RENTINOIDs: the BEST super ingredient

I’ve seen a lot of post where people confuse the two. As someone who is an avid skincare researcher I think it’s time to clear the air. Sebaceous Filaments: What are they? Your skin does a lot of things that many people don’t know. One of them is oil control and keeping the skin balanced. Sebum is a natural oil that keeps your skin naturally moisturized. They are NORMAL. Annoying, but normal. Have your ever squeezed your nose and seen white or tinted yellow substance come out? That’s stuff is collected sebum and dead skin cells that has cooped up in your pores. You can treat this with a pore strip or getting them professionally extracted. 9/10 they will come back, unless you get your oil secretions under control. I recommend a chemical peel or salicylic acid. Also adding a great double cleansing routine will help tremendously! Blackheads What are they ? They are a form of acne. Better yet known as an open comedone. Blackheads can be caused by various factors: environment, oil, diet, hormones. And even medications. These contain bacteria which has clogged up your pores. Blackheads should be treated professionally or with a retinoid (most effective). DO NOT PICK AT HOME. Some products: PAULA'S CHOICE - Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliator DIFFERIN - DIFFERIN Acne Treatment Gel The Ordinary - Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution THE inkey LIST - Lactic Acid Serum PAULA'S CHOICE - 10% Azelaic Acid Booster

my acne prone skin care routine

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 is a customized skincare subscription service - i’m sure we’ve all heard of it! Ever since I learned about prescription tretinoin, I knew I had to try it. I like that Curology can prescribe Tretinoin through an online consultation so it saved me a lot of money. I signed up and I received my first bottle in the first week of 2020. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐌𝐲 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 & 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬:⁣ I have combination, sensitized, acne-prone skin with PIH⁣ ⁣ 𝐌𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 & 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭:⁣ I used two formulas: ⁣ First month (January): Tretinoin 0.01% , Clindamycin 1%, Azelaic Acid 4%⁣ Next two months: Tretinoin 0.018%, Clindamycin 1%, Azelaic Acid 8%⁣ ⁣ *NOTE: I specifically asked for tretinoin and azelaic acid ⁣ * I have been using Adapalene for two months before I started Curology and was at the purging stage. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡: ⁣ My free trial arrived the first week of January and I tried it right away. As per the instructions, I washed my face with a gentle cleanser, applied moisturizer then the cream. I used it 2x a week. I was alternately using it with Adapelene. For the first month, the effects weren’t super obvious - other than my skin becoming smoother and softer feeling than it ever had before. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡: ⁣ I think my skin was at its worst in my second month of Tretinoin (4th month adapalene). I had more cystic acne and I was literally red all day -- I like to call it my full-on purging stage. I just stuck to it anyway. By this time, my skin was also feeling dry and I had slight peeling. My routine was: cleanser, thick moisturizer, and tretinoin. I was using my formula 3x a week. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡:⁣ The last weeks of the third month was when I saw the big changes in my skin. I was able to use the cream nightly by this time. Only word I can use to describe it is - shocked. I went from having cystic, red acne and rough patches to having smooth and completely calmed skin. Though left with hyperpigmentations, my skin was better than ever. ⁣ ⁣ 𝗪𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰: ⁣ After 3 months with Curology (with simplified skin care routine and adapalene) almost all of my cystic acnes were gone. Something I had thought months ago never would be possible. In April, I started my Triluma journey (tretinoin 0.5% + hydroquinone +mild steroid) to treat the hyperpigmentations left behind. I finished my tube last May and from then on used another brand of tretinoin (0.5%) for maintenance and to treat PIH. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: ⁣ All I gotta say is that Curology is a great service, for most people. Unfortunately there are some of us for whom the base and/or certain ingredients simply won't work, and I believe that's no fault of Curology.⁣ I thoroughly recommend Curology. It’s a great option to get our hands on prescription strength products, like Tretinoin cream, without paying for an expensive private consultation.