The ONLY azelaic.acid + retinoid routine video you'll ever need to watch transcript

There are a lot of people on the internet lately telling you how to combine azelaic acid with a retinoid because azelaic acid is trending and more specifically using the two together in a routine is trending. But those people have suspiciously never mentioned that combo before in their lives. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I have had somebody say that I put azelaic acid on the map. I'm not saying I came up with it.

Obviously, I did not invent azelaic acid. I'm going to tell you who put me on to it 3 years ago, but I have actually been using them as a combo for 3 years now, retinoids for 6 years, azelaic acid prescription strength for 3 years. So, I feel very qualified to tell you all of the ins and outs of how to use them together. And I'm going to put all of that in this video so you don't need to watch any other videos because it's going to be that comprehensive.

So, the way that I've planned this video, there are seven parts to it. Allow me to read them to you so you know exactly what you're going to get. Firstly, you're going to know how each of them work. You're not just going to know how to use them together, but you need to understand, and I think it's important to understand in order to get results, how a retinoid works and how azelaic acid works. It's going to be just enough detail so you truly understand it without it being boring.

Secondly, how to introduce each of them. It's all well and good saying like, "Yeah, just use azelaic acid and retinoid together." That can go very wrong if you don't know how to introduce them. Which one would you ideally introduce first? How do you do that? Then when do you add the second one in? And how do you use them together and at what frequency? So, all of the detail on how you introduce them and use them together.

Thirdly, how to use them in a routine. What does a skin care routine look like with both of them in it? Fourthly, what's normal and what's not. There are a lot of people who use azelaic acid, get a particular reaction, and think it's a reaction they stop using it when actually it's just a side effect that's very, very normal and not something to be alarmed by. Fifth, all of the do's and don'ts. Not just what people on the internet saying, but what I've actually experienced from doing things wrong and then doing them correctly to eventually see results.

The sixth chapter, all the best products. And lastly, I'm going to touch on something very niche and relevant right now, which is what is happening in the Korean beauty space, specifically with those watery azelaic acid serums like the Anua serum. They've probably seen everywhere. If you didn't know, there is a lot of talk about those lately and whether or not they are actually effective because of one specific element.

So, I'm going to give you my running commentary on that. Everything we know so far about that situation so you can decide whether that is the right product for you or whether you'd rather use something more traditional. So, let's get into it and before I start, I have made a free downloadable retinoid guide that I'll put in the link in the comments. It's completely free to download as I said. It gives you everything you need to know about how to introduce a retinoid.

We will be going over it in this video, but if you want something to download and take away with you, then there is that. And I also make very detailed guides on Instagram that are detailed and informative but not horrible to look at so they're easily digestible. I'll put some on the screen. Those are just my little plugs. I have that free retinoid guide and I also make content like this on Instagram if you want to see it as you scroll in the feed without watching like a 30-minute YouTube video.

Just leaving that there. So, let's get into how retinoids and azelaic acid work. If you've never come across me before, I'm not saying this to be like only get your retinoid advice from me. I'm just giving the context. I started using a retinoid in 2020 after I had loads of closed comedones on my face. I tried loads of things to get rid of them. I'd also, even before I'd had that massive flare-up which came specifically from one moisturizer, even before that, I just always had this like on-again, off-again acne.

Like it would get better for like a few months, then it would get worse. When I didn't have inflamed pimples, I'd have these annoying flesh-colored bumps that would just be so stubborn and never go away. And when I started using a retinoid and understanding how retinoid worked, it really did change my life. I know people say that a lot, they throw it around a lot. It changed my life and now I'm so passionate about them.

And I also recently have been diagnosed with autism so maybe this is my hyperfixation. I'm so passionate about retinoids because they work, in my eyes, in a much superior way compared to everything else available. Salicylic acid, alpha hydroxy acid, any of the BHAs, AHAs, PHAs, in my eyes, retinoids work so much better. I'm going to tell you why. The way retinoids work is they speed up the skin cell turnover. So, for example, if you think about salicylic acid, it's an acid that goes into the pores, it breaks up the sebum and the skin cells, and then it effectively like evacuates the pore in a way, and you get breakouts as a sort of purge on the way out.

That's a very reactive way to treat acne. It's not proactive like a retinoid. A retinoid is like putting your skin on a fast track. It's like a travelator at the airport. When everyone else using chemical exfoliants are just walking by, being on a retinoid is like being on a travelator because from the inside out, your skin is just producing new fresh baby skin much faster than if you weren't using it. And what happens as a result of that is all of these like impurities under the skin that are going to go on to later cause you acne, acne that's already formed but hasn't come to the surface yet, is just pushed out.

So, yes, you do get a bit of a purge, and it can be very unenjoyable to go through, but that is kind of the same with salicylic acid or any kind of acid. If you have any impurities in your skin, you're probably going to have a purge because it must come out before the active can keep it clear from the start. But, retinoids work in a way that everything else doesn't. It puts your skin cell turnover on fast track, and that results in more collagen synthesis, so it's one of the only proven ways to induce synthesis.

So, all these people buying collagen serums, that is not proven. In fact, it's disproven to cause your skin to produce more collagen. The only way to make your skin produce more collagen, effectively scientifically proven over decades, is to use a retinoid. So, yes, your skin will look plumper, more even, fine lines can be softened, not always necessarily gotten rid of but be softened. Retinoids are the gold standard for acne.

