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| The Polish packaging for Skinoren. Skinoren is OTC there. |
The active substance is azelaic acid. One gram of Skinoren Cream contains 200 mg (20% w/w) of azelaic acid.
The other ingredients: Benzoic acid (E 210), Cetearyl octanoate, Glycerol 85%, Glyceryl stearate + cetearyl alcohol + cetyl palmitate + cocoglycerides (CUTINA CBS), Propylene glycol, Purified water, Stearoyl macrogolglycerides.
I try to mark the sunscreen ingredients in red and other possible irritants in lilac. Ingredients thought to be good and useful for skin I mark green. Learning as I go, google is my friend etc...
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| Later I checked that the prices vary a lot for Skinoren in Poland, this is in the highest range, I suppose? But I bought it in the Old Town, sooo... I understand, tourist area! |
Thoughts:
- Very, very drying, for the first month at least. It is a must to find ways to hydrate skin more than usual. I loved sheet masks during this time! But I do notice difference when it's hot/humid and I sweat a lot, then it's not so bad, but when the weather got colder (from 30 Celsius to 15 Celsius suddenly!) the dryness/tightness exploded. There was no flaking at any point though.
- I didn't notice a full blown purge with Skinoren, but I did get a small one at around 1-2 weeks of almost daily use. I had quite a bad skin when I started to use it so the changes in pimple amount is not super noticeable.
- Prescription cream, so requires more effort to acquire, either through a doctor or ordering from another country.
- Tubes I have are only 30 g, I feel like I'm using them up very fast. Because the cream absorbs very quickly I must apply a bit more to get an even cover.
- Skinoren changed my pimples a bit, the white stuff inside is harder and if I pick at them, accidentally or on purpose (I shouldn't though but I do anyway sometimes...) they bleed quite a lot! But the pimples are smaller and less red however.
+ Feels strangely very calming on red skin and painful, big pimples. Usually next morning those pimples don't hurt anymore and they have reduced in size.
+ Some people say they experience itching, burning, tickling, flushing... I don't notice any at all. Just the dryness.
+ Skinoren is amazing at oil control. The most matte face ever. Takes hours for any oils to peak through, and that is usually only on my nose. I admit, I sometimes use a tiny bit on my T-area when I want a lasting makeup for the day... also stops my skin getting clogged. Works well as a primer if you don't mind the "dry stickiness" of it when it's dried, have compatible foundation and are willing to apply it more like patting, so that Skinoren layer is not getting too disturbed. But when it's done, the base seems to last the whole day so perfectly!
+ I feel like with consistent use of Skinoren, my skin found its own balance again. I can use a minimum amount of products. My skin is not getting that easily clogged. There are less extremes, like super oiliness or super dryness.
+ You have to have patience, it took about a month for any real results to show. But at that point my skin was considerably smoother, less red, and had a normal amount of bumps. Less sensitive to touch as well.
+ When my acne burst was at the worst point, Skinoren smoothed my skin in 2-3 days and helped with pore size. When my skin got better, I couldn't notice this effect anymore. (Well, my skin had gotten balanced again so no wonder... ) But I do notice the biggest effect with Skinoren on my forehead and nose, still. With Differin the biggest difference seems to be my cheeks and jaw! Idk maybe I'm just imagining? :)
- I didn't notice a full blown purge with Skinoren, but I did get a small one at around 1-2 weeks of almost daily use. I had quite a bad skin when I started to use it so the changes in pimple amount is not super noticeable.
- Prescription cream, so requires more effort to acquire, either through a doctor or ordering from another country.
- Tubes I have are only 30 g, I feel like I'm using them up very fast. Because the cream absorbs very quickly I must apply a bit more to get an even cover.
- Skinoren changed my pimples a bit, the white stuff inside is harder and if I pick at them, accidentally or on purpose (I shouldn't though but I do anyway sometimes...) they bleed quite a lot! But the pimples are smaller and less red however.
