Are Skin & me & dermatica basically the same thing?

[arbitraryarsehole]

Both subscription services that give you your own formula based on questions you've answered? Is one better than the other? & why are they better than shop bought? Any advice from people who use them is much appreciated!!

I prefer skin and me
My acne has gone, and I don't have to use concealer any more
I've used it for nearly 3 years and look the same which to me is an ageing win!

I use Dermatica. I read that in order to be most effective, 0.025% and above is recommended. This is the dose I’m on. Skin and Me seemed to be much lower concentrations. I don’t use it every night but do it at least three times a week. Mostly 4/5 nights a week. Don’t forget your SPF!

Hmm...I've just started Dermatica and have only been prescribed 0.015 %
Do they up the dose over time do you know? I'm early 40s and on the 'skin glow' plan as don't have any issues as such.

I have been using Skin + Me for nearly a year to address wrinkles (age 50). There was improvement in more even skin tone fairly quickly but it is only recently that I have noticed any improvement with my wrinkles. But there is an actual difference! The % of tretinoin has increased very slowly over the period so I am hoping that I am now at a level where there is more efficacy. I don't use any other product apart from Cerave daytime moisturiser and a Nivea SPF. That is partly because Skin + Me is expensive for me and I justify it by stripping back the rest of my skincare, and partly because it sensitises the skin so I think the less used in addition the better.

@MissAtomicBomb1 tret is strong stuff so they start you on a lower dosage and gradually increase the strength of your prescription over time.

Yes they should up it. I think you might be able to see the treatment plan if you log in to the website.

Ah ok, thanks - I have fairly sensitive skin so happy to start slowly as long as it eventually makes a difference!

I've taken the same approach, sargeantmajor - pared back my routine to decent basics (CeraVe and Simple, currently) and rely on Skin + Me for the actives - definitely gives good, cost-effective results in my case.

FWIW my S+M formulation has built up to 0.1% Tretinoin, 4% Niacinamide and 4% Azelaic Acid.

Choc . I have that prescription and it works so well. People put me at much younger than I am ( I have always had good skin and make up artists and people in public have asked what I use) .. uts not affected the visual of the skin as it were, but my skin seems thicker somehow ? Stronger ?

Yellow - yes they will up it. You can also e mail or call them to discuss.
I started on the same as you.

I use S&M, I used to buy tret from skinsceuticals but spreading the cost is more affordable for me.

I thought both S&M and Dermatica go up to .1% tret though? I didn’t realise Dermatica could prescribe a higher level. I’m on .1% tret (plus azelaic and niacinamide acids) now. They are annoyingly slow about building up, even with someone moving over from .1%.

I think everyone can get up to 0.1 tret strength on both Dermatica and Skin and Me, it’s the pace with which they move you up that varies. But always worth asking when they propose your prescription if you want higher, sooner, which I did having already used tret from Spain. I had one month at 0.025 then moved to a few months at 0.5 then up to 0.1. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to move up more slowly and imo some people will never get on with 0.1 - it ends up being more trouble then it’s worth. Nothing wrong with sticking at lower strengths then as better you keep using it than give up completely.

Do you have to buy a separate sunscreen or can you get that from skin+me? I've never used one regularly, just relied on spf in daily products.

Any that I've used in summer give me horrible whiteheads around my nose.

I'm not sure if they provide sunscreen, but have you tried La Roche Posay anthelios SPF50? I use it daily and it's great, not thick or greasy and goes well under make up.

@baublesandbreakdowns no, bizarrely the skin + me moisturiser contains no SPF and they don't sell a separate one. 🤷‍♀️

I signed up on your link! I’ve done prescription tret Obagi before and this looks v good value. I had to describe you as a social media influencer in the choice of how I heard about it lol

Be right back, updating my resumé

Hope you enjoy S+M results as much as I have! As an influencer 😂 I feel obliged to tell you I replaced my Simple moisturiser with The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors to use after the tret and it's really pleasant and not at all spendy.

Also thanks for using my link!

I really like skin and me but haven’t tried dermatica. I’ve been using it for 4-5 months now and my skin looks a lot better. My last doser was a bit faulty, it started dispensing the product on one side throughout the day so wasn’t ‘fresh’ dispensed and the dose amount seemed slightly off. I messaged them and the next day they replied saying they’d send me a fresh one. Thought that was good customer service.

in terms of sunscreen, I’ve tried loads over the last year and the altruist face fluid is one of the nicest I’ve tried. It’s about a tenner, it doesn’t irritate my eyes, doesn’t clog my pores and doesn’t feel sticky.

Same, @Duvetdaysaregood! Although I naturally like to ascribe that to my skin's effortlessly natural, timeless beauty rather than my daily doser.

Can I jump on?

So you still have to use your own cleanser and moisturiser etc? When do you know when to use which in the routine?

Yeah you can buy theirs or use your own
It's pretty simple

Am
Cleanse
Moisturise
SPF

Pm
Cleanse
Skin and me/dermatica (on dry skin, start 3 x weekly and build up)
Moisturise

On non skin and me days I use a hydrating serum in place of skin and me

I’ve never used skin + me but I do use dermatica and have been doing so for around 5 months now. I can honestly say my skin has never looked so good. I suffer with spots (in my 30s!!) and they have reduced since starting.

I will say that it can be quite drying, but I make sure to use a really thick moisturiser after so it hasn’t been that much of an issue for me, but it would be if I didn’t use my welda skin food.

if you did want to try I have my referral which gives us both £20 off and your first one for £2.90. 🙂

Try personalised skincare for just £2.90, plus £20 off your next month.

Head to www.dermatica.co.uk and checkout with code ENQNJV

https://www.dermatica.co.uk/referrer/ENQNJV

opps wrong thread! Sorry!