If you go to any dermatologist, they might put you on adapalene or tretinoin or tazarotene or even Epiduo. They are all retinoids. That is why I love retinoids. You don't see dermatologists prescribing glycolic acid toners. You see them prescribing retinoids. So, you get less acne, less texture, smoother skin, skin that reflects the light, plumper skin, less fine lines. Need I say more? Like, nothing else does that, and that's why I like them so much.

And then we have the azelaic acid. And a lot of people think that because they see them together that they are the same thing or they work similarly. They actually don't. They are very synergistic. Like, they're two different things. It's like salt and pepper. Salt and pepper are two very different things, but they work really well together. You can't compare them though. Azelaic acid takes a completely different approach and it's why it's often not prescribed for acne on its own cuz it can be really helpful for acne alongside a retinoid, but it's typically not going to completely solve somebody's acne in the way that a retinoid would.

So for example, azelaic acid does a few things. First thing it does, it helps reduce C acne bacteria. C acne bacteria is cutie bacterium. It is the bacteria that lives on your skin that feeds on the oil in your skin and causes inflammation in the form of pimples. So if you have less bacteria there's less things on your skin to feed on the oil. If you didn't know, that is pretty much summed up the life cycle of acne. You need oil and you need bacteria.

Bacteria feeds on oil. That's why people with oily skin have more acne typically because if they have bacteria, there is more food for the bacteria. Some people have a lot of this bacteria and not a lot of oil, they have less acne. Some people have not much of this bacteria and a lot of oil, they have less acne. Some people don't have many of either. But those are the two core elements of traditional acne. I was getting confused for a second cuz my next video that I'm going to film is about hormonal acne.

So if you want a deep dive on that, that's coming too. Azelaic acid reduces C acne bacteria on the skin. Always a good thing. It also helps normalize keratinization. So does retinoid, they're both keratolytic which basically just means like the process of skin cell shedding can sometimes go wrong. It's where your skin cells like whilst they are having their life cycle on your face, they go from like being alive to being dead and then clumping together.

Sometimes it can go wrong and you start getting like clogged pores or like irregularities, but both retinoids and azelaic acid are great for breaking those down and normalizing the skin cell shedding process which results in less irregularities on the skin, less acne, less texture overall. So both of these actives help to smooth the skin. Azelaic acid is just in a lot more gentler way. The other major thing about azelaic acid is that it's a tyrosinase inhibitor.

So when your skin is producing pigmentation, there's many elements in the process of pigmentation. Say for example, you have a spot and it leaves a mark or say for example, you get a a too much sun and you're left with some brown marks like sun damage. In that process, there is a part of it called tyrosinase and azelaic acid blocks that. So, much like with acne, there are several steps in the chain reaction. When it comes to hyperpigmentation, there are several steps in the chain reaction of hyperpigmentation and it blocks one of them.

It's like an interceptor. And that's how over time your skin tone can look brighter and brighter because it's getting more and more even. You cannot replace azelaic acid with retinoids. You cannot replace a retinoid with azelaic acid. A lot of people think, "I don't want to use a retinoid, so I'm going to use azelaic acid." I mean, don't get me wrong, you can do that, but you're not They are not equivalent. You're not replacing one with the other.

But using them together, less acne, less irritation, less irregularities, smoother, more even skin tone, less hyperpigmentation. I always use this example of a donut. Not that we are aiming to look like donuts because we are human beings at the end of the day. But because I've done a few breakdowns on Instagram about why skin reflects the light and why retinoids and azelaic acid I mean, I sound stupid saying donutty vibe, but you know what I mean.

It's because there is a lack of pigmentation, meaning everything is even. It's because there are is a lack of irregularities, meaning everything is smooth. And when the light hits it because it's even and because it's smooth, that's how you get that reflective quality. So, when you use those two together, you get that donut vibe. I feel like I really reduced this scientific information down to a donut, which feels sad, but I think you know what I mean.

I think it's a good example. So, now you probably skipped past that bit because you're like, "Yeah, I know why I want to use them. How do I use them together?" Let's talk about how you use them together. Watch me untuck my hair and then tuck it like automatically in 5 minutes. So, let's talk about how to introduce them. Not at the same time. Let's get that one straight. Let's not introduce them at the same time because it is going to be a crazy journey and you are going to regret that.

My recommendation is always to introduce azelaic acid first because many reasons. It's easier to tolerate, so you haven't got to go through this whole adjustment period. Don't get me wrong, there might be like a couple of weeks adjustment period, but it's nothing like a retinoid. A retinoid is like going on a journey. There are going to be ups and downs. With azelaic acid, it's a lot less volatile. I think it's best to introduce azelaic acid for 1 to 2 months and then by that point you're probably more than used to it, and then you can introduce your retinoid later.

Introducing the azelaic acid, in a couple of months you're probably not going to see crazy results, but what will happen is you'll probably gain some confidence because retinoid sometimes can knock your confidence if I'm being completely honest, and I think that quicker adjustment process to the azelaic acid is very powerful psychologically and can make you feel a little bit more accomplished and ready to bring something else on because you've shown yourself that you can adapt to this new active that you might have been a little bit scared of, but I know it's probably going to be fine.

So, you sort of have this win under your belt, and then you're adding the retinoid in later. Azelaic acid will also help you tolerate the retinoid so that when you go to add the retinoid in, it's an easier process for you, and I just think in an ideal world that's how you would introduce them. However, don't panic if you've already introduced a retinoid. I know that in the past I wasn't talking about azelaic acid beyond the last 3 years.

