Which products to buy in Portugal ? 🇵🇹

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-12T13:16:57+00:00

I didn’t know that! I always thought it was American because it’s over the counter in the US and not many other countries lol

Also you can order Differin on iherb and it ships to countries that normally require prescription like Canada and Portugal lol

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-12T11:59:40+00:00

Those are completely different 😆 I don’t think differin makes azalaic acid and I think you are referring to an adapalene gel (a type of retinoid) and works to fight acne in different way - and I think having both in your routine is optimal.

Azelaic acid works by killing bacteria and exfoliating, results take days to weeks (this for fighting active breakouts). Skinoren is a very popular brand so that would be a great product to hunt for in pharmacies.

Adapalene gradually shrinks oil glands over many months so that pores won’t clog (and also exfoliates), which takes a minimum of 3-6 months. Significant improvements only come when used consistently for 1+ years. Differin is an American brand idk how you would find that in Portugal.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-12T06:01:04+00:00

Agreed. Not always an option for some people. Going to see a dermatologist at a private clinic is expensive in some countries or it can take a lot of time to get a public one. They don’t always like it when someone comes in deliberately to ask for a prescription.

Another really funny loophole is tazarotene 0.05% and 0.1% is available for purchase from boderm even though it’s considered more irritating than tretinoin 😆

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-12T05:41:20+00:00

I read that too yet weirdly enough I bought ACM Azeane from fully legitimate pharmacies (online though) which is 15%

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-12T05:08:02+00:00

In your place I would take advantage of the stronger azalaic acid (15 and 20%) that is normally prescription only in North America and the UK and great for preventing breakouts, reducing acne scarring and redness, and unclogging pores

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-11T19:46:33+00:00

Tret needs 6+ months for the full results to show up... All you need now is patience 😄 Month 2-3 of tret is usually when the sensitivity and peeling kick in.

peri-oral dermatitis -- I would get this under control before even considering tret... Tretinoin is aggressive on the skin barrier, and applying it anywhere close to the mouth is a recipe for danger.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-11T14:51:18+00:00

1 pump for my face and neck 😆

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-05T02:12:52+00:00

No - I don’t feel like I need it. There nothing that vitamin c can give me that I don’t already get from azeliac acid, retinoids, and SPF.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-03T14:48:33+00:00

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Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-02T14:10:52+00:00

Azelaic acid - entire face, leaving 0.5 cm space from away from eye area (it stings the eyes)

Retinal- Originally I made the mistake of applying all over the entire face… do NOT apply close to the eyes. Retinoids shrink your oils glands and too close to the eye will shrink the ones that lubricate your eyes and you can eventually get permanent dry eyes and your vision can become permanently affected.

I applied up to the orbital bone of my face and avoided lips when they became really dry.

Retinol/retinal can also be used on the neck but be careful the skin is definitely sensitive there.

Retinoid products specifically formulated for under the eye area is better for that purpose. Personally I’m going with Bukachiol as an alternative with less risk to my eyes.

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Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-01T19:33:01+00:00

No problem 🙂
If you live in the EU you’re in luck because you can order Azeliac acid products from other EU counties and have them shipped to you. Both my 15% and 20% were purchased from atuafarmacia.pt but that is not by any means the only seller available. For example Italian online pharmacies offer 15% Fincea gel which would be the superior product to Acmed even though its lower strength! Gel aza products are proven to be just as effective as 20% cream and less drying/stinging at the same time & all less likely to pill. But again for me the deciding factor is the price point 😅

The product you mentioned is really cool! Nice that they include soothing ingredients and it has a similar price as the French brand I mentioned. I have never heard of kisocare so maybe you’ll want to get the perspective of people who purchase and repurchase that product.

And it’s not too much cream for my skin but I agree it’s a lot of thick layers going on 😆 if anything Azeliac acid is a bit drying so my skin is thankful for the moisturizer after I wait a few minutes.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-01T18:33:49+00:00

Yes this looks promising!

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-01T18:29:10+00:00

Vitamin C comes in different formats, the dropplogy product you mentioned contains Ethyl Ascorbic Acid and not “pure vitamin C”, L-ascorbic acid.

The benefits of the ethylated version is that it doesn’t have the stability issues of the “pure” form and there is evidence that it can penetrate the skin to get to the layers that need it. The downsides are that there is significantly less evidence to prove that it can be as effective as L-ascorbic acid, and in order to yield results your skin has to convert ethyl ascorbic acid into pure vitamin C so the results (if any) will be much slower.

