Who this routine is not for.
A routine that claims to suit everyone suits no one especially well. Here is where this one fits, where it does not, and how to tell which you are.
See a dermatologist instead when…
Some acne needs prescription treatment, and an over-the-counter routine will only delay it.
- CYSTIC
- Deep, painful, under-the-skin lumps that scar. This needs a doctor, not a serum.
- RX
- You are already on a retinoid, oral medication or isotretinoin. Adding acids on top compounds irritation — ask your dermatologist first.
- REACTIVE
- Eczema, rosacea or a barrier that stings at everything. Start with the wash alone and ask before adding the serum.
- PREGNANT
- Low-strength topical salicylic acid is generally considered acceptable, but check with your doctor.
This is the routine for…
Oily or combination skin that gets blackheads, whiteheads and the ordinary red spots — on the T-zone, jaw, chin, back or shoulders — and the marks they leave behind. Skin that has been stripped by harsh washes and scrubs and needs to be treated rather than attacked.
Three steps make a breakout and its mark. Each product takes one.
Sebum, sweat, sunscreen and the day's grime sit on the skin and drain into the pore.
Dead cells clump on the pore wall and sebum binds them into a plug — the blackhead or whitehead that becomes a spot.
As a spot heals, the pigment cells beneath it are primed. UVA reaches them and they build excess melanin — the flat brown mark.
Introduce it slowly
Before you start
All three jobs. One routine.
2% Salicylic Acid Face Wash (175 ml), 2% Salicylic Acid Serum (30 ml), Aqua Sunscreen SPF 50 PA++++ (50 ml). Priced below buying them apart.