If you've been following me since before then, you might have introduced a retinoid, or you might have been watching me for a couple of years and only just introduced a retinoid because it became the right time in your life to do that. Don't worry if you've done that now, and you feel like you've made a mistake by not introducing azelaic acid sooner because you saw a video too late. Stick with what you've got, see that retinoid introduction out, and then just add in the azelaic acid later.

What I was giving you before was just the ideal scenario, but life isn't always about ideal scenarios. So, stick with the retinoid if you've already started introducing it. Don't like go back on yourself and start again. You'll just get yourself into a mess. I was only explaining the ideal scenario all things considered. Now, we'll talk about how to use them in a routine together once you've introduced both of them. My personal preference, and the way that I do it, and I have experimented with other ways, but I personally enjoy this method the most, is alternating nights.

So, for example, and I have my exact skin care routine firstly at the bottom of that free downloadable retinoid guide that I've linked below that I made. Secondly, in my YouTube video where you can see my morning skin care routine, and in a separate video, I've got my evening skin care routine. My personal preference is to alternate them. So, on a Monday, for example, obviously it changes depending on the week, the month, the year.

On a Monday, I will do my skin care routine in the morning, and then in the evening I will use azelaic acid. The next night, I will do the exact same thing, but in place of azelaic acid, I use my retinoid. And then I will just swap. I don't get much barrier irritation at all, but occasionally, like maybe if it's been a really hot sunny day, or maybe if I've been wearing makeup that has a little bit irritating, if I notice any irritation, I will just take a few days off the retinoid and I'll just use azelaic acid because azelaic acid is soothing.

In a weird way, I should have put this in the beginning, actually, cuz I forgot this quality about azelaic acid, but in a weird way, it's soothing. It's also a treatment for rosacea because it tells the skin to chill out, not in the same way that a serum might be soothing because it has like centella in it, for example, but in a way that it communicates with the skin's immune response and tells it to just like take it down a notch.

So, even if my barrier is feeling irritated, I still often gravitate towards azelaic acid, unless my barrier is feeling like really, really irritated, which to be honest hasn't happened to me in years. But if that were the case, then I would just go to like hydrating serum and moisturizer, and I probably wouldn't even use SPF. Sorry, went on a bit of a tangent there. Essentially, I like to use them on alternating nights.

A lot of people on the internet are dick swinging about how they like to use their retinoid and azelaic acid. I saw a creator say something like, "People are out here on the internet saying you can't layer them. You can layer them if you tolerate them." I think she was missing the point that, of course, if you tolerate anything, you can layer anything, but the best advice for people who are new to this is not to layer them.

You can get amazing results by alternating. You're not missing out by not layering them. If you think about it, when you layer azelaic acid and a retinoid, those are two quite demanding things of your skin barrier. So, I prefer to not test or push my skin barrier to my limits so that I have less flare-ups overall throughout the year. That's why I do the alternating nights. Azelaic acid one night, retinoid one night, and I just keep switching between that.

Of course, you can layer them. It's just my typical advice is not to do that if you're in a position where you're new to this, I think it's better not to do that because yeah, maybe 6 months down the line when you've been doing the alternating for ages, you can try and layer them. But it wouldn't be my first choice and I think people online who are saying like, "Oh, of course you can layer them. Look, I do this all the time and I'm really experienced." It's like, yeah, of course because you're really experienced.

But that's not who we're talking to most of the time and I think it's a little bit irresponsible. So that's my preference on layering or rather not layering. Now we'll get into what a typical routine looks like in the evening. Just [clears throat] look. I don't know what it is. This top is I think this top is made of plastic so it just makes me really hot. I'm going to read this off screen because I've written it down.

So every night you want to oil cleanse. If you use an oil cleanser, if you don't then that's fine. But cleansing, the point is you're taking your makeup off. I use an oil cleanser then I use water-based cleanser. My complete skin care routine is in a free downloadable guide in the links or in YouTube video as I mentioned. Then you want to pat your skin dry because whether you're applying a retinoid as like acid, you want the skin to be dry when you put them on.

A lot of people get confused by this because they learn that applying products to wet skin increases the rate of absorption. But for retinoid and for azelaic acid, you don't want that. You want it to absorb as slowly as possible because otherwise it's really irritating. I like to let them sit for 10 minutes after I apply just a pea-size blob. I like to let that sit for 10 minutes. You don't have to. I just find that sometimes I get more irritation if I don't.

Then you want to apply a barrier serum. This should be a hydrating serum that has things like glycerin, centella, urea, lipids, hyaluronic acid, those types of ingredients that are designed to hydrate the skin, keep water in it and potentially rebuild any lipids. That step though can be done with a moisturizer cuz moisturizers typically do more of that. But the point is you want a hydrating serum and then you want [clears throat] to apply moisturizer over the top.

I don't think you need anything else in a routine and I think it's better that you don't have anything else in your routine. Say for example, you are addicted to using the Paula's Choice 2% BHA and you've come to feel very dependent on it. Like I completely get that. I used to be very dependent on the Ordinary Glycolic Acid. I felt like if I didn't use it for a couple of nights, I'd break out. Maybe that is true, but if you're in the process of adapting to a retinoid, you are going to have to make that sacrifice because if you could try to continue using your salicylic acid toner alongside a retinoid, it's probably going to be a lot of barrier damage and it's probably not going to be pretty.

So, my advice and most advice on the internet is to stop using those things if you're introducing a retinoid especially. It's different if that's the only thing you're introducing is azelaic acid, slightly different because azelaic acid is a lot less intense. Retinoids are very intense and you're not really giving them a fair chance at working if you're using them with salicylic acid every single night. And in fact, you shouldn't do that.

