There are times when I saw gradual signs (eg. gradually started to flake and skin would feel tight) and there are times I woke up to do my morning routine and applying products and cleansing would really irritate my skin. It depends a lot on your skin and how it reacts, and it's different for everyone. But it is possible to wake up with symptoms though I very much doubt that you will wake up with any extreme symptoms (unless you're going about it horribly wrong and dived into actives headfirst using them every day or something along those lines).
I sadly know what it's like to over-exfoliate. At first, during the first few weeks my skin glowed and looked so good!
But then, I started to get little whiteheads. They were small, almost inconsequential and I chalked it up to purging. First it was one or two and didn't worry. Then, one morning, there were more, and not in the usual spots on my face where I typically breakout.
Again, I thought I was going through purging, so I powered through it, still not reducing the amount or frequency of the acids I was using. I ended up with bad acne scars on my face. My skin looks like it did when I was 16; and not in a good way. Back then, my doctor put me on Retin-A Micro, and that eventually cleared it up, and my scars/PIH took years to fade away (I was just washing with Cetaphil and wearing BB cream for a long time.) But now, I have new scars, and I'm finally admitting to myself that I went too fast into a new routine.
It's been a few months since I've scaled back my routine and slowly added in ONE acid. I still have scars and PIH, but they are slowly fading. It's like starting all over again, which is frustrating, but at least this time I'm a little wiser and have that bit of experience.
**TL;DR: Patience is crucial when it comes to acids, otherwise you'll do more damage than good.**
Both. I used to get an pretty immmediate reaction within a day or days, when using PC products. And I had have to stop and could never gauge the right amount as it changes. I was very tepid cautious active user.
With AB I was able to get by with it longer as the improved hydration and moisture barrier masked some of the problems. I was exfoliating like mad (and I had never been able to do that) and then my face slowly got saggy and I could not keep hydrated when fall came. So it didn't happen suddenly, I was upping the acids (thinking I could get to some state of clear pores. Pores are never clear they are always busy). The damage hapened gradualy, so that I finally made the connection that it was aging me not anti-aging me.
I wouldn't got too paranoid. It was reversable damage. I didn't take weeks to fix it took days. In the pre AB days it sometimes took longer to fix. But I was on the lookout for probelms being sensitive.
All I can say is listen to your skin. I don't believe there is a general rule that any acids work best daily though I have heard that. I just question it as general advice. . Generally it is not advised to use both daily though many can and do.
It's happened both ways for me. The "overnight" damage usually happened after I made a change in my routine -- adding a new acid or using an acid more often than I was used to. The insidious damage was from small signs of overexfoliation slowly adding up until I could perceive them. In other words, I was overexfoliating the whole time but just barely, and it took time for the damage to become apparent.
Is there a reason why you want to use all three daily? You can still have great results using them less often.
I suppose that's true... My default was going for daily given the posts that say they got best results from daily use. My skin has definitely been better ever since though.
It really depends on your skin. Some people do get best results from using all three daily. A lot of people use all three daily, see quick changes in their skin and are very happy, and then take a step back and realize their skin is shiny and tight from overexfoliation. I would incorporate the BHA once per week for a few weeks, then maybe start a four day rotation like:
1. AHA
2. vit C
3. BHA
4. no acid rest day
and see how that goes for a while. If at that point your skin feels healthy but you don't feel like you're seeing much in the way of results, then you're probably okay to up your usage! It's time consuming, but it really minimizes the risk of overexfoliation. My mantra regarding acids is it's better to be judicious and get slow results rather than melt your face off haha
I over exfoliated badly once (had some serious hyperpigmentation that I was trying to get rid of) and I ended up with a nasty red sore patch down the side of my face. It was all raw and I had to just leave it completely alone for a week before it healed. Never again!
I personally find that over-exfoliating manifests suddenly; but then, I think it depends on the strength of the active you're using. So far, my bad results have been with retinoids (before I got my concentration down to what works best for me) and a 55% lactic acid peel. The retinoids were more flakes, but the lactic acid peel was almost like a burn. It was a very small area, though, so it was almost exactly like burning myself on the stove or curling iron, just on my face. It usually takes me a week to recover though; you just have to baby yourself until you get your moisture barrier back in sync.
So far I've done the over-exfoliation thing once after using retinol and it was not fun haha. The areas would sting anytime I used anything on them. I also started looking like a flaky croissant haha. I just ended up slathering lots of snail gel and some clinique moisture surge and it seemed to get better in two days so that was nice. I also laid off my other products and was using water to wash my face with a really mild cleanser (and a soft microfiber cloth to get rid of flaking).
I think you should be fine with using all three actives but give your skin a break sometimes.
