🐌 Fantastic Skincare: Bear Shaped Pseudo Face Vibrators, Don't Ask us What They're For(eo) 🐻

[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?

NEW SERIES:

So You Want To Buy A Retinoid - A Guide

I'm the same bo. I find it such an intrusion. She was pushing for me to have a consult with them but I reiterated that after trying them I had to see a derm. Weird how they're calling after so long.

Yes, I was wondering whether it was with Dermatica or Skin + Me where you had the bad experience. It's even weirder that they call you up and try to get you back in again with that history.

Tbh, it sounds like they need to increase their numbers, either for an expansion loan or to make the books look a little better to an investor. Reactivating subscriptions is a quick way to do that at little cost. A successful subscription model is worth a lot these days, I wonder how these numbers are presented to investors. If you were to go back to them would you be categorised as a member since two years to make it appear their base of long time members is larger than it actually is?

pigeon, if it's anything like the super sized drinks you get over there that tube will be mostly ice

Thanks @botemp - am wondering whether it makes sense to keep paying £20.00 for a month of tret.

True MrObama but I'm not sure how easy it is to get hold of it in the UK without seeing a £300+ a consult dermatologist as pharmacies don't supply it as it's not prescribed by the NHS. Also, it would just be tret and none of the additional ingredients. AFAIK a lot of derms import it themselves from Germany (not sure how this still works post Brexit) and sell it within their clinic for £££ and there's one pharmacy near Harley Street that can supply it (if you have a prescription) at not extortionate prices.

I've always been curious how the subscription services work out money wise as the model does suggest spread payments always work out more expensive in the long run.

I pay around €25 for a tube from a pharmacy here and the dermatologist is covered by insurance, the Tret technically is too but since I don't use it for health reasons I've never bothered claiming the money back.

I think in the UK you can quite easily get the Obagi tret from clinics that sell the Obagi medical system, although it's a bit of an issue in persisting you only want the tret and not the entire system (from what I gather, it's akin to listening to a timeshare sales pitch). I think a tube of Obagi tret is around £70 iirc, not sure how much is in it but probably equal to a couple of months worth from a subscription service. It'll be a 30 or 50g tube, by my best estimation.

I don't really condone the buy Tret on holiday in the Med thing to newbies but if you're an established user whose never had issues it's an option (but technically an illegal one and I'm assuming ramifications could be very serious if caught so I still don't endorse it).

Spent time this afternoon looking at the options, and incredible how many dodgy internets sites sell tret, although must save some embarrassment. Was picking up a prescription today and the pharmacist was asking a man who asked for something behind the counter, 'do you usually have problems with your erection?'

As English wasn't his first language, the pharmacist was getting louder and louder, because clearly shouting at the poor man helps his comprehension.

I just emailed Skin + Me suggesting a lower cost for the subscription as I will be on a maintain sort of program. Will see what they say.

Reactivating subscriptions is a quick way to do that at little cost.

Yes, so quick and cheap that mine was reactivated without my permission and I had to fight tooth and nail to have the two unauthorised months refunded. They’ve shot themselves in the foot though as I was thinking about rejoining anyway but won’t now I’m aware of what they’re up to.

How frustrating Hopdathelf, Skin + Me is not showing itself in a good light. Disappointing as Dermatica also don't have the best customer service track record.

I just had a quick scan of their trustpilot page, a few issues with payments but it's mostly drowned out by positive reviews. Some are indicating it's too early to say really which gives the impression they're email invites, do they send those annoying please rate us on Trustpilot emails a lot?

I haven’t had one but I was a moany customer from the start so they may have thought better of asking me to review.

Is it more like the consistency of laura Mercier secret camouflage Notmycat? Although that is was very drying - think they have a new formula which is better. The shape tape hydrating one is very nice for under eyes.

Is the €25 for tretinoin bo or a prodcut with tret in it?

That made me laugh mrobama ** but that poor customer must have been mortified....

Does anyone who uses Dermatica or Skin and Me know if the use by dates on Skin and Me actually mean anything? I wasn’t even aware of them until I read a Trust Pilot review last night. Ive been using my tubes so slowly (every other day at most or I peel like no one’s business) so must have gone beyond the date each time. Does anyone know if it’s a best before and efficacy drops off after the date or could it become harmful even a month beyond the date?

I’ve got a backlog of three that I’d quite like to use if I can.

Hydroquinone has a very short lifespan of a couple of weeks/months so I'd adhere to use by dates if that's in your formulation but I think that's only in Dermatica. Normal Tret usually is good for a while, 12 or 24 months, I'd have to check my tube.

Sophie, that's just for generic Tret, I know it's much much cheaper where you are

And yes, poor man in MrObama's pharmacy, don't they take you to a little side area, or is that not open due to Covid restrictions?

