Retinal Upgrade

I just posted my Skin Log right now, thank you so much for remembering; It was a success by the way. It’s cool, I like to show my support too even if I’m lost to the subject or can’t contribute feedback 😂 I wish I knew people in real life with bad skin so I can purchase Azelaic acid 15% gels & the next step after my retinal 0.2%.. tretinoin… right? I’m just guessing 😂🤔🤦🏻‍♂️

Glad it worked out for you @Paul! i think you can still approach your dermat with anti-aging concerns and ask him to prescribe tret to you. from what ive learnt from drdray is that continued use of tret 0.025 for a year is enough and after that just requires a few times a week for maintenance of the results achieved. also after tret, all other ingredients feel redundant because it does the most heavy lifting in my routine.

I have tried asking for a prescription after going in to my appointment yesterday for different reason, my hollow eyes. They talked to me about all of my skin care products, ‘keeps and drops’. “Try to finish at least one tube of retinal 0.2%”, she told me. I wanted to cry 😭😂 Oh is that so? Even better, sounds like one tube lasts a while then

@BeauteAddict Seconding! Innbeauty Project Extreme Eye Cream is chef's kiss. I'm trying to use up my inexpensive K-Beauty eye creams that I keep getting as free samples, lol, before I go back to it because it is pricy. But I love it.

Hello @BeauteAddict , I don’t know what it was exactly but I already had a ‘Prequel 0.2% retinal’ tube in my Amazon cart and changed it last minute to the ‘MEDIK8’ brand because I noticed they pushed a bit harder and have a CR24 containing 0.24% twin-encapsulated retinal. I’m thankful that you did because it’s the only thing about my face I dislike. I will definitely look into this today. I met with my dermatologist two days ago and we discussed I would have to get my bone structure shaved down and my right eye needs a filler.

@hazelmoss a fellow warrior supports these claims? I have to try it, at least while I finish saving up for my procedure 🤩

There’s no option to reply to your message under my section so I’ll respond here. If you watch TikTok sometimes they have amazing deals. Sometimes the items are on sale and then TikTok give you a discount on top of that. I was able to purchased the eye cream for $33 which was nearly 30% off. Have you tried their sunscreen too? It’s one of the better mineral tinted sunscreen since it’s a hybrid vs pure mineral.

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@BeauteAddict I noticed this site is a little odd with when and where the "reply" buttons show up. If you reply at the top of the main thread and use the @ tag like you did here, then you should be alright. Thank you for the savings tips! That's a huge discount. I haven't tried the sunscreen yet since I'm up to my eyes in Korean brands (for probably the next few years, lol). I have the extreme eye cream, the extreme cream (waiting for colder weather), and I just picked up their new milk cleanser during Sephora's recent sale event. I like that their products have refills.

@hazelmoss omg I am the same with Korean sunscreens but I can’t resist tinted sunscreen because of my hyperpigmentations. How is their new micellar gel cleanser? Nubuzin also released the no. 0 which also has a micellar jelly cleanser. I’m a sucker for no foam and milk cleansers since most cleansers causes my skin to be red and dry. Still finding a holy grail cleanser so I can use it forever.

Oh let me know when you try it out and how it compare to make prem cleanser. Another cleanser I recommend is theyeobaek26 cleanser if you’re into milky cleanser. I like that it has more cushion feeling than make prem and clean relatively well. I don’t wear mascara, but it was able to clean off my sunscreen chemical or mineral and my cushion foundation well. It’s made with sensitive skin. I bought it from MUSINSA.

Have you use heroine make mascara remover? Heard it’s the best mascara remover.

@BeauteAddict Just threw it in my shopping cart! Will give it a try.

It’s been about a week since I been using it and I’m not gonna lie, I wear it under my eyes and on my lip-lines. It did not burn, sting, itch, flake, peel or dry. Its an orange tint, smells a bit like lipstick and absorbs almost right away into my skin. On my retinal nights I wear my serums wait an hour, apply my retinal, wait an hour and finish off with Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide firming moisturizer before bed. For some reason I felt like the Dr. Different - VitaLift-A Forte 0.1% was more potent, it made my face itch then tingle for about a month and then the two months after that were fine. I’m going to finish this bottle, then bottle 2 and then I’ll upgrade to CR24, their strongest formula before eventually moving on to tretinoin hopefully if I can find a dermatologist that will work with me and prescribe it to me.