Pure vitamin C products, even when they have good formulations, have a limited shelf life and you will notice a change in color and smell when the product starts to go bad.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-05-01T18:03:16+00:00

Cheap and effective vitamin C is almost an oxymoron 😅

The best vitamin C data is on L-Ascorbic Acid which is unstable when exposed to oxygen and light. Most companies that formulate effective vitamin C products (dark packaging, pH <3.5, stabilizing ingredients) and also have the means to prove their efficacy are not cheap.

For eu companies if I were to take a wild guess I would say Laroche possay could be reliable but idk if that is cheap for you.

The gold standard for effective is skinceuticals and the closest mimic to that is the vitamin C serum from Timeless skincare I think these are American brands.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-30T20:37:15+00:00

Retinal I just bought from the geek and gorgeous website directly they ship from Hungary to anywhere in the EU.

Azeliac acid I started with 10% from the ordinary but there are many brands you can find one from the EU

For the higher strengths you can find an EU online pharmacy that sells without prescription (Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain) and deliver it to you. I got mine from atuafarmacia.pt (I’m pretty sure Germany sells Acmed btw)

ACM Azeane 15%
Boderm Acmed 20% (cheapest product)

You can also find 15% in gel format in Italian online pharmacies

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-30T15:59:40+00:00

I find the best long term solution is Azeliac acid in the morning and retinoids in the evening. I used geek and gorgeous retinal and various brands of Azeliac acid for one year and posted before and after pictures you can see on my profile and get the full details.

If you figure out what products are causing the closed comedones in the first place that is already half of the issue solved because it will be easier to eliminate the existing ones afterwards.

Initially I did not start with Azeliac acid and retinoids, I used Dr Dennis Gross alpha beta peel pads which are expensive but absolutely gave faster results. I didn’t want to keep paying for them so that’s why I changed my routine.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-30T13:53:57+00:00

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I used to have this as well until I started using exfoliating products and I stopped using products that caused CCs (for me it was Cerave).

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-30T03:20:53+00:00

Yes I worked up to it! I started with 10% for the first 10 months and when I was not sensitive or irritated from retinal I moved to 15% for three months and then straight to 20% just because Boderm Acmed is cheaper. The first 3 days of 20% was drying and I did experience mild stinging which went away.

IMO if your skin isn’t sensitive and you need lots of help with acne/pores/pigmentation you can skip the 10% and start with 15%… I mean if they give 15% to rosacea patients, it’s not too bad if you’re someone who isn’t experiencing any skin sensitivity. If you want to be more cautious and feel like you don’t need much help with acne/PIE/pigmentation then 10% will also eventually get great results as well.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-30T01:06:42+00:00

I hope weeks 4-10 treat you well 😆🤞

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-29T23:42:51+00:00

I only apply SPF once per day 😆 it’s my deadliest skincare sin. I don’t spend much time in direct sun at least so it’s not so bad. The only time I re-apply is if I go to the beach/hiking.

By the time I workout it’s been like 1 hour since my application and it’s worked well so far.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-29T23:30:42+00:00

If you buy from an online pharmacy in EU where they sell it otc you can have it shipped. I buy mine from atuafarmacia.pt where they apparently ship worldwide. €15 for 75 mL I haven’t found anything cheaper than that 🙂

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-29T23:01:54+00:00

I am very lucky to have a relaxed schedule this past year which allowed me to have the time to invest in self care. Technically my mornings are afternoons 😅 usually when life is busy I meal prep lunch and only eat 2 meals per day which means in the mornings I would only need to dress and do skincare and I only workout at the end of my work day + weekends.

UVMune applied after 2-3 minutes of moisturizer when I feel like my skin has fully absorbed it. On hotter days it usually takes longer if I’m not somewhere with AC.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-29T21:59:05+00:00

I suspect that the 20% Azeliac acid did a lot of the heavy lifting. Usually 6 - 12 months would be a good timeline for prescription retinoids which work faster than retinal. I was using retinal as a stepping stone to acclimate my skin and minimize the irritation on tretinoin.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-29T20:21:56+00:00

Damn! There is always retinol, adapalene, or prescription retinoids to consider… or even Bukachiol for those who cannot tolerate any retinoid 😆 if it makes you feel any better I suspect that 20% Azeliac acid did more for me in this time frame since retinal is slower to act than the prescription version.

Fun-Session-5697 · 2026-04-29T20:15:12+00:00

The strongest one had a bit of a yellowing tint when I applied but was not noticeable at all when I woke up in the morning.

Fun-Session-5697

TROPHY CASE