But in your routine, and in fact, you shouldn't layer salicylic acid and a retinoid. That's an absolute no. But just in general, if you are introducing a retinoid and you still want to use your salicylic acid all the time, I don't think that's a good idea. I think you should stop using the salicylic acid to allow the retinoid to work. It is a bit of a trust the process thing because retinoids are just so much more powerful than salicylic acid, but obviously you're not going to see results straight away.

I just think if you continue to use the other actives that you've come to rely on that add stress to your skin and potentially damage your skin barrier, you are probably going to have a worse time introducing a retinoid if you don't cut these things out. I know I'm going to get a lot of questions as well about using azelaic acid in the morning. You can do that. You can do that. I've done that before because when it comes to looking at the literature on azelaic acid, it does show that the best results were achieved by using it twice a day, morning and night.

I've done that before and sometimes if my skin is really irritated, like for example, I had a perioral dermatitis flare-up when I went to Korea and I got a facial. I stopped using everything apart from my azelaic acid, hydrating serum, moisturizer, and cleanser. And I would just use the azelaic acid morning and night, morning and night because I was actively trying to reduce this reaction and it worked a treat. But not everybody has to do that.

You're going to find your sweet spot. I think the bare minimum is important to talk about as well, though. So, for example, like using it once a day, twice a day, or every other day is fine. But if you're just using it like twice a week or like once a week, unless you're just in the introductory phase, that is not going to do anything. It's the same with a retinoid, like you need to go slowly to introduce it, but if you're 6 months into it and you're only using it like once a week or twice a week, you won't just not using enough to do anything.

So, you can use it as a lactic acid in the morning if that allows you to then use your retinoid in the evening. It's really up to you. A lot of people find as a lactic acid doesn't play nicely under sunscreen and makeup, so that's why like I personally prefer to use it in the evening. If you found a formula that works for you and you don't mind using it in the morning, that's absolutely fine as well. You can use as a lactic acid at any time of the day, but you can only use retinoids in the evening.

I know someone's going to come for me and say that you can technically use adapalene in the morning because it's not photosensitive, which is true. I just don't think that you should. Like a lot of retinoids break down in UV, that's why typically you should only use them at night. Adapalene is different, it doesn't break down in UV, but I still just don't think it makes any sense to use a retinoid in the morning. I think it makes it maybe if you did like shift work, but I think it's better to just keep your retinoids at night time because that's when your skin's doing its like most work, preparative work, and you're asleep and you can just let it do its job and it's not going to be interfered by with makeup and stuff.

But let's talk about results and what to expect because this is where a lot of people fall off and it's such a shame when I see people like on TikTok for example, they're like, "Oh, I did it for 2 months, but it never got better." And it's like, because 2 months is still very much early days. I think social media has conditioned us to feel like if we're not getting skin care results in like a month, then we just bought into this hype and it's fad and it's a fake and it's like happy viral TikTok shop products all over again, and it's like, "No, it just takes a long time for skin to look better, sadly." It's mostly based on the idea that a skin cycle is roughly 6 weeks, which is the time it takes for your skin to complete its cycle and replace itself.

It takes around three skin cycles to see any kind of noticeable change. And a really good example of that is when you go see a dermatologist, most dermatologists, for the majority of issues, will see you say in January for example, and then they'll schedule a follow-up appointment and it will usually be 3 months later because that is roughly three skin cycles, three lots of 6 weeks, roughly speaking, because they know that there's no point you wasting your money seeing them a month later, 2 months later.

We need at least roughly 3 months to be able to see if it's going in the right direction. You're not going to have the finished product in 3 months. Skin just takes time. 3 months is the minimum amount of time most dermatologists want to see you by to see that the treatment has started working, started working, not like finished working. So, for retinoids, I'll do retinoids, I'll do azelaic acid, and I'll do like a more general together.

So, for retinoids, what to expect, you've probably heard of the purge. Your skin cell cycle is being sped up, so impurities are coming to the surface. You probably think your skin's getting worse. A lot of people start using retinoids for closed comedones and then they're commenting on my videos and saying like, "My closed comedones have gotten worse." That's normal because say you have closed comedones now, I know it's kind of shitty to say, but think about if you have a lot of visible closed comedones now, whatever you have visible on your face, there is more of underneath.

So, anytime you use a retinoid, the pattern you see on your face is probably going to be made worse. Things are going to come towards the surface and it's going to be more of what you've already been experiencing because if you've been experiencing them like to the naked eye, like closed comedones that you can see on your face, there typically going to be more of them underneath. So, some people are like, "It looks like I've got more closed comedones." That is normal, unfortunately.

Some people notice that the closed comedones turn into active acne, like whiteheads, blackheads, all kinds of acne. That is normal, that is the purge. It typically lasts around like 1 to 3, 4 months. People with a lot of acne might experience it past 4 months. There is a sticking point where it gets like 4, 5, 6 months and if it's not showing any signs of getting better, you probably do want to see a dermatologist. But, the reality is that for some people, that is how long it takes and it doesn't mean that something's going wrong.

It just takes that long. There's not really any way past that. That is the other thing as well. I see so many people on the internet saying, "Oh, use this retinoid because it won't give you a purge. If that person is serious, at best they have good intentions but they haven't got a clue. And at worst, well, at worst they probably haven't got a clue and they don't have good intentions. You cannot prevent a purge if you are going to have a purge.

