Skin Texture

6 Treatments and Tips for Uneven Skin Texture

Skin texture issues can be disheartening, and can get in the way of your dream complexion.

Skin cells need to turnover regularly for your skin to stay smooth, but some conditions can get in the way of healthy cellular rejuvenation. If you have uneven texture, the skincare products you use are highly important to your journey for smooth skin.

The wrong products can irritate your skin and potentially make your texture concerns worse, but the right products can make all the difference.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take in your routine to target texture issues and improve your skin’s health and appearance.

What Can Cause Skin Texture Issues?

There are lots of causes for textured skin. The list includes breakouts, dryness, vitamin deficiencies,loss of collagen and skin conditions, with symptoms like dryness, scaliness, bumps, large pores, creases, or wrinkles and lines. Anything that impacts the skin's surface can cause texture and an uneven skin tone.

Let’s walk through a few specific reasons for texture issues.

Irritation

Various skin conditions can lead to texture and redness. Irritated skin can become bumpy, scaly, dry, puffy, or tight, causing it to take on a different texture than normal, such as with allergic reactions or contact dermatitis. However, certain skin irritation can be long-lasting, like eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, or keratosis.

Each has unpleasant texture side effects. If you have rosacea, you’ll likely experience bumpy skin, pustules, and rough patches. On the other hand, psoriasis looks scaly and raised and may also be itchy or flaking off.

Eczema is another itchy skin condition, with dryness and small bumps. Keratosis, sometimes called “strawberry skin,” can occur anywhere on the body and is characterized by redness and small bumps akin to pores on strawberries.

Sun Damage

If you skip the sunscreen, you expose your skin to the sun’s UV rays, which negatively affect the skin. The sun can create texture and unevenness in the skin’s appearance and feel, like hyperpigmentation and sunburn.

Sun damage also creates premature signs of aging in the skin, like fine lines and wrinkles. This is due to the way UV rays damage the integrity of skin cell DNA , causing it to deteriorate. UV rays are also culprits for the leathery skin found on people who’ve spent their whole lives baking in the sun unprotected.

Always wear sunscreen and reapply throughout the day to combat the effects of sun damage on the skin. “Commonly, people forget to apply sunscreen to their faces and necks — yet they are exposed to elements all year around,” notes Johannah Gregg, Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

Breakouts

Breakouts can draw attention to the skin because they create texture and unevenness. The hardest part about covering up blemishes is that they’re raised from the skin — even when their color is evened out, the texture is still visible. Plus, spot-treating acne causes it to dry as it heals, which creates a textured base of dry skin around the breakout.

In order to significantly combat your texture frustrations, you have to target breakouts. Clear skin is generally much smoother than inflamed skin.

Pore Congestion

Congested pores appear enlarged, open, and clogged with a buildup of debris. They’re hard to conceal because of pore openings and makeup often draws more attention to them.

Blackheads and whiteheads are common in congested skin, which is characterized by clogged pores that look like small pinprick openings, sometimes with a black center.

How Can You Manage Skin Texture?

Skin texture is a major downer that can impact your appearance and confidence, but the good news is you can manage it with the right skincare routine. When it comes to beauty, consistency is key. Using high-quality products tailored to your skin goals and needs is the best way to overcome common skin concerns, like bumpy or uneven texture.

It is also important to apply your skincare routine in the right order — the correct order to apply products is to cleanse, tone, treat, hydrate, and protect. Starting with cleanser and moving through toner, treatments, moisturizer, and, finally, SPF ensures your skin receives optimal benefits each day.

Also, a good rule of thumb is to apply products from thinnest to thickest, starting with serums and ending with lotions and hydrating creams.

With all of this in mind, follow the below six steps to help smooth out your skin texture.

1. Use a Clarifying Cleanser

Clarifying cleansers help restore skin texture to a smooth state because of their function. Essentially, clarifying products focus on removing debris and impurities from the surface of the skin and deep within the pores. By drawing contaminants like makeup, dead skin cells, and leftover products out of the pores, clarifying cleansers help improve your skin’s appearance.

If you struggle with noticeable texture, it’s time to upgrade your cleanser. You may have lingering debris trapped in your pores even after you wash your face, which means your follow-up serums and spot treatments won’t be as effective.

Try the Tata Harper Clarifying Cleanser if you struggle with breakouts or oily skin. It mattifies skin by balancing oil production and targets acne by calming redness. At the same time, this exfoliant promotes skin resurfacing with fruit enzymes.

If you have breakouts, dryness, or acne scars, try the SkinMedica Acne Clarifying Treatment . It soothes irritated red skin without drying the skin barrier. Apply up to twice a day for smooth skin and minimized pores.