@Paul Thank you so much for the detailed update! This honestly makes the Medik8 retinal sound even more appealing to me. 😂 I’ve heard about Crystal Retinal for years and know it’s one of the more well-known retinal products, but I always prefer hearing directly from someone who is actually using it — especially in this community, because I feel like we’re all skincare nerds here and I trust people’s real experiences a lot more than marketing claims. 😂 I’m actually really surprised that CR20 hasn’t caused any burning, stinging, itching, peeling OR dryness for you, especially considering it’s 0.2% retinal. That sounds incredibly promising. I use my retinol around my under-eyes and lip lines too, although obviously mine is weaker than retinal, so it’s good to hear you’re tolerating CR20 there as well. One thing I’m really curious about though — why do you wait a whole hour between your serums, retinal and moisturizer? 👀 Is there a particular reason you started doing that, or is it just what works best for your skin? I usually just wait until my serum has fully absorbed and my skin is completely dry before applying my retinoid, which is probably around 5–10 minutes, and then wait for that to absorb before continuing. Now you have me wondering if there’s a reason behind your one-hour intervals that I don’t know about. 😂 It’s also really interesting that Dr. Different 0.1% actually felt stronger than CR20 despite the lower retinal percentage. The month of itching and tingling sounds like your skin definitely had a much harder adjustment period with that formula. Maybe there was something about the Dr. Different formulation that just didn’t agree with your skin as well, although I know irritation can happen when adjusting to retinal too. Your plan to finish CR20 and then move up to CR24 actually makes a lot of sense. I saw that Medik8 recommends gradually working your way through the Crystal Retinal strengths rather than jumping straight to the strongest one, so I think I’d do the same thing — just starting lower than you. 😂 Are you using CR20 every night now, or are you still alternating retinal nights? Also, I remember seeing azelaic acid somewhere in your skincare list — are you still using it? If you are, I’d love to know how you fit it around CR20. Do you use azelaic acid in the morning and retinal at night, alternate them on different nights, or actually use both in the same evening routine? I’d eventually like to move on to tretinoin too, preferably under a dermatologist’s supervision, but obtaining it is weirdly complicated where I live. A dermatologist can prescribe it, but tretinoin products aren’t readily available here, so the bigger problem is actually finding a legitimate product that can legally be obtained from another country with a Croatian prescription. I definitely don’t want to order some random “tretinoin” online when I can’t verify exactly what I’m getting. 😭 Azelaic acid is my more immediate mission 😂 because that I can get prescribed here, and I’m planning to ask for a prescription-strength one since I haven’t found an OTC option in the strength/formulation I really want. Thank you again for the update! This was genuinely helpful, and now you’ve unfortunately pushed me a little further down the Medik8 rabbit hole. 😭😂 I’m really curious to hear how CR20 performs once you’ve finished a full bottle, especially since your skin is tolerating it so well already.

@Veky No problem, I don’t mind sharing feedback. I been feeling a bit under the weather with flu-like symptoms so I haven’t been posting as much or replying but I am reading and “hearting” comments and posts. I was honestly so excited to try it out, I switched from a cream 0.1% to a serum 0.2% after 3 months 1.5 weeks. The swap was successful into my 5-day retinal block with no negative effects. The reason I wait an hour is because I want to make sure I don’t dilute it and the retinal sits on my face directly for an hour before I “cushion” it with my moisturizer right before bed usually I’m not an expert but the only thing I could think of is the Dr. Different might have been able to penetrate deeper even when using the ‘sandwich method’ due to its formulation but again, not sure. This retinal serum however feels more comfortable and not too moisturizing for my oily skin. So I was able to purchase two bottle of the Geek & Gorgeous 101 azelaic acid serum from their official website before they sold out completely. It comes in a pump, clear, no smell, gel-like texture, my skin loved it! I use it in the mornings right after my Vitamin C serum, I set waiting times to make sure my skin fully absorbs the product and to avoid piling I think its called? You have it harder than I do, I’ll eventually find a dermatologist who can help me out and prescribe me tretinoin when the time comes, right now I need to swap out my azelaic acid serum for the real brand. Thats my goal before the year is over. I hope my feedback was somewhat helpful at least. The only person that tells me whats different about my face all the time is my partner, we are the same age but he looks a bit older than I do. The closest I got to skincare with them was getting them to use sunscreen. I”ll keep you updated, take care 💙

