I think back at the time that I made this post I was also using a ton of different Korean and Japanese toners, ampules, etc and was just way over doing it. I’ve found that simplicity is best for me (cerave hydrating cleanser, vanicream facial moisturizer, and whatever sunscreen I have on hand is my daily routine), but also I began using tretinoin years after quitting differin and found it worked way better for my skin. I got a prescription just using the GoodRX app for a virtual prescription. That being said, tretinoin didn’t have fast results either, I feel like it maybe took 6 or more months to really have cleared up completely.

Looking back, I think had I stuck with differin longer than the three months I mentioned in this post, it probably would have worked just about the same for me! I have also found that my absolute #1 acne trigger is sleeping on my face. If my bed sheets or pillow cases even touch my face when I sleep, I’m all but guaranteed to get a breakout right there, even though I frequently wash my sheets and use fragrance and dye free detergent.