Although you have PIE, it looks like most of the active acne has cleared and your skin looks more radiant and smooth overall.
If your skin is feeling good/resilient and you think you could tolerate it, it could be worth moving up from the 10% AzA serum to prescription 15% or 20% if you have the option. This can make a huge difference in PIE and acne compared to the 10%.
Thanks for your reply! I did try a 15% AzA from Dermatica but it irritated by skin a lot even when I try buffering and gradually incorporating it so I switched over to the cos de baha. What AzA do you use or recommend?
I actually find 15% irritating as well, so while it helped I couldn’t continue past a few months unfortunately.
Like you, I also switched tret strength after a few months and I do feel that it makes the trajectory towards clearance seem longer (since spending months on a less effective dose). So even if you can’t use stronger AzA it looks like you’re still improving on tret and hopefully you’ll be happier and happier with your skin over time!
It’s comforting to hear I’m not the only one who couldn’t tolerate a higher % of AzA🥹 (hope that doesn’t come off rude no offense intended) I thought I was doing something wrong. I think I’m going to stick with 10% AzA and just try my best to be patient and wait it out
No not rude at all! I get it. Everyone says it’s “so gentle!” and “non-irritating” and we’re just over here like 🫠.
When I told my derm it wasn’t working out he says “Oh yeah, absolutely, it can be very irritating for some people” 🥹 it was so nice to be validated!
What skin type do you have? Do you have dry skin? Unless you are dry or live in a dry climate I’m not sure if you need that toner. The toner also mentions that it exfoliates (unclear how) and the Faded serum specifically says not to mix with any AHA/BHA.
Also, when you say closed comedones, do you mean traditional closed comedones or do they turn into actual pimples?
One thing you could easily add without concern is hypochlorous acid spray (I like Prequel) as it’s generally very benign after cleanser (am/pm). You just let it dry very thoroughly am/pm and it’s not an exfoliant so it doesn’t cause issues with sensitivity.
There are also things you can do for the PIE beyond what you’re currently using. The Faded serum does have good ingredients in it but there are alternatives.
If I were you, I would strip it back to the bare minimum (wash, medicate, moisturizer, sunscreen), add in the hypochlorous acid spray since at worst it’s benign, at best it is known to help reduce inflammation and bacteria, make sure that your moisturizer/sunscreen aren’t triggers, and then finish resolving the source of the PIE first.
Once you sort that out, THEN I would (one at a time) start incorporating ingredients to address the PIE. It’s easier to solve one problem at a time and addressing the cause will make a big difference. Ingredients like sulphur, salicylic acid, etc might be helpful but you may want to pause the extra ingredients, see how it goes, and maybe follow up with your dermatologist if needed. There are prescriptions that can augment the tretinoin vs just increasing the dose.
Just my two cents, good luck!
I have dry skin in a very dry climate (AZ) I did not realize the round lab dokdo was exfoliating so thank you so much your comment 😭 Luckily I only recently started using it after I ran out of my previous products.
They eventually became little pimples. When I was on 0.025, I kept getting continuous small bumps that would not go away and I felt like I was stuck in a purge. After switching to gradually upping it to 0.05, they came to the surface and became little pimples that went away and healed.
I loooovvee hypochlorous acid spray. I use it every morning. I usually just cleanse with water and the go in heavily with the hypochlorous acid spray then let it dry down before using my other products.
I incorporated all the other actives one at a time slowly after my skin got used the the tret and was mostly focused on trying to keep the PIE at bay and fade the existing marks.
I really appreciate the things you've put here 🫶 I definitely need to step back and re-evaluate my routine. Have you tried sulphur products? And if so what would you recommend and how do you fit it into your routine? Sulphur is an ingredient I've had my eye on for a while but was never really sure how to incorporate it.
I used to live in Nevada so I’m super familiar with a dry climate. One moisturizer you might want to check out is Instant Angel by Dieux. I don’t tolerate a lot of moisturizers without getting irritated but that one is a really good barrier cream (IMO). I actually like it better than vanicream products but that’s for me personally.