If you use a retinoid and you don't purge, it's because you were never going to have one. It's typically people with skin that errs on the side of being clear. People with acne-prone skin typically will purge because as I said, what you see on the surface you probably have more of underneath. Like you can't avoid a purge. All retinoids speed up the skin cell cycle. It's unavoidable. So anyone who's saying like, oh use this one cuz you don't get a purge, all they're doing is saying I didn't get a purge, therefore it doesn't cause a purge in anybody, which is obviously they've generalized it beyond themselves and that's not fair because that's giving false hope to a lot of people.

So I wouldn't take advice from people who are saying things like that because they clearly don't understand how retinoids work. So we have the purge. Along with the purge you have the process of retinization which comes with some symptoms. Redness, stinging-ish, flaky- ness, dryness, makeup not looking nice. That's probably pretty much it. That is the process of your skin becoming retinized. That is the process of adjustment.

And this is why when people stop during that phase because they don't like it or they feel like something's gone wrong. I mean, I get it. It's not nice. It's just much better to continue because you're probably a few weeks away from getting through it to the other side where your skin is fully retinized. Like I've been using retinoids for 6 years. I use adapalene. I use it every other day but I could easily use it every day.

And I have no irritation, no flakiness, nothing. In fact, [clears throat] I find retinoids now almost have like a weirdly calming effect on my skin. And that's because I retinized many years ago. Like my skin is fully used to them. So please don't stop in the middle, especially if you're at like month one or two because you are probably so close to coming out the other side. And if you stop now and start again in 6 months, you're going to have to do it all again.

Those are the shitty bits of what to expect. Now the nice bits. Azelaic acid has this soothing like anti-inflammatory immune function in the skin. Some people find that overnight and in a couple of days it can take the inflammation and the redness right down. My friend was one of these people and actually azelaic acid is one of the ingredients specifically Finacea. I typically just I mean, there are lots of other great azelaic acids and we'll get to that later in this video, but because I use Finacea, I usually just send them a link to that just because that's what I use and I feel most confident recommending that.

Finacea and azelaic acid is like the main ingredient / product that when I recommend it to my friends, they report back like, "Wow, this is amazing." Like I can think of three people off the top of my head. My sister-in-law my and my friend and my other friend. I don't want to name them. Not that it matters, but whatever. I'll put stuff on the screen. One of them was like, "Oh, I can see how you got that like glassiness to your skin because it's doing that for me already." Another person, she's always had trouble with her skin, but she had like red acne lesions and then the very next day, she literally sent me she sent me photos every day as do many of my friends and she gave me permission to share this photo.

You can see the night before kind of red and then the morning after it's like brought it all right down and she was like, "Wow." The third person, I can't remember if I'll be able to find a screenshot of the text, but I remember she said to me in person, "It's given me a new face." This is why prescription azelaic acid is going viral because it's like someone discovering paracetamol for the first time and being like, "Wow, it really kills off my pain." Like yeah, it's been clinically proven over decades.

Like it's not just like a random skin care product. It's a medication at the end of the day. So, if you're lucky, you might get that like instant lowering of redness. I do describe azelaic acid as a slow burn though because for me, I didn't have that redness to notice results from in the beginning. So, it took me a while to notice that like slowly but surely glowy skin from my retinoid for sure. Like I have in the past I saw this comment once and someone was saying like, "Oh, she puts all her results down to using azelaic acid and she just neglects to tell everyone that it's from retinoids." And it's like, "No." I literally shout that from the rooftops every day in my content.

I think the problem is people don't read captions. You can't put everything in a video. So, specifically in captions, I have said, "To be clear, I've used retinoids for a long time, but azelaic acid really changed my skin even after 3 years of using a retinoid." In a way that it's hard to put your finger on. Like, it just started my skin just started to be a little more like luminous, to be honest. Like, it just started to have its own light source slightly.

That happens, but in my opinion, it is a slow burn. Maybe after 3 to 4 months of use, you might notice a bit of I really encourage you to keep using it. Like, if you get to 6 months and you think it's not done anything, honestly, just as a science experiment, keep using it for another year and tell me if you still think that. Because it is a slow burn. Everything compounds. Using something for 6 months is not giving you the final results.

Using something for 12 months is not giving you the final results. Progress isn't always linear. Like, it doesn't just go like this. In fact, a lot of the time, it just goes like like that. And so, if not for the immediate results, just keep using azelaic acid for what it can do for your skin with continued use. Look at it as an experiment, I beg. People using it for 4 months and saying it did nothing, I feel like I'm not really surprised.

I feel like that is not the right attitude to have with this active. You just need to like >> [clears throat] >> trust in the process. With retinoid, what to expect, all the purging. With azelaic acid, the purge is incomparable. Retinoid purge can last, as I said, for like potentially 3, 4 months. Azelaic acid, you're not typically looking at anything beyond like a couple of months, and it shouldn't be half as bad. It should be like a fifth of the severity of a retinoid purge.

Yeah, you might get a few pimples here and there, but it should start evening out after like a month or two, and it should never be that aggressive in the first place. And then, when it comes to retinoid results, I would say same thing as azelaic acid. If you're just using it for like 3 months and you're like, "I still get pimples." You know, I still get pimples. Using a retinoid isn't like a guarantee that you're never going to get pimples again.

