🐌 Fantastic Skincare: Vanities Are The New Shelf Porn

[botemp]

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For those who are taking a peek and wondering what this all about, we mostly discuss a bit of advanced skincare here with a perspective of seeking out the right ingredients (rather than the latest new shiny product and all its empty promises) for our particular skin needs. Distinguishing the acid toners from the actives whilst avoiding the truly unimpressive and harmful ingredients with a hope to achieve a bit of anti-ageing, alleviate irritation and sensitivities with some idle chat in between. Newcomers are always welcome but please note the following:

Questions and asking for help on this thread is encouraged, however, we can’t give you a specific routine to follow and hope it works out for the best. There are no overnight miracles in skincare whether it be in the form of products or techniques. It’s about perseverance, understanding your skin, assessing its needs and responding to that in a diligent manner.

These threads were created to help those who want to learn for themselves. We’re a group of interested and invested skincare nuts happy to offer tea and sympathy and dole out advice. Everyone’s journey with skincare is different, what is universal and binds us is that through actually learning about the different active ingredients it helps us get to know our skin and help us adapt as it will change many times throughout our lives - with seasons, hormonal changes, ageing, genetics etc. It's in everyone's best interests to get to know their skin and to keep reviewing those changes with the confidence that comes from the gathered knowledge here. We really encourage you to spend the time reading through previous threads and linked info sheets that the many contributors have taken the trouble to share.

By no means are we experts, we're only a bunch of amateurs that can only respond by suggesting what we would do in your place, for any severe conditions please seek out professional help.

Ahem, and finally a little note on spending. I'm well aware these threads cause many to reach for their wallets and spend with wild abandon. There can sometimes be a bit of a frenzy surrounding the excitement around a newly discovered product or on the back of great improvements when someone reports back. This is all great, it doesn't however, mean everything that's a sudden miracle for one will be it for you. Usually, it's a light bulb moment for connecting the right skincare ingredient with an individual experiencing a specific problem. Take your time to mull over decisions and question whether it's right for you too. Skincare is highly individual, it's a slow game that should cost mostly in patience, input, education, and perseverance. Please don't make it cost you financially needlessly.

I am very slowly working on consolidating the gathered information from previous threads into easier to read formats but it’s slow going. I would suggest reading thread 1 and at the very least the following info sheets (provided they apply to you):

Where to Start

Basics of an Actives Routine

Skin Types vs. Skin Conditions Info Sheet

Anti-Ageing Info sheet

Adult Acne Info Sheet

Understanding Which Sunscreen(s) to Buy

Do I Really Need to Wear Sunscreen Every Single Day of the Year?

A Damaged Skin Barrier - Now What?

So You Want To Buy A Retinoid - A Guide

MAY 2020: We're in lockdown and it's doing weird things to our faces

Well it's supposed to smell like a lot of alcohol. I've mentioned before on here that fakes are common with the Biore and that Amazon is best avoided. eBay is a little more secure if you're buying from Japanese sellers (but check they're actually in Japan, some will be 'located' there but not sending from there, reviews will often note this) and they need a trusted seller score of over 99.7% with at least a few hundred reviews. Other sunscreens from Japan don't have this issue, it's seems to be mostly the Biore watery essence and gel.

@Pupsiecola. When I first got my dermatica I was disappointed as it was so small. But they really do last a long while. I wish I could actually extend my delivery past 56 days.

@botemp I was extremely surprised and actually worry about how liberally dermatica give out hydroquinone . On Instagram i browsed before I bought and it seems they give it to everyone who has a darker skin tone with pigmentation issues. Even more worryingly after my third month of using the hydroquinone I asked them to remove it from my prescription and they replied that it’s perfectly fine to use it for long periods of time if under the guidance of professionals. At that point they had seen 3 pictures of my skin and no professional of theirs had ever communicated with me.

Yeah, from the feedback I'm getting here (simply from the amount of questions) I am disappointed with the amount of guidance provided by Dermatica. It does seem more like a dispensary than an online dermatologist service. The only thing I have to compare it to is Curology where you do get one on one appointments with a live dermatologist and with the inability to try it myself due to location I had assumed it operated in the same way.

Yeah I'm really careful with eBay generally (I used to be a trading assistant, selling on behalf of other people).

PS yes it normally does smell of alcohol. But I had already noticed that this one seemed stronger.

Bo Haven't heard back about the bottles, but may ask my mum in the USA to get some of the nozzles. She very kindly sends me LRP double moisturizer, Skin Fix hand cream and Isdin Actinica, which is fab. So weird though about Isdin - my understanding is that it's a Spanish manufacturer, but can't get in the UK, but is easily available in the USA. Same with LRP Double Moisturizer.

Rather unfortunately she isn't coming to the UK this summer...

May have to cheer myself up by doing a Chanel shop

Oh thanks @SophieLion that makes me feel better. Skin still sensitive and a bit tight today but blotches disappearing. I just cleansed and applied cicaplast a few times.
Hopefully will be restored in a few days.

I think I'll reintroduce the tret first, then my old vit C and then bring the timeless back in later.

Are you originally American MrObama (the Mr Obama obviously is, I'm no weird birther ). If you find out where your mum can buy the nozzles I'd love to know too, although I may just annoy them directly to whine incessantly about how unfair it all is.

