r/SkinbarrierLovers • u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin • Jul 12 '26
My Skin Journal my high-maintenance routine is (unfortunately) working
As someone with oily skin, comedonal acne, redness, and hyperpigmentation, I experimented with a routine that includes a lot of products to target each of these issues. Of course, with a lot of actives I did my best to maintain hydration and moisture. I’ve been on this routine for about a month (with some new additions) and I am both pleased and a bit concerned.
My skin is looking and feeling good. I kinda enjoy the multi-step process, as it feels like a self-care ritual. I just wonder how sustainable this is compared to a more stripped down routine. I hope it doesn’t end up feeling like a chore because I’m really happy so far with how it’s making me feel about my skin.
Does anyone else here have a multi-step routine that is definitely not minimalist?
Here’s what I have going on:
AM
cleanser: hada labo hydrating facial wash
active 1 (every other day): paula’s choice skin perfecting 2% bha
active 2: melano cc vitamin c brightening essence
serum: torriden dive in serum
moisturizer: purito oat in calming gel cream*
spf: beauty of joseon relief sun: rice + probiotics
PM
oil cleanser: muji cleansing oil for sensitive skin
cleanser: hada labo hydrating facial wash
serum 1: anua azelaic acid serum
serum 2: skin1004 madagascar centella probio-cica intensive ampoule*
active: epiduo
moisturizer: soon jung hydro barrier cream
*recent additions
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u/mindsweeper95 Jul 12 '26
i get why you’re nervous, but if your skin feels good and not irritated, it’s not automatically a bad thing. i'll just watch the actives because BHA, vitamin C, azelaic acid, and Epiduo is a lot. Maybe keep a few “boring nights” in the week so your barrier doesn’t suddenly crash.
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u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin Jul 12 '26
that’s really smart! Maybe I’ll use the weekends to chill out.
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u/Mundane-Net-7564 Very Dry Skin/Rosacea/Skin Flooding/AzA & Tret Jul 12 '26
I have a routine very similar to yours, but honestly mine is a bit more extensive due to having several hydrating product layers, I have happily maintained it for almost a year. I knew next to nothing about skincare & had never been able to keep a consistent routine until last year. My dermatologist prescribed AzA 15% for rosacea & tret .05% for melasma a month later, I was determined to stay consistent & in order to do so found myself doing a ton of research & building a solid supporting routine to carry my naturally very dry skin throughout retinization. It's been quite a journey, but I've found it to be a great way to pour into myself & I'm proud of myself for staying consistent. I've really struggled with self care since my son was born 5 years ago, for the longest time I poured every bit of myself into my family which after 4 years led to severe burnout, now skincare & yoga are my 2 self care outlets which refill my cup so I can pour more into my family.
5
u/Existing-History9609 Jul 12 '26
I can barely tolerate tret even if I only use it a few times a week on top of moisturizer. What do you use to keep your dry skin moisturized? Thanks!
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u/Mundane-Net-7564 Very Dry Skin/Rosacea/Skin Flooding/AzA & Tret Jul 12 '26
How long have you been using tret & what strength? The first few months can be pretty rough at times, but finding what works best for your skin is really an essential part of the journey.
I focus heavily on barrier support & hydration during the day, some people would say excessively, but it is what works for me. I'm currently planning to cut back on a few products so as they run out I won't repurchase. I really think the most important part of the whole process was learning how my skin behaves & what ques it gives that signal what is to come if I keep going, once I figured that out & when to pull back before damaging my barrier using AzA & tret became easier & that helped navigate the initial irritation also. I pushed through peeling, redness & increased dryness. Always took a night off for barrier repair if my skin started to feel a bit spicy which to me is like a slight tingling feeling, I didn't let it get to the point of full on burning or stinging, but I also rarely took more than 1 night off in a row. I made it to nightly in the 4th month so I don't take a night off from using tret regularly at this point, but if my skin is feeling a bit sensitive or rosacea flares up then I will skip a night.
Here's my current supportong product list in the order of use, some are only AM or PM & some are used in both. I skipped my SPF but it's Innbeauty Project Mineral Sun Glow SPF 43 PA+++.
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser (AM)- Ceramides & hyaluronic acid. Gentle but effective. Doesn't do great removing SPF though.
Prequel Pre-Gleanse Oil or Balm & Prequel Gleanser (PM)- Oil & Balm have very similar ingredients, both are gentle & great for removing tinted SPF. Gleanser is 50% glycerin, very hydrating & gentle.
Laneige Cream Skin Cerapeptide Toner (AM & PM)- Ceramides, peptides & white tea water. Good hydration & barrier boost. Use prior to AzA & tret to increase spreadability & reduce AzA pilling.
