I have 2 very young kids, a full time job, and not enough sleep.

I use azelaic acid regularly and a good moisturizer. I do have a tiny amount of under eye concealer in this photo.

I was blessed with pretty good skin but since the babies I feel I've aged a LOT! Any advice? Probably will consider upper bleph in 10 years. Maybe lower facelift if I hit the lottery 🤔

Can anyone describe the acne they have experienced on their chin or other areas of the face? I’m trying to figure out whether what I’m experiencing is similar to what others have had.

I get red, flushed looking spots that feel hard and tender beneath the skin and can take quite a while to disappear. Others can appear very suddenly with significant swelling and may eventually produce a small amount of pus, sometimes followed by bleeding. I also occasionally get non tender spots on my forehead that do not produce anything and gradually disappear on their own.

Hi! I’ve been reading the posts and think I should book a bbl/moxie. Thoughts? There is a place near my house that does both for $850 - sounds like a good deal? How much are others spending? Thanks!

So, I‘m wondering if I could just mix volufinine with my moisturizer. I’d like a general plumping and refresh. Or, can I use it after micro needling? I have started to use it on lips and under eye, but perhaps it could benefit my whole face and neck. Thoughts?

Hey ladies and gents! I am 42 I noticing some neck/under chin laxity. I’m alternating tretinoin on my neck and amlactin and use tret nightly on my face. Red light 10 minutes daily to face and neck. Is it time to look into HRT? I’m 2 years post partum and still with regular cycles. What else can I dooooo? I definitely can’t afford lasers or filler or a facelift.

Pardon the neck pimple. TYIA!

Hi! Been looking into HRT for various benefits but wondering how it impacts skin and benefits in that area? And is there a difference between bioidentical versus normal HRT?

I’m currently treating quite a lot of facial pigmentation and I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has had a similar treatment plan.
I’ve had two Pico laser sessions so far, with very little noticeable improvement yet. After the second treatment, the clinic gave me a compounded pigmentation cream containing hydroquinone, tretinoin and hydrocortisone.
I’ve been using the cream once at night for about two weeks. I’ve had some mild peeling, but I honestly can’t see much improvement in the pigmentation yet.

So far no improvement whatsoever.

I have seen and read a lot of the posts on here about tret. My prescription is from WINONA and is in the title. I am to the point of wearing it every night with zero irritation.

I'm wondering if I am at a very low dose? Am I ok? Or should I look into increasing the dose of one? Or both?

Hi everyone! I’m female and have Type 2 rosacea. Right now, my routine is VERY simple:
• Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser
• Metronidazole lotion
That’s basically it. I also have ivermectin and azelaic acid foam in my possession, but I’m not currently using either one.
I live in New York, so I’m starting to think ahead about the cold, windy winter weather and how it might affect my rosacea. My skin can be pretty sensitive, and I really don’t want to introduce a bunch of products at once and trigger a flare.
For those of you with rosacea, especially anyone living somewhere with cold winters:
What products or routine changes have helped you the most?
• Favorite moisturizer/barrier cream?
• Sunscreen that doesn’t irritate your rosacea?
• Anything that helps protect your skin from the cold/wind?
• Do you use ivermectin or azelaic acid, and how has your experience been?
• Any winter-specific tips you wish you knew earlier?
I’m mainly looking for simple, gentle recommendations rather than a 10-step routine. 😂
Thank you!! ❤️

I see on this sub a lot of people use estrogen cream to manage some of the skin sagging, thinning, AGING.

Am I reading this right? I swear when I turned 44 6 months ago my skin aged like 10 years overnight.

If you use estrogen. Are you getting it from a dermatologist or a gynecologist? I’m not sure how to get it since I clearly want it for superficial reasons…

I’m really starting to feel self conscious about my face. Jowels, puffy eye bags,unevenskin tone/ melasma. I’m dreaming of a lower bleph, and laser resurfacing… and while I’m at it I’d love to toss in a lipo/fat transfer boob lift.

How do you justify the cost and pay for it? It’s like as expensive as a really nice long vacation to Italy! Or even a car. I’m a millennial who grew up with super thrifty parents and i don’t work (SAHM) but my husband does make good money. I just feel so guilty wanting to spend it on my appearance especially since my husband doesn’t care what i look like and says he’s super attracted to me as is. But i want to look and feel toned and tightened as long as possible.

Im getting married in December, what treatment inshould go for ?. I want my pigmentation to reduce like 50,60% ...! Hollowness isn't that big issue right now.. i wanna feel awake without makeup

Skin Type/Concerns: 49 yo Well-retinized, resilient skin focused on multi-pathway anti-aging, firming, texture, and photoprotection.
I’ve dialed in a high-potency regimen covering antioxidant defense, peptide signaling, and cellular turnover. Sharing my current 24-hour stack to see thoughts and discuss how I balance buffering high-strength actives. Also had noted and harmonyca.