WRT Actinica, it's by Galderma which I think are Swiss if I remember my big pharmas correctly. It's quite easily available throughout Europe in pharmacies OTC, often sold under the galderma brand instead of Isdin. It's generally prescribed for sun allergy and skin cancer. My understanding is that there's something to do about the SPF rating testing systems. In the US it's something like SPF100 which is a labeling we don't allow here (it would be an SPF50+) but I think the actinica is sold without a SPF label completely here which seems such an odd thing as it's for people with sun allergy for sun protection 🤷 Anyhow, for next time any of the French/Belgian/Spanish online pharmacies will stock it, I think Easyparapharmacie still do free shipping to the UK over £30.

Why stop at a Chanel shop for yourself, cheer your mum up with a box too

Bo - Yes, from California, hence the pigmentation . We know more now.

Thank you so much for the information about Actinica. I didn't know about the brand difference. My aunt in the USA uses it as she has lupus and cannot tolerate sunlight. It isn't the most attractive cream, but very effective.

Ouch Queen hope that’s gone down a bit now, I’m very tanned on my lower arms and legs but it looks ridiculous as the rest of me (including my hands) is much paler.

Bo I agree that Dermatica is more of an online dispensary, that’s absolutely fine with me as I’m a fairly experienced tret user but it does seem reckless for those who need advice and guidance, especially re the hydroquinine.

I might actually try Skin+me seeing as it’s free for a month and I’ve no particular loyalty to dermatica yet as only just started with it.

I'm still radiating more heat than the sun and bright red. Blinking blue skin

@agteacht just catching up on the thread so it might be too late but happy to send you a sample of Verso if you haven't already ordered it.

Update on skinandme: they’ve prescribed me 0.04% tret with 4% niacinamide and 4% azelaic acid.

I’m happy with this as it’s a slight step down form the dermatica 0.05% tret which was causing peeling.

And hopeful niacinamide will do something for pigmentation. However I’m unsure about how much azelaic acid can do at such a low percentage.

Seems like they offer a slightly more personalised service. With dermatica I’ve only hear of 0.025, 0.05 and 0.1 tret.

With this it seems they allow a much larger range of percentages. I’ve seen people with as low as 0.006% tret.

Ah thanks @TattiePants that's so kind. I have ordered it but appreciate it x

Thanks for the Skin+me update Cinnamon I’m going to give them a try, will report back.

@SallieSallow

Yeah for only £3.50 I thought it would be worth a try at least. Very easy to cancel as well. I like that they offer more with tret other than niacinamide and hydroquinone.

I'm going to try Skin+me too. Is there a code?

@pupsiecola no need for a code. It’s automatically £3.50 for the first month.

Thanks cin.

@botemp if you could share the link for the Latisse clinic, I’d appreciate it. An under active thyroid means my eyebrows and eye lashes are non existent yet PCOS gives me facial hair a teenage boy would be proud of

I’m going try Skin+me as mentioned by pupsiecola- I browse your skin care threads and enjoy the knowledge you all share, even if I’m somewhat overwhelmed by your collective wisdom. I need to tackle my dark circles and and crows feet.

Apologies, it was cinammonbuns who shared

Sorry @MehMehMeow, yes, I had meant to link it, thanks for reminding me. I've not ordered from them myself so I do hope it's legitimate. Dermatica also offers it but I think it came out quite expensive there, you'd have to compare and contrast a bit. I have used the active ingredient before when the local equivalent of Superdrug sold a really cheap but super effective serum with it but they had to remove it from the market as it was classified a medication. Be mindful with light coloured eyes, there could be side effects of your eye colour changing (it's rare but jic). I do think you can use it for 6-8 weeks (I saw loads of growth in that time and it was probably a much lower concentration) and then continued to use it every other day, so you could probably stretch it for longer (unless they're a fiendish sort and the three month supply is already based on that proposed schedule).

www.eyelashlogic.com/shop

As a fellow PCOS sufferer, anecdotal, but I have found minoxidil effective on my brows. It only had the weird side effect that I started sprouting hairs underneath my bottom lashes

There's been some IG beef with Tata Harper. CH is backing her/the brand being called out. Just fascinating. For good reason, seemingly, but CH was always such a fan. Just makes me wonder where all the due diligence was previously.

I signed up for Skin+Me. Impressed so far as I got an email saying they needed me to answer a couple of extra questions before deciding on my formulation. I had to go to their website again. They wanted to know the dose of retinol I'd previously been using. I don't recall Dermatica asking but then I guess I'd never used a prescription strength one before. But still. So far so good. I hope they bung some Azelaic Acid in.

Also, I have a really nasty area below my chin on one side. It's sort of scaly and raised. Dry looking. I put some steroid cream on it for a few days but I don't think it's helped. Could it be the increased strength in retinol?

Yeah below the chin is a pretty sensitive area.

I'm a noted critic of CH and her flip flopping but the baying for her blood on MN is a little ridiculous. If you're a long time follower you know this lack of consistency is par for the course and drama and controversy is part of her core brand. Some new £££ 'clean' beauty brand will be waiting just around the corner to distract you next. Tata Harper came across really badly in the Estée Laundry expose way back already, how much worse can it be than that?