But, if you use it for like minimum 6 months, like ideally 12 months, 24 months. Over time, your pores can look more refined, the surface of your skin looks more even, smooth, reflective. You get less and less acne. Any acne that you do get is smaller, it disappears quicker, it doesn't scar as badly. The retinoid and the azelaic acid are working to even out any leftover pigmentation or PIE PIH. They work synergistically and they need time to work.

If you have active acne now and this combination is going to get rid of your acne, it's going to need time to do that. So, say it takes 9 months to do that. And then you're in this new phase where you're only seeing the results of those actives on evening out the skin tone. Take another 9 months to get to the next phase, like the first month is getting rid of the acne for the most part. The second phase is evening out the marks and the third phase is you don't have acne, you don't have prominent marks, and you're just seeing it improve beyond that.

Do you see what I mean? Like, you can't just judge it on the first 6 months. You're not going to have the final results by then. The people seeing the best results and coming on the internet and talking about it are people who've used it for a long time. And now they've got their results and they can talk about it. When I say a long time, again, social media has made us feel like a long time is like 2 months. It's not.

It's like 2 years, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years. I think my results will look better in 2 years' time and I already feel like the results that I've got are pretty good because I know that it's a long game and I know that the results compound over many years. They don't all show in the first two. Now, let's talk about the dos and don'ts because I feel like I've been yapping for ages. These are the dos. Do start slowly. Anything you do in skin, you should start slowly.

Again, in my free downloadable retinoid guide, I'm not trying to like endlessly plug that. It's just all of this is written down in that guide, so it kind of does make sense. Introduce your azelaic acid a couple times a week. So, say on like a Monday, Thursday. The only reason you're doing that is to see how your skin reacts. Literally just an experiment to be like, "Hey, it's a bit like introducing a food to see if it's going to give you a stomach ache." Like, "Oh, I used to get stomach aches when I ate eggs.

So, I just had them like last Monday and I felt fine. So, I'm going to have them on Thursday and I feel fine. And then I might start having them more frequently. It's a bit like that. So, say you're introducing azelaic acid, do it slowly. Monday, Thursday, see how it goes. Next week, Monday, Thursday, see how it goes. If that's fine, do Monday, Wednesday, Saturday. If that's fine, do it again the next week. After about 4 or 5 weeks, you should feel a lot more confident with the active and you should know how it feels if you're going to get stinging, which is a known side effect, which if you get that, just know that it's normal.

It doesn't mean something's wrong. Stinging and itching and tingling is normal with azelaic acid. So, that's how I would introduce azelaic acid slowly. With a retinoid, again, it's all written down in that guide. Couple times a week, see how it goes. Couple times a week, see how it goes. I usually say one to two times a week in the first month, two to three times a week in the second month, three to four times a week in the third month and beyond.

You don't have to work up to every day. You don't have to do that. A lot of people on the internet are saying things like, "Oh, if you're not using every day, it's pointless." That is That's just I think in the end, you need to be using it at least every other day to see the maximum results, but I know for a fact if I use it every day. I mean, I used to use my previous retinoid like 3 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on, 1 day off.

And I prefer what I do now, which is every other day. And I don't think my skin would look any different if I suddenly started using it every day. In fact, I think I would just have more irritation. And that's the point at which you are negating the benefits and seeing the tipping point of how often you can use it versus the irritation, which is the whole point of retinoids. More do's, apply to dry skin, never wet skin.

Use a thin even layer. I've made videos on how to apply in the past. So many people are convinced that they cannot apply a thin even layer because it doesn't spread. I have made videos where I show you exactly like my technique. I get a blob, I do this. I push it around my face with my finger. You can get a thin even layer. It's just practice. I know azelaic acid creams are quite gloopy. Again, it's a technique. It's a technique thing.

You just need to keep practicing it. Using more product is only going to give you more side effects. You're not going to get any better results. You're just going to have more side effects. With retinoids, for example, it binds to certain receptors in the skin. So, all it needs to work is the cream or the gel to cover the skin where you want it. It doesn't need to be a thick layer. In fact, it shouldn't be a thick layer.

All it needs is like a thin layer to do that process and work. The less you can use, probably the better results you're going to be as long as you're actually covering your face and not like skimping and missing patches. Prioritize hydration. A lot of people use retinoids specifically, azelaic acid, too. of people use retinoids specifically and they complain that their skin looks worse or especially they use it on their under eyes and they say it gave me wrinkles.

It can't give you wrinkles. Like, it just can't. Wrinkles that come from a lack of collagen and like sagging and repeated creasing. Like, it can't give you wrinkles. It can make you look wrinklier temporarily because it's so dry that you look wrinkly. You look [clears throat] pruny. So, make sure you use a hydrating serum, a barrier serum, a moisturizer twice a day. A lot of people use their barrier serum once a day or they only use their barrier serum when their barrier is damaged.

In my opinion, that's wrong if you want the best results that you could get. I use my barrier serum twice a day. It's a proactive measure. It's constantly replenishing my barrier so that I can tolerate my retinoid better. I think it's important. You don't want to be applying a retinoid in the evening and then saying, "I'm going to use my barrier serum because I use my retinoid." But then in the morning you're like, "Oh, well, I didn't use anything that is a little aggressive in my barrier.

Therefore, I won't use a barrier serum." That's not, in my opinion, how you should use a barrier serum. I think you should use a barrier serum proactively even when you're not using a retinoid so that your barrier is 10 out of 10 condition as much as it can be so that when you do use retinoids, you see all of the benefits and not the shitty side effects. Wear sunscreen daily. It's a non-negotiable. Why are you bothering to use azelaic acid and a retinoid if you're not using sunscreen?

