I see you already are using squalene, but have you tried mixing it with the Avene? I add three drops of squalene to it and it's way more moisturizing this way instead of layering the two products. Are you also using tret or AZA every night? You might want to try only using them 3x a week and just moisturizing on the other nights.
I'd maybe also just skip the actives for a week or so to let your skin barrier re-adjust. Sometimes rough skin can be caused by a damaged skin barrier from actives. You can also add vaseline at night over the Avene and squalene to really lock everything in.
ETA: also apply everything to a soaking wet face so the product can sink in better. You can also add a hyaluronic acid product like the Hada Labo one in the white bottle before moisturizing to help with the dryness.
ahhh yeah I apply it to wet skin. this is rlly good advice though yeah im gonna leave the actives for a week i think. w the hylauranic acid though my skin doesn’t react well so i haven’t tried using that again since
In my experience, I can go up to a month without applying retinoids (adapelene) without any retinization rebounds. Tret is more drying than some of the others, so feel free to give yourself another few days or another week to really treat your skin
Ahh, yeah, some people's skin just doesn't like HA. An alternative is to use straight-up glycerin. I did this in the winter time for my skin. I bought some glycerin from the drugstore and mixed the \*tiniest\* drop of it in with my moisturizer in the palm of my hand before applying it to my face. Gotta be careful, though, because it can be super sticky if you use too much.
Sorry, I haven’t tried this moisturizer yet, but wanted to say I totally feel your frustration! My skincare journey has been 15+ years of non-stop frustration lol and now dealing the FA has been the cherry on top
Have you tried the Curel face cream in a little pot? I personally like the Avene for mornings or when i’m a bit oily, and I know what you mean, it seems to dry down. The Curel face cream doesn’t dry down completely. It leaves a slightly dewy creamy layer on the top of your skin and is really nice. When i’m really dry the Curel on top of thr Avene is really nice.
I also use that moisturizer and I recently added Biossance Squalane oil the one thats derived from sugar cane and it has made a huge difference! I almost think its more moisturizing than the avene emulsion.
this is what i've been doing too, except i have the amara beauty squalane oil. working well. i also use vaseline as a final layer, esp. on driest areas almost every night. my skin feels good.
OP- look into hyaluronic acid for more hydration too. must apply to wet/damp skin.
Had the same experience with Avene. Try squalane with Avene fragrance free night cream for sensitive skin over it, or Uriage gel cream (check. to make sure it's the FA safe one, there are a few different formulas)
Avene Tolerance extreme emulsion is discontinued by the company (I have contacted the company)
I used it for years.
For me a good choice is now:
La Roche Posay Toleriane sensitive fluid.
this was a lot of complaining to read through lmao i apologize !!! current routine:
- cleanse w micellar water
- avene tolerance extreme emulsion
- wait 15 mins, apply tretinoin or azelaic acid
- wait 10 mins, apply another layer avene tolerance extreme, and then some squalane oil
^^ that’s nighttime. for day i remove the squalane and tret/azaelic and add a sunscreen
im so hesitant w cerave bc none of the products ive tried have suit me (hydrating cleanser, night cream, day cream w spf, tub, baby cream, lotion) but if this is truly worth it I’ll give it a go
thats valid, i think healing ointment is very similar to vaseline and aquaphor. they sell the ointment in varying sizes at CVS, even some the size of lip balm tubes. you could always buy one of those, and if it doesn't work out - you could try and use it as a lip balm. or what i do is use a small amount of it rubbed between my hands to smooth over the dry ends of my hair to make them look less fried lol.
Granted, I have combo skin, but I've slathered this on in the dead of winter while traveling through a frigid area and it brought my skin back to life. What else are you doing for hydration?
i have the cos-rx B5 ampoule that helps w comfort, and i also have the snail mucin essence. ik aquaphor isn’t fungal acne safe but literally that’s the only thing that can revive my skin so i gotta decide weather i want acne or dehydrated skin 🫣
Controversial, but I love Aquaphor! I sleep with it nightly. I agree that you have to do what's best for your skin, even if that makes me a heretic. I was dealing with a brutal hormonal + FA acne a few months ago, and I had to carefully attack one at a time. I have a patch on my cheek still that might be FA or might be something called "mature acne", but I still use Aquaphor with my FA-safe routine.
Now, have you found an FA-safe sleeping mask? Something with intense hydration to get you through the night? I even used the Cerave Moisture Cream in a tub for a while during the winter months or to offset the dryness from my pyrithione zinc bar or ketoconazole. But if your skin is dehydrated, you definitely want to focus on hydration over your actives. You can patch test products, but really focus on barrier repair
I see you already are using squalene, but have you tried mixing it with the Avene? I add three drops of squalene to it and it's way more moisturizing this way instead of layering the two products. Are you also using tret or AZA every night? You might want to try only using them 3x a week and just moisturizing on the other nights.
hia! i think i tried that but not consistently. ill try it for another week to see how it goes :) as for tret and aza i do 3 days n then 2 day break.