+ Feels strangely very calming on red skin and painful, big pimples. Usually next morning those pimples don't hurt anymore and they have reduced in size.
+ Some people say they experience itching, burning, tickling, flushing... I don't notice any at all. Just the dryness.
+ Skinoren is amazing at oil control. The most matte face ever. Takes hours for any oils to peak through, and that is usually only on my nose. I admit, I sometimes use a tiny bit on my T-area when I want a lasting makeup for the day... also stops my skin getting clogged. Works well as a primer if you don't mind the "dry stickiness" of it when it's dried, have compatible foundation and are willing to apply it more like patting, so that Skinoren layer is not getting too disturbed. But when it's done, the base seems to last the whole day so perfectly!
+ I feel like with consistent use of Skinoren, my skin found its own balance again. I can use a minimum amount of products. My skin is not getting that easily clogged. There are less extremes, like super oiliness or super dryness.
+ You have to have patience, it took about a month for any real results to show. But at that point my skin was considerably smoother, less red, and had a normal amount of bumps. Less sensitive to touch as well.
+ When my acne burst was at the worst point, Skinoren smoothed my skin in 2-3 days and helped with pore size. When my skin got better, I couldn't notice this effect anymore. (Well, my skin had gotten balanced again so no wonder... ) But I do notice the biggest effect with Skinoren on my forehead and nose, still. With Differin the biggest difference seems to be my cheeks and jaw! Idk maybe I'm just imagining? :)
* Please notice, Skinoren Gel/Cream are prescription acne medicine in most countries, in my country as well. I don't really understand why, as it has no bad side effects and you still can get azelaic acid creams without prescription at a lower %, plus many countries don't require a visit to doctor to be able to buy Skinoren anyway. At least read the pamphlet that comes with the cream! I was browsing so many discussions online where people who were using Skinoren had no idea what it was or how they should use it and then complained that it wasn't working at all.
* Some things struck out to me when reading my own country's information pamphlet: It is not recommended to keep using Skinoren for long continuous time periods. Shouldn't be used continuously longer than 12 months. Do not apply occlusives over Skinoren. Apply Skinoren twice a day, on a clean, just washed, dry skin. Preferably don't use other products. If skin is very sensitive, use only once a day.
* From my personal experience: don't apply Skinoren twice a day. Once in the evening is quite enough. It is smart to skip some days as well. I think super dry skin alone can cause even more problems.
* I applied Skinoren either on a bare skin, or applied moisturizer/squalane/essence first. I don't think it affects the efficacy too much.
* I'm using my second tube of Skinoren right now. First one lasted me around 3 months. I also use Differin now (started after Skinoren had already cleared my skin) and I alternate between these two now. I do skip some days here and there. My skin seems to be ok. I think these products compliment each other well! Skinoren takes care of the big stuff and calms the skin, Differin smoothes out things and helps with small bumps and cc's.
* The packaging for Skinoren varies in different countries and if I have understood right, the same stuff is called Finacea in some places. I have here pictures of the Polish packaging (obviously, bought in Poland). In New Zealand and in my own country, the packaging looks less cool, more like old medicine (I'll take photos when I have time).
Price:
$21.00 NZD = 12 €, not including shipping / 30 g
50-74,50 zł = about 12-17 € / 30 g
Bought from:
Krakow, Poland and Eclipse Pharmacy, New Zealand
Buy again?
Yes. As long as I manage to get it.
Worth the money?
Yes. If you have oily skin and acne problems. If you want an acid to brighten your skin quickly, azelaic acid is not the solution. For that I would probably recommend lactic acid. Skinoren is best for inflammation, big/cystic acne, oily skin, fungal acne (my hairline and forehead). Also for an already dry skin Skinoren might be a nightmare... But it is interesting how it has managed to balance my skin, so would it do it for a dry skin as well? For an oily skin even without acne Skinoren is probably a dream to use, it truly mattifies skin so well.
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