Also, read a few more Trustpilot reviews for skin + me too, was quite interesting to find out their prescribers are not dermatologists, they just have one who oversees it and the rest are pharmacist independent prescribers (first time I've ever heard of those but I'm guessing it's a UK title) and those are the people you speak to if you have issue with your prescription but they can't really advice you medically just discuss your prescription (which makes your terrible experience make a lot more sense now, Ninny and I think another poster who was with Dermatica and having increased pigmentation). It's therefore not as 'made to measure' as it appears, great if it works for you, but poor if it doesn't with nothing in between.

Thanks, that’s helpful. My “personal prescription” is just Tret, Azaelic Acid and Niacinamide so I’ll just keep going. It’s the waste I can’t stand if I just chuck it away, especially since it may not be recyclable where I live.

That was another bugbear, I asked multiple times if there was a way to dismantle the tube to separate the plastic from the metal and what type of plastic it was but never received an answer. My local council mandates separation and only recycles very limited types of plastic. They incinerate any bags ‘contaminated’ by mixed materials or unrecyclable plastics so I didn’t want to take a chance.

I’m not sure whether to re-start tret for autumn/winter, I feel like I should do but don’t actually want to I don’t like the dusty flakey side effects and have never been able to push past that. I’m not likely to be able to get Retiredes any time soon, didn’t like the texture of skin+me and wasn’t convinced dermatica did anything at all, plus I’m not super keen on the subscription model.

Maybe I should look into OTC retinols again or maybe I should just give up on it completely I’m very happy with my skin right now and I think the Bear is having a positive effect, a couple of people have recently asked me if I’ve had my Botox and fillers topped up and a few others have said my skin is looking good, one even said glowing

@SallieSallow

I’m not sure whether to re-start tret for autumn/winter, I feel like I should do but don’t actually want to I don’t like the dusty flakey side effects and have never been able to push past that. I’m not likely to be able to get Retiredes any time soon, didn’t like the texture of skin+me and wasn’t convinced dermatica did anything at all, plus I’m not super keen on the subscription model.

Maybe I should look into OTC retinols again or maybe I should just give up on it completely I’m very happy with my skin right now and I think the Bear is having a positive effect, a couple of people have recently asked me if I’ve had my Botox and fillers topped up and a few others have said my skin is looking good, one even said glowing

I'm also torn I like skin and me and the effects but foundation is just impossible because I'm always flaky or slightly textured Was late doing my injections for my immune system by 4 days and I'm paying for it by being covered in acne

Hello all - catching up with all the messages...

Not much to report with my skin and routine but wanted to say Skin&Me is still working out Ok personally but I've been at a lower dose of tret for a while (asked them to step it down to 0.024) and it seems to be suiting my skin... no peeling/irritation or anything, but who knows whether that's enough to be effective??

@Hopdathelf I go through the vials really slowly, partly because I've got a pinhead/small face and also don't use that much - you can adjust when it's sent to you in your account settings, doesn't have to be every month - and you could take a break to use up your stash?.

I've been using the Garnier SPF which is OK, not sure its UVA protection is great... but just got the UV Supreme Screen as Cult are doing discounts on SPF at the moment.

@SallieSallow I'm also loving the Bear - it's improved the longevity of the Botox in my "11s" and has definitely made my eye bags/tear troughs less pronounced. That alone has been worth the cost for me, though sadly the start of a jowly jawline hasn't been averted!

Oh and for those who like BR P50, Liberty's in London definitely sell it so that's an option if you don't to go for the online place that asks a million questions.

Notmycat What about dropping down the % of tret to see if that reduces flakiness?

And sorry to hear about your acne flareup, that sucks :(

you can adjust when it's sent to you in your account settings, doesn't have to be every month - and you could take a break to use up your stash?

I did try and delay a couple of times but there was always a mysterious “glitch” at the Skin and Me end which meant the tube was dispatched and charged for regardless. In any case, I won’t be renewing given how shabbily I was treated when someone mysteriously reactivated my account without my permission on two separate occasions. Very shoddy way to run a business.

Ah sorry, I missed that bit.... I wouldn't have thought there's any issue with the product going off though. It would be perfectly fine to use up...

Tsmummy, which movements do you do with the bear that target the tear troughs and eye bags?

Have you tried layering some moisturiser under your tret notmycat?

Hmmm, I think running the Bear balls (!) either side of my cheekbones from the nose seems to do it - but I've got a small face so doing that means the metal bits go under my eyes to a degree. I'm assuming it's that!

Bear balls
Thank you tsmummy.

I’ve ordered some Medik8 retinol as look fantastic sent me a discount code. It was still expensive but I’m not tied into any subscriptions and should last a good few months plus I’m hoping to avoid dusty tret face I’m the same as you Notmycat and can’t get my makeup to sit properly when I’m using tret.

Hope your acne flare up calms down soon.

Sophie I do a lot of eyebrow/forehead stuff with the bear balls for my hooded eyes but might help with under eyes too, I’ll try and find the video I used to start off with.

Trying adding in an oil with my skin and me
It's such a fine balance for me between my skin wanting ALL the hydration but then remembering I'm also acne prone
My bad habit is I do my routine, put skin and me on and think I'll moisturise in 20 mins and.. yeah. I don't

Great. Thank you Sallie.