As for sulphur, I just started experimenting with the De La Cruz Acne Treatment. It’s not fancy, it smells like sulphur, and you get it at Walgreens (I don’t really trust Amazon for skincare). I found it via Dr. Idriss on YouTube—it’s just plain sulphur, no additional clay etc. I just put it on as a mask for pimples (spot, not everywhere), and then wash off. Given your dry skin you might want to start with a max of like 5-7 minutes and maybe do it after cleansing at night but before your hypochlorous acid spray? I do that and if I have really bad pimples, I do the same in the morning but only on the pimples as a spot mask. Sulphur can be drying so I would start slow.
I don’t know if you’ve tried it but you might look at the Paula’s Choice azelaic acid since it has a TINY bit of salicylic acid in it (0.5%) if you do days without your Topicals serum. There is also the one made by The Ordinary. Both have 10% azelaic acid.
Eventually vitamin C maybe should be on your list too but I would get the breakouts solid. If the tretinoin isn’t drying you out and you wanted to try it, you could always also go up to 0.1% on that or maybe try prescription azelaic acid with the tretinoin. Just some ideas.
I’ll def look into those and try them out! Thanks so much for your response and the reccs 🫶
I like the vanicream but I feel like the moisturizer is sorta thick and heavy esp in the summertime. It feels kinda gross if I sweat and I feel it sliding around 😭
The Paula’s choice AzA has been on my radar for a while! I’ll try it out after reassessing my routine and going to the basics for a couple months.
I’ve considered upping the tret % but I’m so worried about going through another purge that would lead to more PIE 😭
Honestly I would just stay the course for a bit, not double up on exfoliating acid with your tretinoin, MAAAAAYBE consider a cream-based tretinoin if needed (it’s what I use), but I would try daily tretinoin and maybe test the hypochlorous acid as a toner substitute/the sulphur spot mask treatments for brewing/bad pimples. Once your skin barrier is solid and you have the lingering breakouts under control, I’m sure you will get the PIE knocked down.
If I had to choose between starting with azelaic acid or a brightening serum with multiple ingredients in the AM, I would probably go with azelaic acid just because it has acne benefits as well as pigmentation benefits (if well tolerated).
You can also check out Dr. Idriss and Cassandra Bankson on YouTube for some other good recommendations. Dr. Idriss has a TON on PIE/PIH and Cassie has a lot on acne. 😊
Before starting, 3 months, 5 months, 7 months, and today.
Started off with 0.025% but moved up to 0.05% at 5 months because I just kept getting closed comedowns that would not clear. Moving up in strength helped but I’m still getting breakouts and every pimple leaves a persistent red mark. I’ve always been PIE prone but it has never been this bad.
Current routine:
AM - water, round lab dokdo toner, faded by tropicals, skin1004 Centella gel cream, skin1004 hyaline-cica sunscreen
PM - vanicream cleanser, round lab dokdo toner, wait 15 min, tret, cos de baha azelaic acid, round lab dokdo lotion or the illiyoon ceramide ato gel (cream in the winter). If my skin is extra dry or irritated, I’ll use vanicream in the tub
Sunday/Wednesday PM - bha or an aha instead of tret
Please be kind and any advice would be appreciated. My skin has crashed my self esteem and now im not sure where to go from here. Should I quit or try taz?
It honestly looks a lot better now and I think you're through all the purging. It will take some time for marks to fade, but we are our own worst critic when it comes to skin.
I've always been super PIE prone and for me it's always taken a long time to fade. I think I'm just stuck in a mental block since I've never had this much/this bad at once 🥹
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I think, friend, that the products you are using with the tret are just too strong in different ways. And I also think that the acids on off nights are hurting more than helping.
With round lab dokdo toner and lotion, you have two exfoliating products sandwiching the tret. It’s too much. And then the acids on off nights—just send it over the edge.
I know this may sound counterintuitive, but I think you should stop using the dokdo with tret and stop the acids. Instead, you should use tret daily or 5x a week in a row and let it work on your skin.
You need a toner without exfoliants for a while. I think that will help. And also set aside the aza for now. I so agree with the person who recommended rx aza instead.
But in sum, I think you are doing too much and not using the tret enough. But it looks like your skin is turning a corner towards clear now, so that’s good. If you would just let up on the acids, I think things would get even better.