2. Exfoliate Properly

Exfoliation is a key step in removing bothersome texture. Even sensitive skin should use a gentle exfoliant to pull impurities from the pores and slough them away with the top layer of dead skin. We recommend chemical exfoliants like alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) and beta hydroxy acids (BHA).

Popular ingredients that help promote faster cell turnover include salicylic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, glycolic acid, and hyaluronic acid. For smoother texture and reduced signs of aging, try to combine vitamin C and retinol. You can also incorporate a light chemical peel into your routine up to a few times a week for faster results.

To combine exfoliation into your cleansing step, try the Noble Panacea The Elemental Cleansing Balm and Exfoliating Refiner . It removes makeup and other impurities with exfoliating AHAs while restoring moisture with niacinamide and natural oils.

3. Choose the Right Moisturizer for Your Skin

Dry skin can be a major culprit in the appearance of skin texture. Depending on your skin type, choose a moisturizer that targets your concerns without causing new skin conditions.

For instance, oily, acne-prone skin should steer clear of oil-based moisturizers. They can lead the skin to produce too much sebum, which can be pore-clogging.

On the contrary, dry skin may need the added hydration of a softening facial oil. As long as you choose the right moisturizer, it will make your skin feel soft, smooth, and supple.

For skin that gets oily, even just in the T-zone, choose a mattifying moisturizer that will help control excess shine. The Augustinus Bader The Light Cream helps regulate your skin’s oil production while preventing water loss. It enhances the appearance of aging skin by making the complexion appear smoother and more lifted.

For dry skin, Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream deeply moisturizes with radiance-boosting ingredients. Amino acids, vitamin E, squalane, and evening primrose oil work together to restore hydration in the skin and promote cell resurfacing.

All skin types can use the SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture cream, which infuses antioxidants into the skin. It is a non-greasy formula composed of sea algae, cinnamon, and ginger which are effective at reducing the appearance of enlarged pores .

4. Wear SPF

Wearing sunscreen on the daily is an essential part of any skincare routine. It’s not only important for beauty reasons, but more critically, to protect yourself from skin cancers.

The sun emits three types of UV radiation, and both UVA and UVB penetrate the atmosphere to reach your skin — and both are carcinogenic (cancer-causing).

Sun exposure not only heightens your risk of developing skin cancers, but it also negatively impacts the skin. Along with sunburns and redness, UV rays can cause hyperpigmentation, breakouts, texture, and signs of aging like loose skin and wrinkles.

Every time you’re exposed to sunlight — whether outdoors or through a window — make sure you generously apply sunscreen to protect yourself from melanomas.

The M-61 Perfect Sheer Mineral SPF 50 is a great choice for daily sun protection. This broad-spectrum mineral SPF shields skin from UVA and UVB rays without leaving a white tint behind. It’s formulated with plant-derived ingredients like squalane, green tea, and lavender to soothe irritated skin.

5. Stay Hydrated

For smoother skin, you have to stay hydrated. Water helps bring moisture into the skin both when you apply it topically (like moisturizer) and consume it orally. Your body needs to receive enough water each day to flush out toxins, prevent dehydration, and protect your organs. As the biggest organ in the body, your skin requires lots of water.

If you notice dryness anywhere on your body, this is a sure sign you need to up your water intake. On average, it’s recommended that you drink between 12 and 16 cups of water per day . Because water nourishes and moisturizes skin, it improves texture by promoting greater elasticity. Water can help plump skin so it looks more supple and firm.

6. Revamp Your Diet

You can infuse vitamins, antioxidants, and other powerhouse ingredients directly into your skin through face serums and topicals, but you can also consume them orally for benefits. Eating for clear, healthy skin is the surest way to reinvigorate your skin from the inside out. Essentially, what you eat and how you treat your body is reflected on your skin.

Dry, flaky skin is a sure sign you are not consuming enough water and eating enough omega-3 fatty acids. Try adding seafood, nuts and seeds, and healthy fats like avocado into your diet. If your skin is sallow and ashen, you’re likely deficient in iron. Add more beans, lean red meats, and fibrous whole grains into your diet.

For skin showing fine lines and wrinkles, consume more vitamin C through vitamins or foods like citrus, broccoli, and peppers. Target your specific skin concern through your diet, and you will notice the difference.

Texture Got You Down?

The solution to poor texture is to double down on quality skincare to help skin resurface, leading to brighter, smoother, and more even skin. If you follow these six steps, you’ll be proud to bare your bare skin in no time.