There's literally [clears throat] no point at all. And the last do is be patient. As I went over a million times and I feel like this video is going to be very wordy. I've been filming for 47 minutes now. Be patient. Like, stop listening to TikTok if it's making you feel like 2 months is a long time in skin care. It's not a long time. With this combination of active ingredients, you are choosing to trust in the science and the process, and using your brain to decide that this combination is very powerful if I lock in for a long period of time.

In my opinion, everything that all the other skin care products you buy promise you, it's actually this combination that can give you, but you just need to allow it time to work. The don'ts. Don't start them both at the same time. Talked about that. Don't change more than one product at one time. I see people saying they've used the Niacinamide method, which I am going to call it that cuz that's what other people call it, but I never call I never tried to make that a thing.

Let me just say. A lot of people will see my skin care routine and they'll just swap to that routine. And then things will inevitably go wrong. Like, for example, they use my moisturizer, my Cetaphil moisturizer, and it gives them breakouts, but they don't realize because they've used a whole bunch of new products at the same time. So, then they're just stuck in the situation where they're getting breakouts and they don't know why.

If they had just changed their moisturizer first, they would know it was the Cetaphil, and then they could change it back. Changing more than one product at a time is just a recipe for a nightmare. I've been there so many times, and I'm just never doing it again. Third don't. Don't increase the frequency too quickly. So many people comment things like, "Oh, well, I used the retinoid once last week and it was fine, so I used it three times this week." Sorry if that's you.

Also not Sorry Sorry if that's you, but that is not the rate at which skin adapts. Using it once last week, max you can use it twice this week. But if you feel like a week ago was a long time, again, social media has like conditioned us to believe that a week was ages ago. You cannot jump from one to three or one to four. I've seen it with other things, like for example, spironolactone, which is this acne medication.

People will say things like, "Oh, I slowly lowered my dose. I had 100 mg last week, and now I'm having 50." That is half. That's like you've decreased it by 50%. I don't want to go on a spiro tangent, but it feels like a a gradual incline to you, but it's not to your skin. It's like an attack. So, don't jump up in frequency too quickly. And the last don't is don't stop because of a few weeks of slow progress, as we've talked about.

Okay, I'm getting to the end of the video, which is good because I feel like my camera will probably say it's got no battery soon. The best products in each category, and I can hear a drill because someone is doing building work in my building, and I'm going to explode. I have all of my favorite azelaic acids and retinoids listed out on my Shop My. That's not me trying to be like, "Ooh, please spend money on my Shop My and give me affiliate revenue." That's just me telling you where the best place to look at my recommendations at any point in time is because I find it the easiest to update.

However, if I had to say the top azelaic acid products, I would say over the counter Finacea in the red bottle 15% or Dermatica, they make 15% and 20%. Those are the ones you can get without prescription. I don't recommend starting at 20%. You can, and it's fine. It's not like a retinoid, you don't need to start super super low, but I think 20% might just be a little bit too much. I think maybe 15% is like the best sweet spot for over-the-counter formulas.

When we're talking about prescription strength, I have a lot of experience with the Finacea gel. It's called a gel, but it looks like a white cream. I haven't used the actual cream, and I haven't used Skinoren, but both of those I would say are great places to start. So, you've got four suggestions there. When it comes to 10%, I would say The Inkey List is one of the best options, and I'll talk about the Innoaesthetics one.

That's the last bit of this video. I'll talk about that in a second. When it comes to retinoids, again, I have a lot more videos on retinoids. Even on YouTube, I have like multiple videos on retinoids. I have a video on how I got rid of my closed comedones. I also actually have a video going into great detail everything you need to know about azelaic acid, if that's of interest. Any of those related videos I'll put down below.

But when it comes to retinoids, it's a lot more difficult to say these are the best ones because there are a lot more good options, I would say. In my retinoid guide, I have a decision tree that allows you to step-by-step answer some questions, and it will tell you the best retinoid for you to start with based on the way you've answered the questions. But typically speaking, I always recommend for the most part people to start with a retinaldehyde because it's a lot more effective than retinol.

Retinol is if you're going to a shop like Boots or Superdrug, you'll mostly see retinol. I tend to not really look Maybe it's just because of me personally I'm using prescription strength now. I just think retinaldehyde is where it's at and anything above that is what you could trust to give you like the best results. Sometimes people have really sensitive skin and it's better for them to start with a retinol, but I would always say if you're starting with a retinol, finish the retinol and then try and move up to a retinaldehyde.

Whereas if you're starting with a retinaldehyde, I don't think you should feel pressure to move up from that. That's another thing I actually haven't planned to cover in this video. And a lot of people on the internet perpetuate this idea that it's when you use a retinoid it's all about moving up to the next level, moving up to the next level. Like for example, I've used adapalene for coming up to 2 year or or over 2 years.

There's a 0.3% that's triple the strength of the 0.1 that I use now. Like I'm not thinking about moving up. The goal with retinoids is to get to a stage where you're happy with your skin and you're having minimal side effects. Some people move up in strength for no reason other than the fact that they think they have to. So they get to a point with their skin. Like for example, me. I'm happy with my skin. I don't have anything that I want to improve right now in a serious way.

And some people would have like my results and then they would be like, oh but I have to keep moving up so I'm going to use like 0.025 tretinoin. And then they do that and they put themselves through the adjustment process which can be really gnarly with tretinoin because it binds to many more receptors, it's well known to be more irritating. And they have a bad time with it and then they end up with like constant flaking for like 6 months and redness and perioral dermatitis and it's like, you didn't have to do that.