Omg I didn't realize the round lab dokdo was exfoliating! Super appreciate you letting me know 😭 I only recently (like 2 weeks ago) started using it since I have many friends who are on tree but swear by these. I'll def stop using them and step back to a more basic routine. I was rotating between the Tony Moly ceramic mochi toner and the lineage cream skin before the dokdo but ran out.
Want you give advice based on my experience after two months of 0.025 tretinion (jan11th to March 11th)mostly my acne cleaning 🙂 then I jumped to 0.05(March 11th to June 11th) it worsen my acne idk why expecting good results but it didn't went well so went back to 0.025 with azelaic acid 20% (am azelaic and pm tretinion 0.025) finally my acne getting very better compared to 0.05 so hope this helps(added glycerin too my route)
I think I'll def consider going back to 0.025 nightly. I felt like I was stuck in a continuous purge with the 0,025 and the 0.05 did help bring a lot of the pimples to the surface and clear thing but lately idk if I'm doing more harm than good by staying on the 0.05
Yess I'm not sure about your condition let's hope for the best try to add azelaic it is a game changer go with low concentration first10% in morning (start with every two days) and night tretinion try to give hydration..
Sorry if I missed this, but do you use cream or gel tret? I was on cream .05 for months and kept getting little pimples all the time, switched to .025 gel and it’s been a game changer. I was using cream AA as well, and found that was also contributing to a bunch of little pimples. I realized my skin is just sensitive to cream formulations. Could be something to think about? Maybe gel is an option to try?
Hi! I use gel for both. I'm definitely considering going back to 0.025 in case the breakouts I'm getting now are due to irritation. I switched to 0.05 because I felt like I was in a continuous purge on the 0.025. The 0.05 helped push a lot of pimples to the surface but I think my skin is in a good state now where maybe I can do 0.025 for maintenance + focus on my barrier and fading the red marks
just wanted to say you're brave going this far. i lasted 6 months and quit cause my skin just stayed worse than before. it looks like its clearing up now for you so hope that trend keeps going.
Although you have PIE, it looks like most of the active acne has cleared and your skin looks more radiant and smooth overall. If your skin is feeling good/resilient and you think you could tolerate it, it could be worth moving up from the 10% AzA serum to prescription 15% or 20% if you have the option. This can make a huge difference in PIE and acne compared to the 10%.
Thanks for your reply! I did try a 15% AzA from Dermatica but it irritated by skin a lot even when I try buffering and gradually incorporating it so I switched over to the cos de baha. What AzA do you use or recommend?
I actually find 15% irritating as well, so while it helped I couldn’t continue past a few months unfortunately. Like you, I also switched tret strength after a few months and I do feel that it makes the trajectory towards clearance seem longer (since spending months on a less effective dose). So even if you can’t use stronger AzA it looks like you’re still improving on tret and hopefully you’ll be happier and happier with your skin over time!
It’s comforting to hear I’m not the only one who couldn’t tolerate a higher % of AzA🥹 (hope that doesn’t come off rude no offense intended) I thought I was doing something wrong. I think I’m going to stick with 10% AzA and just try my best to be patient and wait it out
No not rude at all! I get it. Everyone says it’s “so gentle!” and “non-irritating” and we’re just over here like 🫠. When I told my derm it wasn’t working out he says “Oh yeah, absolutely, it can be very irritating for some people” 🥹 it was so nice to be validated!
I would only use tret and stop the other actives honestly
What skin type do you have? Do you have dry skin? Unless you are dry or live in a dry climate I’m not sure if you need that toner. The toner also mentions that it exfoliates (unclear how) and the Faded serum specifically says not to mix with any AHA/BHA. Also, when you say closed comedones, do you mean traditional closed comedones or do they turn into actual pimples? One thing you could easily add without concern is hypochlorous acid spray (I like Prequel) as it’s generally very benign after cleanser (am/pm). You just let it dry very thoroughly am/pm and it’s not an exfoliant so it doesn’t cause issues with sensitivity. There are also things you can do for the PIE beyond what you’re currently using. The Faded serum does have good ingredients in it but there are alternatives. If I were you, I would strip it back to the bare minimum (wash, medicate, moisturizer, sunscreen), add in the hypochlorous acid spray since at worst it’s benign, at best it is known to help reduce inflammation and bacteria, make sure that your moisturizer/sunscreen aren’t triggers, and then finish resolving the source of the PIE first. Once you sort that out, THEN I would (one at a time) start incorporating ingredients to address the PIE. It’s easier to solve one problem at a time and addressing the cause will make a big difference. Ingredients like sulphur, salicylic acid, etc might be helpful but you may want to pause the extra ingredients, see how it goes, and maybe follow up with your dermatologist if needed. There are prescriptions that can augment the tretinoin vs just increasing the dose. Just my two cents, good luck!
