I just reached my 4th month of tret and wanted to share some progress.

1st photo: Week 1
2nd photo: Week 2
3rd photo: Week 8
4th, 5th, & 6th photos: Week 16 (taken today in different lighting)

I’m 29, have had mild acne and hyperpigmentation throughout my teens and 20s. This summer, I had a really bad breakout on my cheek that wouldn’t go away no matter what I did. And I knew that even when the breakout ended, the dark marks would take months if not years to fade. Enter tret, my superhero in a bottle. 

My skin is still by no means perfect, but it’s come a long way since the summer. I began with 2x a week / every 3rd night, and gradually added another night every 2 weeks until I could tolerate nightly applications, which was about 2 months in. Here’s my routine:

AM:
- Cerave Hydrating Cleanser
- The Ordinary HA + Peptide Serum on slightly damp face 
- Topicals Fade Cream (only used on eye area) or Good Molecules Wake Up Eye Gel
- Aestura Autobarrier 365 cream*
- Fenty Hydra Vizor Sunscreen SPF 30 (contains niacinamide, HA, & aloe) or COSRX Aloe Soothing Sun Cream SPF 50**

*I used Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer as my morning moisturizer until I started using tret nightly, then I started needing something a little more nourishing and got the Aestura barrier cream.

**The COSRX aloe sun cream has been discontinued :( I’ve been living off a bulk pack of them I bought some time ago but just found out it’s no longer available. Love the Fenty sunscreen though!

PM:
- Cerave Hydrating Cleanser + e.l.f. Hydration Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm if I wore makeup that day
- Good Molecules Wake Up Eye Gel 
- Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer 
- Aquaphor around eye area 
- 0.025% tret 10% azelaic acid 4% niacinamide cream formulation from Nurx

I used the sandwich method until about a month ago, now I just buffer with at least 10-15 mins in between layers. Thinking about applying to dry skin soon.

I experienced a slight purge around 3 - 7 weeks in, but it wasn’t that much worse than my normal acne, maybe a little more frequent. It was only disheartening because I knew they would create new dark spots, as you can see from my pic at 8 weeks, but at least they lightened quickly. I also had some tiny whiteheads in spots I don’t normally get acne but they’d pop up and disappear within a day or two.

Honestly, the worst of the side effects was the flaking as it made my makeup look weird. But once I got up to applying 5-6 times a week and learned to use a smaller pea size, the flaking stopped. Now, if I go more than a day without applying, the flaking starts again. Go figure! 

Overall, my acne has improved, but I still get new bumps every couple of weeks. I might increase to 0.05% once I get to 6 months of nightly use since I know that strength is more effective for acne, but for now I’m sticking with what I’ve got.

PS: Does anyone know what to do about milia around the eye area caused by Aquaphor? Open to suggestions! 

Celebrating 4 months of tret!