>>197443
God tier routine incoming, step aside nerds.
Morning:
Wash face with light cleanser, rinse and *pat* dry
Apply chemical exfoliant, wait 15 minutes
Apply Vitamin C serum
Apply noncomedogenic moisturiser
Apply SPF50 Suncream (1/4 of tsp). Ideally apply in two goes if you have the time. i.e. apply, wait 10 mins, apply rest.
Evening:
Wash face with light cleanser, rinse and *pat* dry
Apply chemical exfoliant (I consider it optional at night), wait 15 minutes, then rinse face. *pat* dry and allow to dry completely for 20 minutes.
Apply pea sized amount of tretinoin (aka retin-A or topical vitamin A).
Apply noncomedogenic moisturiser
Pic related is the products I use.
>This was taken at the start of the year though I now use CeraVe Hydrating cleanser instead. Other one was too drying.
>The black bottle is the vit c. It's Paula's choice vitamin C serum. Other brands include Skinceutical's and CosmeticSkinSolution's serum. It's wrapped since Vitamin C oxidises easily in light. Eventually the product will turn to yellow piss and be useless if you don't use it.
>The St Ive's pads are mild exfoliants. I think they're discontinued now. I now use Alpha Hydrox enhanced lotion 10% glycolic acid
>I also use 0.05% tretinoin now. You have to work your way up
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Now, important things about this and what the point of them all are. I built this routine after reading as much research as I could to sift through the thick swathes of bullshit that is the skincare market & industry.
You want to use a light cleanser to remove dirt and debris. Light just meaning not so harsh that it overly dries your skin.
A chemical exfoliant should be used ALWAYS. Never scrub, never physically exfoliate. It's too harsh on the skin and causes microtrauma.
There are two types AHA and BHA. The difference pertains to the degree of skin penetration. I don't use a BHA currently (something like salicylic acid) as my AHA is sufficient. Mine is a 10% glycolic acid cream,
For the same reasons as above, pat dry your face. (hence emphasis)
Noncomedogenic means it doesn't cause blackheads essentially, doesn't block your pores.
Vitamin C topical is used to improve skin tone/complexion and reduce fine lines. It has research backing these claims, you’re free to look but I’ll omit for brevity. AFAIK it’s mechanism of action is through increased collagen synthesis.
Similarly, tretinoin is a retinoid which is commonly used for acne. It’s often prescribed by derma’s as an anti ageing treatment. It is hands down the most efficacious treatment here. It increases cell turnover rate massively, stimulating collagen synthesis. It will purge your skin like nothing you know. Smooth out the texture, increase thickness and improve the appearance of fine wrinkles.
It’s downside is that it makes your skin hyper sensitive as it’s a heavy exfoliant which leads on to the last component.
Suncream. It is *the* most important thing here. Sun damage is what ages your skin the most by a wide margin. Especially with the increased susceptibility to sun burn from the use of tretinoin and your exfoliant - this is a must.
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Finally. Just eat healthy, exercise and lift.
RE: Read the sticky
Also drink lots of water. The water retention in your skin goes a long way to it looking better.
You also might want to consider increasing carotene intake. It will give your skin a nice hue from the pigment.
Everything else is wrong if it’s not a subset or a superset of this routine in some shape or form.
Come at muh