Your skin is currently presenting with a mix of inflamed lesions (cysts and nodules) alongside congestion (closed comedones), which tells me there’s both oil flow disruption and inflammation happening at the same time. The dehydration I’m seeing isn’t about lack of oil, it’s about a compromised skin barrier. When the barrier is low in lipids, water escapes more easily (known as transepidermal water loss), and this can actually trigger the skin to produce thicker, stickier oil which is the perfect conditions for blockages and deeper breakouts. The picking has also led to trauma in the skin, increasing the risk of post-inflammatory scarring as it disrupts collagen during the healing process. As we’re working with deeper lesions and barrier repair, you’re looking at a minimum of around 6 months to see true, stable changes. Bespoke young skin treatments every 4 weeks will act as a reset button, supporting healing, improving cell turnover, and gradually softening the appearance of scarring. We’ll layer in more advanced treatments later once the skin is stronger and more resilient (as explained in your guides).