Actually seeing results but had to ease into it slowly
I've been dealing with some stubborn dark spots from old breakouts for forever and finally decided to try a retinol product. Picked this Neutrogena one because it wasn't crazy expensive and I figured if it didn't work I wouldn't be out a ton of money. First week was rough, not gonna lie. My skin got pretty irritated and flaky even though I was only using it every other night. Almost gave up but decided to push through and I'm glad I did. After about a month of consistent use (and figuring out the right routine), I'm actually seeing a difference. Those dark marks that have been bugging me for months are definitely lighter. Not completely gone but way less noticeable. Even my overall skin texture seems smoother. The key for me was starting super slow - like twice a week max - and making sure to use a good moisturizer after. Also learned the hard way to avoid my eye area because that got pretty red and angry. It absorbs well and doesn't feel heavy or greasy. No weird smell either which is nice. The pump bottle is convenient and seems hygienic. I do have to be way more careful about sunscreen now because retinol makes you more sensitive to sun. But that's probably good for me anyway since I was pretty lazy about SPF before. Price point is reasonable for a retinol product. Way cheaper than the fancy stuff at Sephora and seems to work just as well based on what I'm seeing. Only complaint is I wish the instructions were clearer about how to start using it gradually. Had to figure that out through trial and error and some googling. Definitely sticking with it since I'm finally seeing progress on these annoying marks. Just wish I'd started using retinol sooner! Read more