc. You would chemical exfolaint 1-2x times a week at night right after cleansing. You don't need to do this but I do recommend it. I really like this cosrx one because its super gentle. a) Cosrx BHA blackhead power liquid (I know it says blackhead but thats just their marketing tactics. This product will help unclog your pores. This is available on Amazon.) 7) Hydration: I noticed you said you wanted to maybe incorporate an oil because your skin wasnt feeling "silky". I don't think you need an oil right now espicially since spring/summer is approaching. However; since you have
combo skin it might be good to add a hydration step in your routine. This can come in a toner or serum. I usually like my hydrationg in my toner step but some serums work wonder as well. Here are some recommendations: a) Keep Cool Soothe Bamboo Toner b) Isntree Green Tea Fresh Toner c) TIA'M Vita B5 Toner d) Iunik Beta glucan serum e) Dear Klairs Fundamental Watery Oil Drop 8) Azelaic Acid: So this ingredient is relatively newish to the skincare community. It can help a lot with inflamation and inflmatory acne scars. It also is a great anti bacterial agent to prevent acne. I just started using this ingredient as well so I dont have a lot of product recommendations. You would use this as your night treatment on days you dont chemical exfoliate. This is also optional and just an ingredient worth looking into. a) Facetheory A10 serum b) Cos de Baha Azelaic Acid Serum
C) Paulas Choice Azelaic Acid booster
9) Other: So here are some other products that are geared towards acne scars and hyperpigmentation. They contain a lot of different type of skin brightners and color correctors that could help to even your skin tone. You can consider getting these down the line if you feel like nothing for your acne scars is working even after my recommendations. a) Regimen Lab Level Serum b) Regimen Lab Vitamin X Serum c) Hyperskin Brightening Clearing Vitamin C Serum d) Cos De Baha Hydroquinone Serum Final Thoughts: Remember that at the very core of skincare routine you for sure you need to 1) cleanse, 2) moisturize 3) SPF(in the morning). Also that skin healing/correcting is gonna take some time unfortunately. Finally, feel free
to do research on any of these products or steps on your own. You dont have to take my word for it and some of these products have a chance that it might not work for you skin. (I obviously think it will work but no one knows your skin better
than yourself)