In the world of skincare, there's nothing but choice. Drug and department store shelves are packed with products that promise to eliminate acne, buff away fine lines, and take care of any other skin concern you could dream of. In the United States last year, consumers spent more than $30 billion on beauty and skincare products, but women still report deep dissatisfaction with the beauty industry and its offerings.

This may have something to do with the sheer number of products on the market — there are thousands to choose from — and an equal amount of misinformation. One recent study found that 4 out of 5 cosmetics ads were guilty of making false claims, which leaves consumers feeling overwhelmed, confused, skeptical, or all three. Meanwhile, they're nowhere closer to the clear, ageless skin they crave.

Some have been taking matters into their own hands, "hacking" their skincare routines with DIY beauty tips they find on Pinterest and beauty blogs. They mix and match brands, forgo conventional skincare dogma, and scour the Internet for the right balance of products. More than 175,000 of those people have found an unlikely digital home on Reddit in a subreddit called r/SkincareAddiction, where users are deeply committed to solving their own skincare woes, mostly having to do with acne, and helping their fellow sufferers in the process. The forum is a way for consumers to bypass marketing in a supportive, community-oriented way.

My own foray into r/SkincareAddiction first started when I wanted to clear up the gross, oily blackheads that seemed to dot my nose and chin no matter how much I cleansed, exfoliated, and spent hundreds of dollars on pricey products. I saw a dermatologist and aesthetician, both of whom told me that my pores weren't clogged. Ultimately, I wasn't able to afford the upkeep of regular extractions or expensive prescription medications. I went to Google, where I stumbled upon plenty of bad home remedies on beauty blogs and Pinterest.

Here I am in February of this year. Courtesy of Amy McCarthy

I started to seek out a more science-based approach that was actually supported by credible evidence and finally came across r/SkincareAddiction, only to learn from user-uploaded photos that my "blackheads" weren't blackheads at all. They were sebaceous filaments, harmless little pore plugs that exist to keep bacteria and other debris out of the delicate ecosystem that is your skin. Until then, I had actually been making the problem worse by constantly squeezing them, which causes stretching of the pores, making them appear larger.

From there, I was able to use recommendations on r/SkincareAddiction to cobble together a skincare routine to reduce my sebaceous filaments (known as "SFs" on the forum) to a manageable level. It probably didn't hurt that I stopped squeezing them every day, and nowadays, my pores are still enlarged, but they look much better.

Here's how my skin looked last month. (I'm not wearing anything other than lipstick and eyeliner!) Courtesy of Amy McCarthy

r/SkincareAddiction operates under an edict of "trust, but verify." If there is a recommendation on this forum — like the use of antibacterial medication in the treatment of acne — it is frequently accompanied by a citation from a medical journal or other reputable source. According to the forum's extensive set of rules, all selfies posted to demonstrate improved skin must be accompanied by a detailed beauty routine, along with any lifestyle changes that could have produced the same results. Posters are bound by the forum's rules to only promote products that they have used themselves, and have no financial stake in their purchase.

Alisha, a casual r/SkincareAddiction user, had a similar experience to mine. "There are a lot of hokey, 'one weird trick' click-bait tips on the Internet," she said. "SkincareAddiction actually tests things out. They're regularly debunking myths." That science is also evident in r/SkincareAddiction's "starter routine," a simple process that involves only four steps.

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The routine — a basic process of cleansing, exfoliating, spot-treating, and moisturizing — has been rigorously tested by users, developed over the life of the forum, and is rarely modified. Each step can be personalized for a user's specific skincare concern, like substituting an oil-free moisturizer for acne-prone skin or skipping exfoliation on irritated, sensitive skin. If users of this forum are to be believed, the routine has produced impressive results when other routines had failed.

Katie Rodan, M.D., a dermatologist and creator of Proactiv and the Rodan + Fields skincare lines, does take a bit of issue with some of SkincareAddiction's advice, most notably in that there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to skincare. "Exfoliation may be great for some people, but terrible for others," Dr. Rodan said. "A cleanser that is gentle may be great for taking off your makeup, but it probably isn't doing anything to address skin concerns. The way that I have always advocated taking care of one's skin is to start with a really good assessment of what is going on." r/SkincareAddiction has its own unique form of assessment: the posting of before-and-after selfies.

Dr. Rodan also notes that many of the steps mentioned in the r/SkincareAddiction routine can be simplified into one step, like using an exfoliating cleanser or a moisturizer that contains sunscreen. She also disputes the notion of "spot treatment," largely because a visible pimple has been forming under the skin long before it appears on the chin. According to Dr. Rodan, fighting acne must be a much more systemic process, a fact that is also addressed on r/SkincareAddiction.

Still, it seems that the crucial issue that prevents r/SkincareAddiction from becoming a real panacea for women's skincare advice is that there are no dermatologists to evaluate a user's skin before they embark on a brand new routine or to help determine its success. Dr. Rodan hadn't heard of the forum and there seem to be few (if any) posts from actual dermatologists.

Many posts implore users to seek professional help for their skincare concerns and frequently suggest that they not disregard their doctors' advice in favor of information they've read on the forum. But for many women, especially those who cannot afford to visit expensive dermatological clinics, r/SkincareAddiction is a much more reliable resource than just wandering down the beauty aisle.

For people with particularly problematic skin, like those who suffer from cystic acne well into adulthood, r/SkincareAddiction has been nothing short of a lifesaver. Dozens of gushing, emotional posts call the forum "life-changing." Nicole, a 24-year-old executive assistant from Chicago and r/SkincareAddiction devotee, first stumbled upon the forum when her dermatologist told her that her acne was "just a fact of life" unless she wanted to be prescribed Accutane, the incredibly expensive acne drug that comes with a host of sometimes serious side effects. "I knew that I couldn't pay for Accutane, and I had only heard really awful things from people who had taken it, even if it did clear up their acne," Nicole said. Through r/SkincareAddiction, "I eventually was able to clear my face up in about six months."

r/SkincareAddiction frequently focuses on offering budget-friendly solutions to skincare problems, perfect for users like Nicole who don't want to spend thousands of dollars on beauty products. Lesser-known brands like Paula's Choice and old-school staples like Stridex are among the most highly recommended product brands on the forum, with hundreds of users singing their praises. Many users who have switched to these more budget-friendly products from their high-end counterparts now consider these drugstore brands to be their "holy grail" products.

Despite the often dissenting opinions and occasionally heated conversations, r/SkincareAddiction is generally a very welcoming place. At first, Nicole was too afraid to upload photos of their problem skin to the Internet, fearing ridicule and rudeness. "I was so scared that they would ship my photos off to one of the mean parts of Reddit and end up with trolls making fun of my face, but that never happened," Nicole said. "What I got was a bunch of people telling me that they'd been there before, that their skin used to be worse, and that my face could get better if I just stuck with the right routine. And they were right."

Like the hundreds of other skincare success stories on r/SkincareAddiction, my own skin has improved dramatically in the year since I first stumbled upon the forum. In the end, it didn't take an expensive regimen of products or frequent facials to achieve really impressive results, only a dedicated community of knowledgeable, skeptical women who are passionate about skincare. I may never break my addiction to fancy skincare products that promise to keep wrinkles away until I'm 80, but at least I can find some comfort in the fact that what I'm doing, for now, seems to be working like a charm.

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