I don’t double cleanse everyday only when I wear mascara. I do know that the Versed serum is also an exfoliating serum but I promise that is very very gentle and I use it for the niacinamide and zinc. Before I added the two exfoliate serums into my routine I was using Differin daily and nothing else for more than 9 months. I was not happy with the results so I slowly added the Versed serum then the Good Molecules. Now I use Versed 5x (before Differin and Good Molecules), Differin 3x, Good Molecules 2x, just moisturizer 2x (no actives) every week.
It sounds like you have figured out a regime that works for your skin 👍
If you are not fully happy with the results, you could consider adding high concentration of azelaic acid to your routine (10-20%) instead of one of the exfoliating serums. It would provide mild exfoliation plus additional anti-blemish, brightening & antioxidation benefits.
Even though I don’t need any aging targeted products yet, I still want to start using them as early as possible. In a few more years I’m thinking of switching to retinol and then tretinoin. I did consider azelaic acid for acne, but I don’t want to get a prescription for azelaic acid. As the otc products are often expensive or not high enough in percentage to be comparable to other actives. I’m in love with my current products. I want to keep my skincare as minimalistic, straightforward, and as effective as possible. Thank you for the recommendation!
The good thing is that adapalene (the retinoid in Differin) prevents early signs of aging as well. So with it and daily sun protection you are covered on that front, no need to rush for tretinoin or retinol if you are happy with the current results.
For the azelaic acid, the option from The Ordinary is good and affordable (the concentration is 10%): https://whatsinmyjar.com/product/the-ordinary-azelaic-acid-suspension-10. The texture is quite silicony and might pile under sunscreen/makeup - so might be more convenient to use in the evening. Azelaic acid is definitely a very good ingredient to have in your routine - gentle but effective. I'd say worth a try.
Sure! I’m only suggesting azelaic acid if you are not fully happy with the results you are seeing from your current routine.
There is a risk of over-exfoliation with your current routine - but no need to change what’s not broken. No need to change anything if your skin isn’t feeling dry and you don’t get inflammation - for example, frequent blemishes. If you’d like to make a change though, I would recommend going in the direction of less exfoliation. With this in mind, azelaic acid is a good choice because it has solid evidence of effectiveness against acne, helps brighten up the skin and neutralize free radicals.
If you decide to try azelaic acid, you could use the it either in AM or PM, before your moisturizer/ sunscreen. On the days when you use the good molecules serum, you can use an azelaic acid product in a different time of the day (e.g. azelaic acid in the morning before the sunscreen and Good molecules at night) - or you could skip the azelaic acid altogether on those days.
Let me know if I’m making sense!
The reason why I have two exfoliating serums is because I don’t get much inflammation or dryness. I had so much blackheads and closed comedones that I felt like I needed to focus more on exfoliation. Now that those are gone I’m also worried that I can over exfoliate my skin. I’ll buy the ordinary azelaic acid when I’m done with the versed serum. Thank you so much 😊
It is good overall, I would suggest just a few improvements: you most likely don't need to double-cleanse, and your skin might feel better if you only use the cleansing oil. Both of your serums are exfoliating, so you definitely shouldn't use them together in one step even a couple of times per week. Instead of using the Versed serum daily, I'd recommend you apply the differin gel every night, following by the Cerave moisturizer. If your skin tolerates the regime well, you can re-introduce the Versed serum / Good molecules once or twice per week. You will see better results from a daily retinoid (differin) than from exfoliation.