**TIMELINE: 1yr between pictures. Improvements started about 5 months in.**

In addition to clearing my skin, I also cleaned my diet up a little bit. More fruits & veggies basically. I was dealing with a lot of bloating & inflammation & it showed in my face. This isn’t even the worst of my skin. It got so bad that my face was constantly in pain. I stopped taking pictures after a while because I hated seeing myself.

Now, let’s get to the meat of the matter.

Products used in no particular order:

\- Tazarotene. Used at nights. I think a lot of you would’ve seen this coming from a mile away. Retinoids make a difference. Individual results may vary.

\- azelaic acid 20%. Used in the mornings mostly.

\- Kojic acid 1%. Helps with stubborn hyperpigmentation. Used at nights.

\- Niacinamide 4%. Also helps with hyperpigmentation.

\- I do not use cleanser in the mornings. Only water. evenings I double cleanse to remove makeup & sunscreen.

\- cleansers were Ponds Cold Cream makeup remover & Cetaphil gentle cleanser. I’ve now switched to a Korean brand what so far works well.

\- PDRN skin serum (optional tbh). I’m not sure if the topical PDRN does much of anything but the serum is hydrating & gives a beautiful glow.

\- PDRN moisturizer. Again, same thing. So moisturizing I buy it in bulk from Korea. I love it!

\- sunscreen. Korean.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or esthetician so none of this is medical advice. Always consult a professional.

Further notes: I do get breakouts from time to time. Mainly hormonal on my chin & occasionally my cheek. Also, some of my hyperpigmentation is old & stubborn & at this point in my life, I doubt they’ll improve without advanced skincare such as laser treatment.
I've also cut back on the active sin my routine because i think i've seen as much improvements as i can get. I'm maintaining now with just a retinoid and sunscreen.

Besides that, I also started *microneedling* at some point later in my journey. I saw the greatest results BEFORE but I think microneedling is helping my overall appearance & skin health & I like doing it. I could do without it tbh. I added it much later because I wanted to see what else I could achieve for my skin.

TIMELINE: 1yr between pictures. Improvements started about 5 months in.

In addition to clearing my skin, I also cleaned my diet up a little bit. More fruits & veggies basically. I was dealing with a lot of bloating & inflammation & it showed in my face. This isn’t even the worst of my skin. It got so bad that my face was constantly in pain. I stopped taking pictures after a while because I hated seeing myself.

Now, let’s get to the meat of the matter.

Products used in no particular order:

- Tazarotene. Used at nights. I think a lot of you would’ve seen this coming from a mile away. Retinoids make a difference. Individual results may vary.

- azelaic acid 20%. Used in the mornings mostly.

- Kojic acid 1%. Helps with stubborn hyperpigmentation. Used at nights.

- Niacinamide 4%. Also helps with hyperpigmentation.

- I do not use cleanser in the mornings. Only water. evenings I double cleanse to remove makeup & sunscreen.

- cleansers were Ponds Cold Cream makeup remover & Cetaphil gentle cleanser. I’ve now switched to a Korean brand what so far works well.

- PDRN skin serum (optional tbh). I’m not sure if the topical PDRN does much of anything but the serum is hydrating & gives a beautiful glow.

- PDRN moisturizer. Again, same thing. So moisturizing I buy it in bulk from Korea. I love it!

- sunscreen. Korean.

**Disclaimer**: I am not a doctor or esthetician so none of this is medical advice. Always consult a professional.

Further notes: I do get breakouts from time to time. Mainly hormonal on my chin & occasionally my cheek. Also, some of my hyperpigmentation is old & stubborn & at this point in my life, I doubt they’ll improve without advanced skincare such as laser treatment.
I've also cut back on the active sin my routine because i think i've seen as much improvements as i can get. I'm maintaining now with just a retinoid and sunscreen.

Besides that, I also started microneedling at some point later in my journey. I saw the greatest results BEFORE but I think microneedling is helping my overall appearance & skin health & I like doing it. I could do without it tbh. I added it much later because I wanted to see what else I could achieve for my skin.

I save time in the mornings by minimizing my routine. My day starts at 5:30am with the gym. That doesn’t leave me enough time to do a full beat before work so I’ve drastically cut back.

**First pic is the after**. Products I use are:

- L’Oréal True Match tinted serum in shade “7-8”

- random black pencil that I use for eyebrows & eyeliner. Over had this for years now that the name has rubbed off. Sorry I don’t remember. I suppose any black pencil will do.

- Nyx line loud lip liner in shade “rebel kind”

- wet n wild mega last matte lip color in shade “think pink”

- elf glow reviver lip oil in shade “pink quartz”

- elf lash XTNDR mascara.

This look lasts all 8hrs of work plus 4 hours of evening class. I wouldn’t change a thing. There is no primer, setting spray or concealer. I get compliments daily on how natural my face looks & honestly, preparing my base/skin is the #1 reason it looks so natural. My base consists of moisturizer, serum, and sunscreen.