It’s now been a little over a year since I started using Tazorac, and I am happy to report that it has also been close to a year since the end of my adult acne flare! Since my success with Tazorac in early 2015 (read: here), I’ve changed up my entire skincare routine, both products and treatments. As a result, I’ve been able to greatly improve the tone, texture and appearance of my skin without lasers, (micro) dermabrasion, strong peels or other professionally-performed procedures. So, I thought I would share my elaborated skincare routine since starting Tazorac.
To be clear, my acne flareup was moderate but the overall texture and tone of my skin was greatly affected. I am glad that I reached out to my doctor; we decided that I should try Tazorac 0.1% gel. Thankfully, Tazorac not only wiped out my acne within six months, with each month getting progressively better, it was a great first step in getting my skin back into order overall.
So, onto the evolution of my elaborated skincare routine:
January 2015: I start administering Tazorac 0.1% gel every other night after washing my face with Purpose Cleanser (Holy Grail Status for acne flares!) and applying CeraVe PM after my eye cream. Because Tazorac is so drying and due to the incredibly massive peeling it caused within the first week, I apply either fresh’s seabuckthorn oil or Josie Maran’s Pure Argan Oil after the Tazorac settled and absorbed.
In the morning, to protect my skin from the increased sensitivity to photo damage that comes with Tazorac use, I began to apply CeraVe AM with SPF 30 after applying my eye cream. I also started using the Rhonda Allison Milk Plus Cleanser which is supposed to help with inflammation among other things, and made sure to keep my lips covered in balm for the times when I applied Tazorac a little too close to my mouth.
March 2015: My skin is still exceptionally dry from the Tazorac and my eye-area is feeling the brunt of it, so I get rid of the eye cream containing polyphenols that I’d been using and start looking for something with hyaluronic acid– the same as CeraVe. I find it in Mario Badescu’s Hyaluronic Eye Cream. I add this eye cream to my evening routine, applying it before Cerave PM and letting it soak in while I floss before then starting my nighttime skincare routine. I also start using L’Occitane’s Extrait Divin Serum after Tazorac but once the bottle runs out– I don’t feel an urge to repurchase it.
May/June 2015: My acne is nearly a fading memory; now, what can I do about how large my pores appear? And when did they get so BIG? I know that I can’t actually shrink them, and the Tazorac is clearing them out, but I feel like there might be something else I can do to help. My first thought was to grab my Bodyshop Clay Mask but I really don’t want to deal with some of the ingredients in the product and fear the fragrance will irritate my Tazorac-acclimating skin. The peeling phase has stopped by now and so I think that it’s time to do what I said once in a review and actually make my own bentonite clay mask.
From equal parts Aztec Indian Healing Clay and organic apple cider vinegar emerges a delightfully green mask that improves the appearance of my pores without all of the icky stuff. The apple cider vinegar, I know, is an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid). In dermatological circles, use of AHAs in concert with a retinoid is a little controversial, as evidence shows that they can counteract each other’s efficacy. I do as much research as I can online and decide to make this a once-a-week mask that I use on the day when I am not applying Tazorac in the evening.
August 2015: Tazorac is going great and my acne is completely under control. My skin is feeling far less dry and the bentonite clay mask has really improved the appearance of my pores. Still, I have some issues with the tone and texture of my skin, along with some concern regarding fine lines. I start to think that maybe a strong blend of AHAs, like a glycolic-based serum, might help with these issues. On a whim, I try out Dr. Dennis Grossman’s Alpha Beta Extra Strength Formula at-home peel. I don’t expect much because I can see that it contains ingredients that I don’t like but the reviews online promise so much.
Having trawled through my fair share of peer-reviewed journals, I know that many of these studies cannot actually be replicated due to measurement error, validity issues or some other frustrating science blocker. So, maybe the ingredients I don’t like aren’t actually as bad as some people say? Or maybe I am just lying to myself because I want this to work?
Well, the online reviews don’t lie. Within a month, my skin tone is EVEN for the first time in years and I can once again go outside with a bare face and not even think about it. I don’t use the peel everyday, like the box says that I can; I use it once a week after my clay mask, as the beginning of an at-home facial routine. I buy the small trial boxes of 5 because they are individually packed thus aren’t exposed to ingredient-harming oxygen or other environmental elements, light, etc., that compromise compositional stability.
Note: too much or too little exfoliation is bad for the skin but I have found a groove with these products that feels right.
October 2015: I’m not peeling anymore and my skin is less and less dry but I find myself craving an overnight moisturizing mask– something rich and creamy that I will wake up from with dewy, moisture-locked skin. There are so many options! Despite extensive research, I impulse-buy two products that receive a lot of hype from the beauty community and a lot of criticism from skincare pundits.
Glamglow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment does nothing for me; it’s bad enough the mask contains fragrance but I don’t even like how it smells and I don’t feel particularly moisturized upon rising. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask contains fragrance, too, but it’s more pleasing to me and the results blow my mind. Is this stuff for real? Does my skin look better because the controversial ingredients are causing micro-inflammation that is filling in fine lines or is my skin actually just that moisturized? At this point: I DON’T CARE. I add this to my weekly at-home facial routine and any other time I feel that I need extra moisture.
February 2015: Now you know what my nighttime, daytime and weekly at-home facial routines look like by the beginning of February 2016. I achieved this without a visit to the dermatologist and only one topical prescription. I hope everyone suffering from acne is so lucky!
I also want to add that I looked into my nutrition, water consumption, workout and stress levels, skincare routine, makeup choices, as well as my overall health status during this period. I couldn’t find the root cause of my acne in any of the aforementioned areas and have yet to be able to pinpoint what triggered my latest flare. I will say that I tried increasing the vitamin A in my diet and found that eating 2-3 carrots per day actually gave my skin a really nice glow after a week or so. However, 2-3 carrots every single day is a lot of carrots and I could’t keep the volume up over time.
Now let me wrap this up by saying that I know this has been a long post; if you’ve gotten this far, it’s likely because you are suffering from adult acne. If that’s the case, I wish you the absolute best of luck and hope that you found something in this post that will be of use to you.
Thanks for reading and as always– feel free to leave questions in the comments or send them directly to email.
— Adie