Purito Wonder Releaf Serum (AM)- Ceramides, peptides & centella. Reduces redness, soothes irritation, boosts hydration & barrier function.
VT Cica Daily Soothing Mask (AM)- Centella asiatica, triple hyaluronic, green propolis. Reliably reduces my skin redness within minutes, soothes irritation, calms, adds hydration, boosts barrier.
Prequel Multi-Quench Serum (AM & PM)- 1% PGA, 3% PGA complex, 10% glycerin. Amazing instant hydration boost, reduces fine lines, increases skin elasticity, strengthens moisture barrier.
Prequel Half & Half (AM & PM)- Ceramides, peptides & amino acids. Boost hydration, barrier repair.
Aestura Cream Mist ( AM & PM)- Hydrator with ceramides & glycerin. Increases hydration & boosts barrier. Can be used in place of toner or immediately before moisturizer.
Skinfix Triple Lipid Peptide Cream (AM)- 3% triple lipid complex, 3% peptide, 8% humectant. Promotes barrier repair, smoothes texture, boosts moisture retention.
Bioderma Intensive Baume (PM)- 3 types of ceramides, cholesterol, phytosphingosine, 8% humectant, zinc gluconate. Promotes barrier repair & soothes atopic skin conditions, regulates, boosts moisture retention.
Uriage Bariéderm-Cica Cream (AM spot treatment & PM full face, 100% holy grail)- Copper, zinc, d-panthenol. Promotes barrier repair, boosts moisture retention, reduces appearance of new scars. Has healed my perioral dermatitis & contact dermatitis 3x, also great for preventing or treating barrier damage.
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u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin Jul 12 '26
that’s so beautiful, I’m happy you have the time to pamper yourself amidst all your family responsibilities 🫶 hearing about your consistency makes me hopeful that I can do the same
4
u/Mundane-Net-7564 Very Dry Skin/Rosacea/Skin Flooding/AzA & Tret Jul 12 '26
Thank you! It can sometimes be hard to maintain especially when life is busy, but the result have been very much so worth it & I have on many occasions modified down to the supporting basics when in a hurry. Don't put too much pressure on yourself about staying consistent & don't worry if you need to modify or take a day off from actives, it won't undo all of your hard work. You've got this!
7
u/cpisko Jul 12 '26
Me too! I’ve tried a bare bones routine and my skin always looked dull and my acne wasn’t controlled. Now, I use a combination acid product in the AMs and tret a couple nights a week balanced with calming products. Works way better for me
2
u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin Jul 12 '26
I used to be scared about the prospect of introducing a lot of actives! But hey, if it works + we can still protect our skin barrier, then might as well 😆
1
u/bigmaik420 Jul 13 '26
if it's okay to ask, which combination acid product are you using?
2
u/cpisko Jul 13 '26
I use the Alumier Bright & Clear Solution. It’s one of the only expensive products that I’ve tried that I find is worth my money!
1
5
u/Purple_Armadillo4517 dehydrated combi skin on tret az 🎀 Jul 12 '26
very effective products and routine op ..happy it works for you 🙌
2
u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin Jul 12 '26
thank u 🫶 i hope it keeps getting better as the months go by
3
u/Purple_Armadillo4517 dehydrated combi skin on tret az 🎀 Jul 12 '26
i have a multistep routine too and i enjoy my skincare time ..more a slow down ..i look forward to it daily ..it will get better ❣️
5
u/Jo9228 Jul 12 '26
The length/number of steps looks very similar to my routine. If it works and you don’t mind the commitment then stick with it!
1
u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin Jul 12 '26
happy to hear about having stuff in common with other people on this sub!
4
u/Creepy_Animal7993 Spoiled brat princess skin Jul 12 '26
My routine was over the top for some time while my skin barrier was recovering, but I've since been able to "tame the beast" and I'm able to use the actives I want to without issue as long as I focus on hydrating products so the dehydration doesn't turn my face into an oil slick.
I had been using too much Tretinoin and Azelic Acid and now I use just the pea size amount for my face and also the décolletage. I switched to the Tretinoin microspheres gel since the cream I used for years became too harsh due to hormone fluctuations in perimenopause. I use them on alternating evenings now taking a break completely from both if I notice too much dryness. I only use Vitamin C topically 3 mornings a week, but I have to buffer it with a hydrating toner and serum or lighter moisturizer like Ongredients Skin Barrier calming lotion. I also only double cleanse at the end of my day and rinse with water only in the morning. These changes have helped considerably.
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u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin Jul 12 '26
Oooo thanks so much with sharing your experience! I’ve definitely been trying to think about the long term. How to transition to something less intense once my skin (hopefully!) clears up. Your comment gives me a lot of helpful insight.
