Bridget, if you’ve reached a point where OTC retinoids don’t give you good results anymore then I’m all for upgrading to prescription retinoids. I don’t these destroy your skin. They just need to be introduce into your skincare routine carefully to minimise side effects like dryness.

Hi Jenny, I wouldn’t say chemical peels are bad. I have them done but by a professional only 3 or 4 times a year. It’s not something you should do yourself or have done too often. I also wouldn’t use lemon on your face. Honey and avocado oil are fine but lemon can irritate skin too. 🙁

Thanks for sharing these tips, I will be aware from all these treatments. I always know that chemical peel is bad, I know friend over using chemical peel that results in redness and inflammation of her skin; I never use such product. When it comes to DIY skincare, I always use lemon, honey, and avocado oil. I don’t use them all in just one recipe, instead, I google first of what’s the best skincare recipe using these ingredients.

Trin, hello. I couldn’t agree with you more. It’s so easy to go overboard with skincare that works.

In general, I recommend moderate exfoliation as I think for a lot of people daily exfoliation is too much. But, it also depends on your skin type, the thickness of your skin, what exfoliating ingredient you’re using and in what amount… One thing’s for sure. If you’re over exfoliating, your skin will let you know. If there’s no trace of redness or flakiness, all’s good.

All exfoliants make skin more susceptible to the sun as they remove a layer of skin cells. To avoid the damage, you can either exfoliate at night or use it with sunscreen in the morning (although… you should be using sunscreen anyway).

As for this Skinceutical products, it does contain enough salicylic acid to exfoliate skin and prevent/treat breakouts. But, it also has a lot of alcohol, could be drying and irritate it. If you fancy switching, Paula’s Choice has several BHA exfoliators that are just as effective and alcohol-free.

Thanks for this post, it’s great! I think we very often forget that results take time and overdo it thinking we’ll see a difference quicker.

I wanted to ask you about over exfoliating though. I use Skinceutical’s Blemish+Age defense which contains LHA, Salicylic Acid, etc. They recommend to use it twice a day but I only use it once. Is the product exfoliating my skin too much? It’s a great product and it leaves my skin glowing, but does it come at a cost? My skin is oily although it can get dry in winter, but I have blemishes unless I look after it really well. And I’m 30 so starting on the anti aging regime!

Also, does this mean the product is making my skin more sensitive to sun? Does it matter whether I apply it morning or night?

I would also love to know what you think about this product in general or if you recommend a similar one that works better or is cheaper! 🙂

Sorry for all these questions and thank you for your help!

Best,

Trin