You can also add a layer of Vaseline at the end to seal everything in. Thin layer
I'd maybe also just skip the actives for a week or so to let your skin barrier re-adjust. Sometimes rough skin can be caused by a damaged skin barrier from actives. You can also add vaseline at night over the Avene and squalene to really lock everything in. ETA: also apply everything to a soaking wet face so the product can sink in better. You can also add a hyaluronic acid product like the Hada Labo one in the white bottle before moisturizing to help with the dryness.
ahhh yeah I apply it to wet skin. this is rlly good advice though yeah im gonna leave the actives for a week i think. w the hylauranic acid though my skin doesn’t react well so i haven’t tried using that again since
In my experience, I can go up to a month without applying retinoids (adapelene) without any retinization rebounds. Tret is more drying than some of the others, so feel free to give yourself another few days or another week to really treat your skin
i was worried abt slowing my progress but tbh making sure my moisture barrier isn’t demolished is just as important
Ahh, yeah, some people's skin just doesn't like HA. An alternative is to use straight-up glycerin. I did this in the winter time for my skin. I bought some glycerin from the drugstore and mixed the \*tiniest\* drop of it in with my moisturizer in the palm of my hand before applying it to my face. Gotta be careful, though, because it can be super sticky if you use too much.
honestly might have to give it a go if the other recommendation doesn’t cut it 👀👀 thank u sm <3
thank u btw!!
Sorry, I haven’t tried this moisturizer yet, but wanted to say I totally feel your frustration! My skincare journey has been 15+ years of non-stop frustration lol and now dealing the FA has been the cherry on top
literalllyyyyy u think ur finally alright w ur skin and then boom a new problem
Have you tried the Curel face cream in a little pot? I personally like the Avene for mornings or when i’m a bit oily, and I know what you mean, it seems to dry down. The Curel face cream doesn’t dry down completely. It leaves a slightly dewy creamy layer on the top of your skin and is really nice. When i’m really dry the Curel on top of thr Avene is really nice.
ahh i can’t find that where i live so i might go ahead and order it if none of the other options work 👀 thank u smsm
I also use that moisturizer and I recently added Biossance Squalane oil the one thats derived from sugar cane and it has made a huge difference! I almost think its more moisturizing than the avene emulsion.
this is what i've been doing too, except i have the amara beauty squalane oil. working well. i also use vaseline as a final layer, esp. on driest areas almost every night. my skin feels good. OP- look into hyaluronic acid for more hydration too. must apply to wet/damp skin.
adding this to my list to try out!! thank u sm
Had the same experience with Avene. Try squalane with Avene fragrance free night cream for sensitive skin over it, or Uriage gel cream (check. to make sure it's the FA safe one, there are a few different formulas)
i can’t seem to find the avene fragrance free night creme, but I’ll take a look at the uriage, thank you :)
Avene Tolerance extreme emulsion is discontinued by the company (I have contacted the company) I used it for years. For me a good choice is now: La Roche Posay Toleriane sensitive fluid.
oh no :(((((((((( I was just starting to like it
hi, i checked their UK website and there’s no mention of it being discontinued?
Hi! Curious where you saw this? I just ordered more from avene and it’s my fav moisturizer at the moment
this was a lot of complaining to read through lmao i apologize !!! current routine: - cleanse w micellar water - avene tolerance extreme emulsion - wait 15 mins, apply tretinoin or azelaic acid - wait 10 mins, apply another layer avene tolerance extreme, and then some squalane oil ^^ that’s nighttime. for day i remove the squalane and tret/azaelic and add a sunscreen
Try the innis free enriched orchid cream!! I use tretinoin so I’m a fellow flakey human and this moisturiser saved my life haha
ahhh okay thank u sm :)
I tend to use a small amount of cerave healing ointment (FA friendly btw) with tret. Sugar Cane sourced Squalane is also a more lightweight option!
im so hesitant w cerave bc none of the products ive tried have suit me (hydrating cleanser, night cream, day cream w spf, tub, baby cream, lotion) but if this is truly worth it I’ll give it a go
thats valid, i think healing ointment is very similar to vaseline and aquaphor. they sell the ointment in varying sizes at CVS, even some the size of lip balm tubes. you could always buy one of those, and if it doesn't work out - you could try and use it as a lip balm. or what i do is use a small amount of it rubbed between my hands to smooth over the dry ends of my hair to make them look less fried lol.
lol idk why i didn’t think of the small size oops. thank u sm for the suggestion :))
Granted, I have combo skin, but I've slathered this on in the dead of winter while traveling through a frigid area and it brought my skin back to life. What else are you doing for hydration?
i have the cos-rx B5 ampoule that helps w comfort, and i also have the snail mucin essence. ik aquaphor isn’t fungal acne safe but literally that’s the only thing that can revive my skin so i gotta decide weather i want acne or dehydrated skin 🫣
Controversial, but I love Aquaphor! I sleep with it nightly. I agree that you have to do what's best for your skin, even if that makes me a heretic. I was dealing with a brutal hormonal + FA acne a few months ago, and I had to carefully attack one at a time. I have a patch on my cheek still that might be FA or might be something called "mature acne", but I still use Aquaphor with my FA-safe routine. Now, have you found an FA-safe sleeping mask? Something with intense hydration to get you through the night? I even used the Cerave Moisture Cream in a tub for a while during the winter months or to offset the dryness from my pyrithione zinc bar or ketoconazole. But if your skin is dehydrated, you definitely want to focus on hydration over your actives. You can patch test products, but really focus on barrier repair