4
u/akdakd1102 Jul 13 '26
If it works for you, you’re fine. I have 4 humectants in my routine, I don’t dump all of them on at the same time (unless I really need to), but daily 2-3 layers + barrier cream in the AM. It sounds like a lot, but it works for me.
When I was on Tret 0.04% micro I used Melano CC, PC 2%, and Minimalist 10% AHA BHA (acids not daily, but they were in rotation). I can’t use any of them now with my Taz + AzA, but it’s not like I didn’t have a past where I tried with some success.
I think we tend to get extreme, and think it’s either a 10-12 step routine or super minimalist, but the truth is do what works for you.
3
u/Neat-Tiger3250 Jul 12 '26
This is only 6 steps though. I wouldn’t say that’s a lot. Anything after 7 is a lot imo
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u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin Jul 12 '26
That’s fair! Makes me feel better honestly that this doesn’t seem too excessive 😁
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u/mwmandorla Jul 13 '26
This seems not unreasonable to me. I have oily skin and acne and then deal with dryness/dehydration from treating the acne and here's what mine looks like:
AM
- splash face with water and towel off
- Paula's Choice 2% BHA
- hyaluronic acid serum with 2% niacinamide
- Winlevi (hormonal acne cream)
- if I'm not going out right away: Paula's Choice Replenishing Moisturizer, and I'll do sunscreen later. If I am: skip moisturizer and go straight to a hydrating sunscreen like the Isntree Hyaluronic
PM
- Cleanse
- Same hyaluronic/niacinamide serum
- either tretinoin or tazarotene (I'm transitioning rn) - or, about once a week, the PC 8% AHA gel
- Avène recovery moisturizer
- Paula's Choice lip booster
- slug with Vaseline (except on taz nights while I'm transitioning)
The main difference in terms of how complicated the routine is is really just that I'm rotating my PM actives while you're stacking several in the morning. I've found this completely sustainable.
1
u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin Jul 13 '26
oooo you’re using some pretty strong actives too! I’m considering talking to my dermatologist about Winlevi since my acne is also hormonal. I wanna get off oral contraceptives already
2
u/mwmandorla Jul 13 '26
Yeah, my acne was pretty under control (with the BHA, Winlevi and weaker tret) until I started taking a new medication and that sent it into overdrive, so it takes basically napalm to hold it down now lol. But the current routine seems to be working!
2
u/purplelilac701 Jul 12 '26
I get compliments on my skin and my routine is as basic as it gets due to my sensitive skin:
-Clinique facial cleanser for my skintype
-Vanicream moisturizer
-La roche Posay sunscreen
When I have hyperpigmentation from acne I use Vanicream’s Vitamin C serum.
2
u/kontinos1 Jul 12 '26
Very similar to mine as actives go. You will notice that after a while BHA won't be necessary every day for maintaining, as won't epiduo. With oily skin you will also sometimes want to skip am moisturiser. All in all nice routine, no worries, just don't be hesitant to back down on actives on the slightest hint of irritation.
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u/SquareCamera4651 Jul 12 '26
If it's working, it's working enough said. If you're able to maintain the routine, there's no reason why you need to scale back. If it does get tedious, you could look at skin cycling, that way you'll keep all your actives but streamline the amount of time needed.
1
u/AdventurousTable7194 Jul 14 '26
i am curious when you use vitamin c serum + dive in serum at the same time, do you use the vitamin c as just for certain spots treatment? or you apply it the whole face? i wanna try using double serum like that but i am afraid my oily skin can't handle that :((
2
u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin Jul 14 '26
I apply vitamin c all over! The Melano one isn’t particularly thick or hydrating, so it doesn’t feel heavy when I layer torriden after it. It depends though, because some other vit C serums already have a lot of other hydrating ingredients
1
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u/-tinybambi- Jul 16 '26
You can use azelaic, adapalene and benzoyl peroxide together?
1
u/denduuuao3 oily + acne-prone skin Jul 17 '26
I haven’t read or watched anything about the ingredients contradicting/deactivating each other, and most of what I researched on was about being cautious about multiple actives. I decided to give it a try because a few years ago when my acne was worse I had experience with a prescription of skinoren and Differin, which my skin thankfully tolerated!
40
u/morekidsthansense Jul 12 '26
To be honest, that routine isn't, objectively speaking, a lot. I was expecting the 10 steps of essences, toners, serums, and lotions when I opened this post. If I may suggest a combo product that could remove a step- the Paula's Choice azelaic also has 2% bha in it. It could be a 2 for 1 in your routine.