@Paul Aww I’m so sorry you’ve been feeling sick! 🥺 I hope you’re already starting to feel a little better. How are you doing now? Sending you lots of get-well-soon wishes. 💙 You’ve definitely been missed around here too — I actually noticed you weren’t posting as much and was wondering where Paul disappeared to. 😂 And seriously, thank you so much for taking the time to write all of this and explain everything in so much detail while you’re sick. 💙 You really didn’t have to do that when you’re not feeling well, so I appreciate it even more. Your feedback has been genuinely helpful, but please take care of yourself and get some rest too! The way you use the retinal makes more sense to me now. I know it can be good to give actives like retinal some time on their own before layering everything else over them, especially if you don’t want to dilute them. My problem is that I use so many hydrating layers that by the time I get through everything AND wait an hour after retinal, my nighttime routine is going to become a two-hour event. 😂 But I might start doing part of my routine earlier, let the retinal sit for longer, and then come back later and finish the rest of my routine before bed. And honestly, your theory about Dr. Different could make sense too, but I’m definitely not an expert either. 😂 I’m still relatively new to retinol/retinal myself and learning more about them as I go, which is why I was so curious about your experience with Medik8. But if the Medik8 serum is comfortable, works with your oily skin AND you were able to move it straight into your 5-day retinal block without irritation, that sounds really promising. I’m glad you seem to have found a retinal that works for you! I’ve heard SO many good things about the Geek & Gorgeous azelaic acid, especially considering the price, but it always seems to be sold out. 😭 I’m looking for a good azelaic acid too because the combination of azelaic acid + retinoids seems amazing for acne, redness and pigmentation. My skin makes treating acne especially annoying because it’s naturally dry, extremely sensitive and atopic, so the classic “attack the acne with every acid possible” approach was basically a disaster for me. 😂 I never used to struggle much with acne, so when I suddenly started getting it on top of everything else my skin already deals with, I went too hard trying to treat it and ended up damaging my barrier even more. I had to focus on repairing that first, and now I’m trying to treat the acne without making my barrier angry again. My whole skin story is honestly long and complicated though, and I’m definitely NOT going to make you read that entire novel while you’re sick. 😂💙 I’ll save that story for when you’re feeling better. I am using an azelaic acid serum now that I really like — the Allies of Skin azelaic acid serum — and the formulation is beautiful because it targets several things I struggle with at once. The problem is the PRICE. 😭 Even with the Black Friday discount it was expensive, and azelaic acid is something I’d rather use consistently instead of rationing because I’m thinking about how much every pump costs. 😂 So right now I’m testing it properly to decide whether it’s actually worth that price, while also looking for a cheaper option I could use regularly. That’s another reason the Geek & Gorgeous one caught my attention. I think I’m actually going to do something similar to what you’re planning with azelaic acid. I’m currently looking for a good dermatologist too, and one of the things I want to ask for is a prescription azelaic acid, so I can have a proper pharmaceutical option that I can use consistently without spending a fortune on cosmetic serums. I’ll worry about tretinoin later. 😂 I still want to work my way up to a stronger retinal first and see how my skin handles that before I start stressing about how I’m going to get tretinoin. One step at a time, especially with my skin. 😭 And honestly, I’m a little jealous that you at least have your partner to notice the changes in your skin. 😂 I basically have nobody around me to talk skincare with. Most people I know aren’t really into it at all — a lot of them barely wear sunscreen unless it’s summer, and if I start talking about retinal, tretinoin or azelaic acid, they look at me like I’ve suddenly started speaking another language. 😂 But your skin genuinely looks really good, and you can tell how much time and effort you’ve put into taking care of it. 💙 I’m always trying to convince people around me to at least wear SPF too. I’m the person who ALWAYS has sunscreen with me and reapplies it while everyone else is wearing none, so somehow I’m the weird one. 😂 At this point I’ve just accepted my role as the sunscreen person. And again, thank you SO much for writing such a detailed reply when you’re feeling sick. 🥺💙 I really appreciate the time and effort you put into answering me, especially right now. Your experience has genuinely helped me, so please don’t ever feel like you need to reply quickly — focus on feeling better first, and keep me updated when you’re up to it. Take care of yourself and get well soon! 💙

@Veky Thank you so much for your “get better” wishes, I appreciate it. The fever is going down, it’s been a very long time but I have seizures even being on medication. I have so many comments to reply to but I will eventually. I know what you mean, I usually take almost an hour to finish my routines with all the waiting times. I seen they SOLD OUT on azelaic acid serum at Geek & Gorgeous, I’m glad I buy x2 of everything. I have one bottle unopened apart form the one I am still using but I too have to search for an alternative now and I was actually thinking of giving the REMEDY a shot on their version when I run out of my first Geek & Gorgeous bottle. Allies of Skin is definitely pricey but you’re getting what you pay for, I would alternate purchasing it along with a more affordable one when I can splurge always making sure I search for coupons or discount codes first of course. I completely understand what you mean, my friends and family look at me funny when I bring up skin care especially because I am a man. My partner watches CYoung videos with me and wants to start a routine but not until we move to a new home this year. I got him and my Mom to start wearing sunscreen, my mom uses the HOLITUAL line for dry mature skin and has loved it so far! I did my morning routine today but I look too dead in the face still to share my selfie photos. Thanks again, and I hope this has been helpful. 💙

Thank you so much for your healing wishes @Annie today is the first day I started to feel a bit better. I am trying to go through all of these comments and leave reactions at least before I start getting a headache lol I miss you too, still waiting on my IOPE - XMD stem III Recovery serum though, cannot wait, it will replace my Eqqualberry - Purple PDRN pore tightening serum for the time being. 🤗💙

@Paul You are so welcome! And the Eqqualberry sounds like a plan!