Z
zixer
Bronze
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2025
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Gonna keep it straight. Your skin is holding you back more than your bones are and most of you are doing nothing about it or wasting money on garbage. This is everything that actually works, no filler.
THE BIG 3 — IF YOU AIN'T DOING THESE YOU'RE COPING
Tretinoin. This is it. This is the whole game. Every other topical is a footnote. Prescription retinoid, proven to rebuild collagen, speed up cell turnover, shrink pores over time. Nothing you buy at Sephora touches it. Start at 0.025%, use a pea sized amount, cover your whole face. It will wreck your skin for 6-10 weeks first. That's it working. Don't be a baby and quit.
Sunscreen SPF 50 every single day. UV causes 80% of the aging you see on people's faces. Not 30%, not 50%. 80. You're using tretinoin at night rebuilding your skin and then walking outside frying it every morning? Clown behavior. Doesn't matter if it's cloudy. Doesn't matter if you're inside near windows. Put it on.
Niacinamide 10%. Shrinks pores, kills excess oil, fades dark spots, fixes your barrier. $7 from The Ordinary. No excuse.
THE ROUTINE
Morning:
Night:
TRET SCHEDULE FOR BEGINNERS SINCE Y'ALL ALWAYS MESS THIS UP
Weeks 1-2: Every 3rd nightWeeks 3-4: Every other nightWeek 5+: Every night
The purging is real. Week 3-6 you might look worse. Your face is pushing everything out and turning over faster. This is progress. The ones who quit at week 4 and say tret doesn't work just got scared. Push through it.
DIET — WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERS
Fish oil, 2-3g EPA/DHA daily. Reduces inflammation, improves your skin's lipid barrier from the inside. Actually backed by research not just broscience.
Zinc, 30-40mg. Regulates oil production, fights acne bacteria, anti-inflammatory. Studies have it close to antibiotics for acne without destroying your gut.
Cut the sugar and processed food if you're breaking out. Insulin spikes drive sebum production, that's not an opinion that's the mechanism. You know your diet is bad. Fix it.
Drink water. Seriously. 2-3 liters minimum. Dehydration shows on your face fast.
WHAT TO STOP WASTING MONEY ON
Collagen drinks and supplements — your stomach breaks it down into random amino acids, none of it goes to your face specifically. Marketing.
Face rollers — temporary puffiness reduction, nothing more.
Expensive cleansers — you rinse it off in 30 seconds. The price means nothing.
Any serum without actual proven actives listed — if it doesn't say retinol, niacinamide, vitamin C, AHA, BHA, or azelaic acid it's just a fancy moisturizer.
BUDGET STACK UNDER $30
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% — $7CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser — $14Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 50 — $12Tretinoin — use Apostrophe, Dermplex, or any telehealth derm, usually $20-30/month
That's your whole routine. Everything else is optional.
REAL TIMELINE
Months 1-2: Purging, irritation, might look worse. Normal.Months 3-4: Texture visibly smoother, tone evening outMonth 6: Pores tighter, skin noticeably cleaner looking, people start noticingMonth 12+: Compounding. You look like a different person in photos from a year ago.
This is a 12 month commitment minimum. Short term thinkers stay losing.
THE BIG 3 — IF YOU AIN'T DOING THESE YOU'RE COPING
Tretinoin. This is it. This is the whole game. Every other topical is a footnote. Prescription retinoid, proven to rebuild collagen, speed up cell turnover, shrink pores over time. Nothing you buy at Sephora touches it. Start at 0.025%, use a pea sized amount, cover your whole face. It will wreck your skin for 6-10 weeks first. That's it working. Don't be a baby and quit.
Sunscreen SPF 50 every single day. UV causes 80% of the aging you see on people's faces. Not 30%, not 50%. 80. You're using tretinoin at night rebuilding your skin and then walking outside frying it every morning? Clown behavior. Doesn't matter if it's cloudy. Doesn't matter if you're inside near windows. Put it on.
Niacinamide 10%. Shrinks pores, kills excess oil, fades dark spots, fixes your barrier. $7 from The Ordinary. No excuse.
THE ROUTINE
Morning:
- Wash your face — nothing fancy, CeraVe or La Roche-Posay, the cheap stuff works
- Vitamin C serum — 10-15%, on dry skin
- Niacinamide
- Moisturizer
- SPF 50 — last thing you put on, every single day
Night:
- Oil cleanser first — actually breaks down sunscreen and oil, don't skip this
- Regular cleanser after
- Tretinoin — pea size, whole face, that's it
- Wait 20 minutes then moisturize heavy — Vanicream or straight Vaseline on top if you're flaking bad
TRET SCHEDULE FOR BEGINNERS SINCE Y'ALL ALWAYS MESS THIS UP
Weeks 1-2: Every 3rd nightWeeks 3-4: Every other nightWeek 5+: Every night
The purging is real. Week 3-6 you might look worse. Your face is pushing everything out and turning over faster. This is progress. The ones who quit at week 4 and say tret doesn't work just got scared. Push through it.
DIET — WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERS
Fish oil, 2-3g EPA/DHA daily. Reduces inflammation, improves your skin's lipid barrier from the inside. Actually backed by research not just broscience.
Zinc, 30-40mg. Regulates oil production, fights acne bacteria, anti-inflammatory. Studies have it close to antibiotics for acne without destroying your gut.
Cut the sugar and processed food if you're breaking out. Insulin spikes drive sebum production, that's not an opinion that's the mechanism. You know your diet is bad. Fix it.
Drink water. Seriously. 2-3 liters minimum. Dehydration shows on your face fast.
WHAT TO STOP WASTING MONEY ON
Collagen drinks and supplements — your stomach breaks it down into random amino acids, none of it goes to your face specifically. Marketing.
Face rollers — temporary puffiness reduction, nothing more.
Expensive cleansers — you rinse it off in 30 seconds. The price means nothing.
Any serum without actual proven actives listed — if it doesn't say retinol, niacinamide, vitamin C, AHA, BHA, or azelaic acid it's just a fancy moisturizer.
BUDGET STACK UNDER $30
The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% — $7CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser — $14Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 50 — $12Tretinoin — use Apostrophe, Dermplex, or any telehealth derm, usually $20-30/month
That's your whole routine. Everything else is optional.
REAL TIMELINE
Months 1-2: Purging, irritation, might look worse. Normal.Months 3-4: Texture visibly smoother, tone evening outMonth 6: Pores tighter, skin noticeably cleaner looking, people start noticingMonth 12+: Compounding. You look like a different person in photos from a year ago.
This is a 12 month commitment minimum. Short term thinkers stay losing.
