My skin looks like SHIT! Help!

[gymislife]

Last week I bought retin-a 0.25%, cerave moisturizing lotion, cleanser and sunscreen.
I have used the retin a only 2 times so far and my skin looks 5 times worse than before using it.
I heard it's normal for skin to get worse in beginning but my skin literally looks pale+oily+dry+my acne got worse, I had almost 0 acne before starting those products btw, I look like a fucking zombie now.

I also got a dermaroller 2 weeks ago, 1st time using it had nice effect but week later when i used it again it only made my skin worse.

I also supplement vit c 500mg, vit d 1000 iu, collagen, ashwagandha daily.

I thought all of that was supposed to increase collagen production and help with acne but it only made it worse.

I also bought some expensive vit c serum (it says it contains high concentration of AHA/BHA) today and in the pharmacy they told me to apply it at night but in /r/skincareaddiction some people said to apply it in the morning.
If i have to apply it at night then should i apply it before retin a or after?
I also got some 2% salicylic acid which i know helps with acne but idk where to put it in the regime.

I have also tried eating shitton of carrots and other fruits/veggies for months but it didn't give me any glow, my skin looks pale.

In what order should i apply all those stuff and what should i do? I'm feeling down tbh

 

[Deleted member 2661]

In the first week or so of using Retin A your skin will flush out all of your clogged/damaged pores. This is all Acne that you would have gotten anyways, Retin A just flushes it all at the same time. Isn't dosage of 0.25% too high? Try using 0.05% twice a day - in the morning and 2 hours before going to sleep, and moisturize.

 

[Stingray]

Woah. Too many products too fast. If you are applying AHAs, Tretinoin and Microneedling all for the first time I'm not surprised your skin is getting worse. Scale back to just the tretinoin, moisturizer, cleanser and sunscreen. Stick with it for 3 months and then evaluate.

 

[Deleted member 3583]

you are dermarolling over the acne?
you mean 0.025% retin a

 

[gymislife]

In the first week or so of using Retin A your skin will flush out all of your clogged/damaged pores. This is all Acne that you would have gotten anyways, Retin A just flushes it all at the same time. Isn't dosage of 0.25% too high? Try using 0.05% twice a day - in the morning and 2 hours before going to sleep, and moisturize.

Oh i meant 0.025% and why twice a day? Isnt once just enough? I even think about using it every other day in beginning

Woah. Too many products too fast. If you are applying AHAs, Tretinoin and Microneedling all for the first time I'm not surprised your skin is getting worse. Scale back to just the tretinoin, moisturizer, cleanser and sunscreen. Stick with it for 3 months and then evaluate.

I haven't used the AHA vit c serum yet. Bought it today cuz everyone talks about how great it is, wouldnt it be a good idea to incorporate it in my routine on off retin a days? Like every other day. And yeah I'll stop using the dermaroller until my acne clears up fully. Should i use cleanser twice a day or just before applying retin a?

 

[Stingray]

Oh i meant 0.025% and why twice a day? Isnt once just enough? I even think about using it every other day in beginning

I haven't used the AHA vit c serum yet. Bought it today cuz everyone talks about how great it is, wouldnt it be a good idea to incorporate it in my routine on off retin a days? Like every other day. And yeah I'll stop using the dermaroller until my acne clears up fully. Should i use cleanser twice a day or just before applying retin a?

Use cleanser and retin a once a day. Wait for your skin to settle before incorporating AHAs. They are good but will only exacerbate the initial irritation caused by retin a

 

[karbo]

jfl my skin is clean af without even using anything
retin-a and other products are COPE, just fix your diet and wash your face with water bro