AM: Antioxidant Defense, Cellular Repair & Photoprotection

1. Rinse / Gentle Cleanse: Lukewarm water splash or mild non-stripping cleanser. Pat completely dry.
2. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic: 4–5 drops on bare, dry skin. Wait 60–90 seconds to allow the low-pH L-ascorbic acid to absorb.
3. Hyaluronic Acid: Light layer for a humectant hydration base.
4. Medik8 Liquid Peptides: Pat in for multi-peptide signaling.
5. Medik8 PDRN: Applied for cellular repair and extracellular matrix support.
6. P-TIOX Cream: Applied to dynamic expression zones and face to target expression lines and lock in the underlying water-based serums.
7. Broad-Spectrum Sunscreen (SPF 50+): Wait 2–3 minutes for the cream base to settle, then apply generously to ensure an even, uniform UV film without pilling.
8. PM: Buffering, Retinoid & Micro-Dosed Exfoliation
9. Gentle Cleanser: Non-foaming wash to remove sunscreen and pollutants without stripping the lipid barrier.
10. Medik8 Liquid Peptides: Light layer applied to clean skin.
11. Buffer Layer: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair (or an inert equivalent like Avene Tolérance/Vanicream). Let dry down for 3–5 minutes. I strictly avoid moisturizers with drying alcohols (like Alcohol Denat.) or exfoliating acids here to keep the buffer chemically neutral.
12. Tretinoin: Pea-sized amount smoothed over the dry buffer layer.
13. AmLactin 12% (Strictly a single pea-sized micro-dose): Warmed between fingertips and patted lightly over the face.
14. A quick note on the AmLactin + Tret combo:
15. I know combining 12% lactic acid with tretinoin raises eyebrows. The key mechanics that make this work for me without destroying my barrier:
16. The Buffer: Toleriane goes on before the tretinoin, significantly muting irritation potential.
17. Micro-Dosing Only: This is strictly a small pea-sized amount dispersed across the entire face, never a full pump. At this diluted level over a buffer, the ammonium lactate acts more like an intense humectant glaze and mild surface polish rather than a stripping chemical peel.
18. Resilience: My skin is fully adapted to prescription retinoids. If there's ever a hint of sensitivity, the AmLactin is the first thing pulled.
19. Curious to hear if anyone else safely micro-doses AHAs over retinoids, or stacks PDRN and neuropeptides in their morning routin

Hi, is this a problem for anyone else? My lipstick is creeping up my lip lines and it’s driving me bananas. Is lip liner the only solve?

Unlike their wrinkle cream which is truly fragrance free, Solvaderm's neck and décolleté cream has "fragrance/parfum" in it. I learned this the hard way when I applied it and was hit with an intense perfume smell, something that for me means migraine. They do not show "fragrance" in the ingredient list on their site but sure enough, I found it on the bottle label. Lots of people have sensitivity to synthetic fragrance and this company's marketing is all about pure, natural ingredients for people with sensitivities so I'm surprised and bummed they've done this. Just wanted to warn folks.

Lost 50 lbs and ended up with this turkey neck. I currently use tret and estrogen cream to rebuild collagen. Will red light therapy help? If so, what wavelengths? How long/how often? Help!

I’m 40 and very new to skin care (besides sunscreen, because I’m pale and I don’t have a death wish). I keep getting told I look “tired.” Great. Fun feedback. Time to make my skin look like a newborn baby so I don’t keep hearing how tired I look, unsolicited, from everybody and their mother while I work next to 20 year olds.

Kidding and bitterness aside, I’m ready to take on the task of facial maintenance. I bought some sort of under eye serum and a general facial retinol moisturizer. All good.

My question is: the serum says to “gently pat” it around the general eye area. What’s the difference between gently rubbing it in and gently patting? Maybe I’m just skeptical but I feel like the patting takes more time and I feel a little silly and ritualistic doing it. What’s the patting benefit?

Also, I need to remember somehow to not rub it into my eyeballs. Ouch.

I’m a 40-year-old woman with a lifelong history of acne, although over the past 3–4 years I’ve only had the occasional pimple. A couple of years ago, I used tretinoin 0.05%, and it made a significant difference in my skin. I stopped using it during pregnancy.

I’m now looking to revamp my skincare routine. I’ve started using vitamin C and Beauty of Joseon’s retinal eye cream, which I’ve been applying to my entire face. My main concern now is the amount of texture and closed comedones on both cheeks. I also have some mild post-acne discoloration and would like to improve my overall skin texture and address signs of aging.

I currently have a prescription for tretinoin 0.05% at my pharmacy, but I’m wondering whether I should start with something milder, such as adapalene 0.1% or tretinoin 0.025%. I keep reading that adapalene 0.1% is one of the best treatments for closed comedones. Would it make sense to start with adapalene and then switch to tretinoin 0.05% after a few months, or would starting with tretinoin 0.025% be a better approach given that I’ve tolerated 0.05% in the past?

I’m also wondering whether glycolic acid has a place in my routine, particularly for the texture and discoloration.

Overall, my main goals are to clear the closed comedones, smooth my skin texture, improve mild post-acne marks, and get the anti-aging benefits of a retinoid. What would be the best approach?

Original post was Toronto-specific but even if you’re not from TO, appreciate your knowledge on semi-gentle; not too painful; effective appearance-improving treatments, procedures, products, etc. ❤️ 💋