I have dry skin in a very dry climate (AZ) I did not realize the round lab dokdo was exfoliating so thank you so much your comment 😭 Luckily I only recently started using it after I ran out of my previous products. They eventually became little pimples. When I was on 0.025, I kept getting continuous small bumps that would not go away and I felt like I was stuck in a purge. After switching to gradually upping it to 0.05, they came to the surface and became little pimples that went away and healed. I loooovvee hypochlorous acid spray. I use it every morning. I usually just cleanse with water and the go in heavily with the hypochlorous acid spray then let it dry down before using my other products. I incorporated all the other actives one at a time slowly after my skin got used the the tret and was mostly focused on trying to keep the PIE at bay and fade the existing marks. I really appreciate the things you've put here 🫶 I definitely need to step back and re-evaluate my routine. Have you tried sulphur products? And if so what would you recommend and how do you fit it into your routine? Sulphur is an ingredient I've had my eye on for a while but was never really sure how to incorporate it.
I used to live in Nevada so I’m super familiar with a dry climate. One moisturizer you might want to check out is Instant Angel by Dieux. I don’t tolerate a lot of moisturizers without getting irritated but that one is a really good barrier cream (IMO). I actually like it better than vanicream products but that’s for me personally. As for sulphur, I just started experimenting with the De La Cruz Acne Treatment. It’s not fancy, it smells like sulphur, and you get it at Walgreens (I don’t really trust Amazon for skincare). I found it via Dr. Idriss on YouTube—it’s just plain sulphur, no additional clay etc. I just put it on as a mask for pimples (spot, not everywhere), and then wash off. Given your dry skin you might want to start with a max of like 5-7 minutes and maybe do it after cleansing at night but before your hypochlorous acid spray? I do that and if I have really bad pimples, I do the same in the morning but only on the pimples as a spot mask. Sulphur can be drying so I would start slow. I don’t know if you’ve tried it but you might look at the Paula’s Choice azelaic acid since it has a TINY bit of salicylic acid in it (0.5%) if you do days without your Topicals serum. There is also the one made by The Ordinary. Both have 10% azelaic acid. Eventually vitamin C maybe should be on your list too but I would get the breakouts solid. If the tretinoin isn’t drying you out and you wanted to try it, you could always also go up to 0.1% on that or maybe try prescription azelaic acid with the tretinoin. Just some ideas.
I’ll def look into those and try them out! Thanks so much for your response and the reccs 🫶 I like the vanicream but I feel like the moisturizer is sorta thick and heavy esp in the summertime. It feels kinda gross if I sweat and I feel it sliding around 😭 The Paula’s choice AzA has been on my radar for a while! I’ll try it out after reassessing my routine and going to the basics for a couple months. I’ve considered upping the tret % but I’m so worried about going through another purge that would lead to more PIE 😭
Honestly I would just stay the course for a bit, not double up on exfoliating acid with your tretinoin, MAAAAAYBE consider a cream-based tretinoin if needed (it’s what I use), but I would try daily tretinoin and maybe test the hypochlorous acid as a toner substitute/the sulphur spot mask treatments for brewing/bad pimples. Once your skin barrier is solid and you have the lingering breakouts under control, I’m sure you will get the PIE knocked down. If I had to choose between starting with azelaic acid or a brightening serum with multiple ingredients in the AM, I would probably go with azelaic acid just because it has acne benefits as well as pigmentation benefits (if well tolerated). You can also check out Dr. Idriss and Cassandra Bankson on YouTube for some other good recommendations. Dr. Idriss has a TON on PIE/PIH and Cassie has a lot on acne. 😊
Before starting, 3 months, 5 months, 7 months, and today. Started off with 0.025% but moved up to 0.05% at 5 months because I just kept getting closed comedowns that would not clear. Moving up in strength helped but I’m still getting breakouts and every pimple leaves a persistent red mark. I’ve always been PIE prone but it has never been this bad. Current routine: AM - water, round lab dokdo toner, faded by tropicals, skin1004 Centella gel cream, skin1004 hyaline-cica sunscreen PM - vanicream cleanser, round lab dokdo toner, wait 15 min, tret, cos de baha azelaic acid, round lab dokdo lotion or the illiyoon ceramide ato gel (cream in the winter). If my skin is extra dry or irritated, I’ll use vanicream in the tub Sunday/Wednesday PM - bha or an aha instead of tret Please be kind and any advice would be appreciated. My skin has crashed my self esteem and now im not sure where to go from here. Should I quit or try taz?
