I want to add an alternate for the adapalene on the nights that I don't use it. I saw online that you should use an exfoliator on alternate nights...is that right? Or should I use something gentler for acne scars/redness?
A few options that I thought of...:
-The Ordinary Azelaic Acid 10%
-Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA
-The Inkey List BHA
-Facetheory BHA Exfoliating Serum 3
Also, would LPS Double Repair moisturizer be better than cerave daily moisturizer?
Thanks!
Sorry, forgot to add: you could still use smth like Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA in your routine, more as a spot treatment or once a week. I personally use it mostly 1-2 during the week in the middle of my cycle - this is when my skin gets the most oily. When I remember to do it, I find that I get less breakouts a week later.
Thank you so much!! This is so helpful!
Also, do you know of any good masks that I can do 1-2x a week that would fit with all of this that might have azelaic acid/address redness instead of the azelaic acid nightly? I'm not so concerned with issues related to aging.
I would not use an exfoliator on alternative nights. The thing is exfoliators used that often can make the skin prone to sensitivity, and this can decrease your ability to tolerate adapalene. It's better for the results (skin clarity and anti-aging) to slowly build tolerance to the retinoid (adapalene) used every night.
But if you get good results with using adapalene every other night only, there is no need to increase the frequency either. The Ordinary azelaic acid product is a great choice. Azelaic acid is gentle - it's not an exfoliating acid in the same way as BHAs or AHAs are. Azelaic acid is effective against acne and also helps even out the skin tone.
Alternatively, you could consider an ascorbic acid serum (evens out the skin tone, prevents early signs of aging) - for example, https://whatsinmyjar.com/product/timeless-skin-care-10-vitamin-c-e-ferulic-acid-serum or https://whatsinmyjar.com/product/cerave-skin-renewing-vitamin-c-serum.
Re the moistruizer, LPS Double repair isn't better than your Cerave one for the day (your Cerave has sun protection, and Double repair doesn't), but you shouldn't use the Cerave AM lotion at night. So for PM, the LPS Double repair is a good choice.