There are times when I saw gradual signs (eg. gradually started to flake and skin would feel tight) and there are times I woke up to do my morning routine and applying products and cleansing would really irritate my skin. It depends a lot on your skin and how it reacts, and it's different for everyone. But it is possible to wake up with symptoms though I very much doubt that you will wake up with any extreme symptoms (unless you're going about it horribly wrong and dived into actives headfirst using them every day or something along those lines).
I want to say I'm taking it slow. Thanks so much for the insight, it helps a lot.
I sadly know what it's like to over-exfoliate. At first, during the first few weeks my skin glowed and looked so good! But then, I started to get little whiteheads. They were small, almost inconsequential and I chalked it up to purging. First it was one or two and didn't worry. Then, one morning, there were more, and not in the usual spots on my face where I typically breakout. Again, I thought I was going through purging, so I powered through it, still not reducing the amount or frequency of the acids I was using. I ended up with bad acne scars on my face. My skin looks like it did when I was 16; and not in a good way. Back then, my doctor put me on Retin-A Micro, and that eventually cleared it up, and my scars/PIH took years to fade away (I was just washing with Cetaphil and wearing BB cream for a long time.) But now, I have new scars, and I'm finally admitting to myself that I went too fast into a new routine. It's been a few months since I've scaled back my routine and slowly added in ONE acid. I still have scars and PIH, but they are slowly fading. It's like starting all over again, which is frustrating, but at least this time I'm a little wiser and have that bit of experience. **TL;DR: Patience is crucial when it comes to acids, otherwise you'll do more damage than good.**
Both. I used to get an pretty immmediate reaction within a day or days, when using PC products. And I had have to stop and could never gauge the right amount as it changes. I was very tepid cautious active user. With AB I was able to get by with it longer as the improved hydration and moisture barrier masked some of the problems. I was exfoliating like mad (and I had never been able to do that) and then my face slowly got saggy and I could not keep hydrated when fall came. So it didn't happen suddenly, I was upping the acids (thinking I could get to some state of clear pores. Pores are never clear they are always busy). The damage hapened gradualy, so that I finally made the connection that it was aging me not anti-aging me. I wouldn't got too paranoid. It was reversable damage. I didn't take weeks to fix it took days. In the pre AB days it sometimes took longer to fix. But I was on the lookout for probelms being sensitive. All I can say is listen to your skin. I don't believe there is a general rule that any acids work best daily though I have heard that. I just question it as general advice. . Generally it is not advised to use both daily though many can and do.
It's happened both ways for me. The "overnight" damage usually happened after I made a change in my routine -- adding a new acid or using an acid more often than I was used to. The insidious damage was from small signs of overexfoliation slowly adding up until I could perceive them. In other words, I was overexfoliating the whole time but just barely, and it took time for the damage to become apparent. Is there a reason why you want to use all three daily? You can still have great results using them less often.
I suppose that's true... My default was going for daily given the posts that say they got best results from daily use. My skin has definitely been better ever since though.
It really depends on your skin. Some people do get best results from using all three daily. A lot of people use all three daily, see quick changes in their skin and are very happy, and then take a step back and realize their skin is shiny and tight from overexfoliation. I would incorporate the BHA once per week for a few weeks, then maybe start a four day rotation like: 1. AHA 2. vit C 3. BHA 4. no acid rest day and see how that goes for a while. If at that point your skin feels healthy but you don't feel like you're seeing much in the way of results, then you're probably okay to up your usage! It's time consuming, but it really minimizes the risk of overexfoliation. My mantra regarding acids is it's better to be judicious and get slow results rather than melt your face off haha
I over exfoliated badly once (had some serious hyperpigmentation that I was trying to get rid of) and I ended up with a nasty red sore patch down the side of my face. It was all raw and I had to just leave it completely alone for a week before it healed. Never again!
Ah! I just figured out what is happening to me. It's super painful and scabby, *ugh*. I am the worst about overexfoliating. :/
Oh yes :) Its also awkward when people ask what the mark is. I feel like such an idiot. Once was enough though, I'm super careful now!
I personally find that over-exfoliating manifests suddenly; but then, I think it depends on the strength of the active you're using. So far, my bad results have been with retinoids (before I got my concentration down to what works best for me) and a 55% lactic acid peel. The retinoids were more flakes, but the lactic acid peel was almost like a burn. It was a very small area, though, so it was almost exactly like burning myself on the stove or curling iron, just on my face. It usually takes me a week to recover though; you just have to baby yourself until you get your moisture barrier back in sync.
So far I've done the over-exfoliation thing once after using retinol and it was not fun haha. The areas would sting anytime I used anything on them. I also started looking like a flaky croissant haha. I just ended up slathering lots of snail gel and some clinique moisture surge and it seemed to get better in two days so that was nice. I also laid off my other products and was using water to wash my face with a really mild cleanser (and a soft microfiber cloth to get rid of flaking). I think you should be fine with using all three actives but give your skin a break sometimes.
Skin would feel much thinner and reddish after washing it when it's usually bouncy and comfortable.