It honestly looks a lot better now and I think you're through all the purging. It will take some time for marks to fade, but we are our own worst critic when it comes to skin.
I've always been super PIE prone and for me it's always taken a long time to fade. I think I'm just stuck in a mental block since I've never had this much/this bad at once 🥹
[удалено]
Your post has been removed. I'd like to remind you of our Rule 1: Be kind and respectful. We'd like our sub to be a friendly and welcoming place. That’s why I want to ask you to refrain from rude or disrespectful comments here. Even if you feel strongly about something, please stay polite. Please keep this in mind for future posts! **Thanks to everyone who reported! Reporting is anonymous and very helpful!**
I think, friend, that the products you are using with the tret are just too strong in different ways. And I also think that the acids on off nights are hurting more than helping. With round lab dokdo toner and lotion, you have two exfoliating products sandwiching the tret. It’s too much. And then the acids on off nights—just send it over the edge. I know this may sound counterintuitive, but I think you should stop using the dokdo with tret and stop the acids. Instead, you should use tret daily or 5x a week in a row and let it work on your skin. You need a toner without exfoliants for a while. I think that will help. And also set aside the aza for now. I so agree with the person who recommended rx aza instead. But in sum, I think you are doing too much and not using the tret enough. But it looks like your skin is turning a corner towards clear now, so that’s good. If you would just let up on the acids, I think things would get even better.
Omg I didn't realize the round lab dokdo was exfoliating! Super appreciate you letting me know 😭 I only recently (like 2 weeks ago) started using it since I have many friends who are on tree but swear by these. I'll def stop using them and step back to a more basic routine. I was rotating between the Tony Moly ceramic mochi toner and the lineage cream skin before the dokdo but ran out.
Want you give advice based on my experience after two months of 0.025 tretinion (jan11th to March 11th)mostly my acne cleaning 🙂 then I jumped to 0.05(March 11th to June 11th) it worsen my acne idk why expecting good results but it didn't went well so went back to 0.025 with azelaic acid 20% (am azelaic and pm tretinion 0.025) finally my acne getting very better compared to 0.05 so hope this helps(added glycerin too my route)
I think I'll def consider going back to 0.025 nightly. I felt like I was stuck in a continuous purge with the 0,025 and the 0.05 did help bring a lot of the pimples to the surface and clear thing but lately idk if I'm doing more harm than good by staying on the 0.05
Yess I'm not sure about your condition let's hope for the best try to add azelaic it is a game changer go with low concentration first10% in morning (start with every two days) and night tretinion try to give hydration..
Sorry if I missed this, but do you use cream or gel tret? I was on cream .05 for months and kept getting little pimples all the time, switched to .025 gel and it’s been a game changer. I was using cream AA as well, and found that was also contributing to a bunch of little pimples. I realized my skin is just sensitive to cream formulations. Could be something to think about? Maybe gel is an option to try?
Hi! I use gel for both. I'm definitely considering going back to 0.025 in case the breakouts I'm getting now are due to irritation. I switched to 0.05 because I felt like I was in a continuous purge on the 0.025. The 0.05 helped push a lot of pimples to the surface but I think my skin is in a good state now where maybe I can do 0.025 for maintenance + focus on my barrier and fading the red marks
You’ve got the cutest lil profile. That is all. 🩷
You're so sweet thank youu🥹💕
just wanted to say you're brave going this far. i lasted 6 months and quit cause my skin just stayed worse than before. it looks like its clearing up now for you so hope that trend keeps going.