You don't have to keep moving up. If you're happy with your results, that's it. Like you don't have to keep going. So that was a small side note. So when it comes to the retinoids, I would say most people start with a retinaldehyde. Geek and Gorgeous is great. They make a 0.1, they make a 0.05. Dermatica also make 0.05, 0.1, 0.2. The Ordinary make 0.2. Medik8 also make loads of strengths. You don't need to move up them like that.

Some people like to do that. I don't think you actually have to do that, but if you want to do that, you can. If you have more serious acne, I would recommend just going straight to like Dermatica, for example. And I have a video also comparing Dermatica and Skin + Me for a direct comparison. I've used both of them. I have a clear favorite. The point is, it would be a lie for me to sit here and tell you there is a best option.

There's not. There's loads of good options. It depends on your risk tolerance, your budget, how you like to shop, how you like the different formulas, whether you like it slightly more runny, slightly thicker, all of that. If you want to make that decision, it's probably easier in my retinoid guide, or at least watching one of my other retinoid videos. But if you just don't know where to start and you're not particularly sensitive, just go for a retinaldehyde.

And I also have on my Shop My, all of my favorite barrier serums. Some of them are toners, like I guess it's barrier products, but serums, toners, moisturizers, like everything in every category that you could possibly dream of. If you're wondering like what my favorites of different things are, they're all there. And the last bit of this video, maybe I'll do a whole separate video on this, to talk about the Anewa Azelaic Acid {slash} Korean watery azelaic acid serum debacle.

Ooh. Okay, so maybe a bit premature because this whole thing hasn't finished. We haven't concluded. We haven't decided what the final result is. However, I'm not ashamed to say that I have promoted the Anewa Azelaic Acid. What I really liked about it was it feels lovely on the skin, it performs, it's a good price point, and especially one of the things I liked a lot about it is that it's a watery formulation, which means that because azelaic acid is typically a bit crunchy.

Like it's effectively like powdery crystals that get put into a cream. It's really hard to formulate with. That's why sometimes the serums can be gritty or bitty, or they leave white streaks on your skin. Like the idea of a watery azelaic acid serum is very appealing, especially if you have like oily skin or you want to use azelaic acid in the morning. That's one of the main reasons I was like, "Hey, this is a really interesting serum." I knew that azelaic acid is a powder.

And I just assumed, I'm not a cosmetic chemist, so that's obviously clear in what I'm saying here. I just assumed they'd found a way to move past that. What I didn't realize, and what a few people now on skincare TikTok have been talking about, is to get azelaic acid to appear like that in a formula where it's like watery, seamless, no crystals, no crunch grittiness, the azelaic acid has to be converted into its salt form, which means it's no longer in the active form of azelaic acid.

A lot of people on TikTok, cuz I made a video about this, this is the original video and then this is my response, and we are still in communication. He said he was going to do a response video and I haven't seen it yet. I looked last night, he hasn't done it yet. There are a lot of people in the comments saying, "Yeah, I don't think that's sketchy because vitamin C is the same, you buy something that says vitamin C, but it's actually like ascorbic acid or thing.

In fact, I know it's not the same thing because vitamin C derivatives are well researched in their own right. We have a lot more research into vitamin C derivatives in their own right than we do with azelaic acid. The problem that this cosmetic chemist was bringing to the table with the new azelaic acid and a lot of the other Korean watery azelaic acid serums is that they are saying 10 or 15% azelaic acid, which is not just suggesting but telling people in a misleading way that the active form of azelaic acid is in that concentration in 10%, but actually to make it watery, it has been transformed into its salt form, which means it's therefore not the active version of azelaic acid.

And all of the evidence for azelaic acid comes from azelaic acid, not an azelaic acid derivative. So, it's kind of like telling people you're getting 10% of something when you're actually not. And that's what the misleading thing about it was. In my opinion, I think these serums still have a place, [clears throat] but I can understand why people are annoyed by how it's been marketed when it's effectively just misleading marketing.

I don't think we've reached the final conclusion yet. That's why I'm kind of steering away from anything final final because you never know, the brand might make a response. I'm sure we have cosmetic chemists who are going to make YouTube videos about this, but I wouldn't blame you if you were wanting to just stick to the cream formulas because we know that the cream formulas will have azelaic acid in them, which are the thing that has all the evidence behind it. feels like there's going to be a moment where people talk more and more about this and a lot of the Korean and I'm not just saying that because they're Korean.

I haven't seen a single Western azelaic acid serum that is watery. And it's a process of taking azelaic acid, which is typically powdery, gritty, and then solubilizing it in water completely to the point where you can't feel that grittiness at all, which changes it into its salt form or some other kind of derivative. Again, not cosmetic chemists. I'm just relaying what they said. That is the problem that chemists have identified.

So, we shall find out more about this, but I think in the meantime, to get the maximum results from azelaic acid, it makes sense to go with the cream formula in the meantime. If something else happens, I will probably do a separate video and update with the conclusion cuz I don't think it makes sense to do a whole video without the conclusion. Maybe not. I'm not sure. I'm still new to YouTube, but if you have any questions about this topic of using azelaic acid and retinoids together, please comment them below and let me know if you have any feedback.

If you liked the free downloadable guide that I made, if I should make another downloadable guide on a different topic. I would love to know. I'm going to try and film two YouTube videos a week, but this one was an hour and four minutes, so I don't even know if my camera can handle doing another one. We'll have to see.