Come Out! (With Your Skin Care) Catherine Aldrich!

Introduction:

Catherine has quite problematic skin that is characterized by multiple inflammatory acne lesions and an overall oily surface. While the acne is mostly limited to the jaw, cheek, and chin areas, the lesions leave behind severe post-inflammatory hyperpigmented scarring that persists for months. Because of this, she’s had several visits with a dermatologist, whose solutions have either been too irritating or ineffective for her hormone-induced breakouts. She’d like to see if there’s some combination of topical products that can remedy her situation, before taking the final step recommended by her dermatologist.

Routine:

Morning:

• Cleanser: MooGoo Milk Wash OR Dr. Bronner’s Baby Unscented Pure Castille Soap
• Toner: Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Toner
• HealingTreatment: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast (on open lesions)
• Chemical Exfoliant: Paula’s Choice CLEAR Extra Strength Targeted Acne Relief Toner (on existing spots and nose area)
• Hydrating Toner: Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion
• Anti-Aging Serum: Cosmetic Skin Solution’s Phloretin Serum AND Cosmetic Skin Solution’s Firming Eye Gel
• Moisturizer: MooGoo MSM Smoothing Cream
• Eye Moisturizer: Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream
• Moisturizer with SPF: Shiseido Anessa Perfect Essence Sunscreen SPF 50 OR Kiehl’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 OR La Roche-Posay Anthelios 45 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid
• Primer: Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation Primer

Evening:

• Makeup Remover: (Acne.org Organic Jojoba Oil OR Moogoo Oil Cleanser for Combination Skin) AND (L’Oreal Lip and Eye Makeup Remover)
• Cleanser: Moogoo Milk Wash OR Dr. Bronner’s Baby Unscented Pure Castille Soap
• Physical Exfoliant: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (every other day) OR Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant (once a week)
• Toner: Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Toner
• Healing Treatment: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast (on open lesions)
• Chemical Exfoliant: Paula’s Choice CLEAR Extra Strength Targeted Acne Relief Toner
• Hydrating Toner: Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion
• Lightening Serum: Cosmetic Skin Solutions Phyto Botanical Gel
• Anti-Aging Serum: Trilogy Age Proof Nutrient Plus Firming Serum
• Moisturizer: Paula’s Choice RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum
• Eye Moisturizer: Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream
• Acne Treatment: Acne.org 2.5% Benzoyle Peroxide Treatment (on spots and chin area)

Others:

• Deep Cleanse Mask: Dermalogica Sebum Clearing Masque OR Dermalogica Skin Refining Masque
• Hydrating Mask: Dermalogica Multivitamin Recovery Masque OR Dermalogica Hydrating Masque

Review:

Just like Adrianna’s routine HERE, a large part of Catherine’s problem is that the routine is so elaborate. Combined with the fact that her skin is acne-prone, it would make sense that her skin is going haywire. My best guess it that Catherine attempted to address both her acne and “aging” issues at the same time. Simultaneously treating both issues can certainly be done, but unfortunately not with this particular routine.

As with the routine review for Adrianna, I will first evaluate each product on merit alone, and then proceed to explain why a product is or is not appropriate for Catherine. Finally, I will list what I’d like Catherine’s routine to be.

Makeup Removers: Both oils cleansers are fine and excellent for picking up makeup. However, the MooGoo one does contain several irritating essential oils. The L’Oreal Remover is fine as well.

Cleansers: Both water-soluble cleansers are also fine. I especially like the Moogoo Milk Wash use of gentle detergents (glucosides) and water-binding agents (milk proteins).

Toners: The PC Toner is excellent and I personally use it as well. The mini-review of this product can be found HERE. The Hada Labo toner on the other hand, is simply put, dull. I know a lot of Asian brands (have you seen those ads?) say that hyaluronic acid is purely magical. But the truth is, topically-applied hyaluronic acid is too big to penetrate into the skin. Any “hydration” or “suppleness” that’s felt from the use of this product is from the butylene glycol and glycerin contents, which incidentally are present in significantly higher concentrations than those of the hyaluronic acid salts.    

Physical Exfoliants: The Daily one is okay, with slightly less damaging granules (cellulose, Mg oxides) than those present in the “Gentle” Cream one (algae shells). The Cream one also includes several essential oils. Both are overly priced, and overly basic scrubs.

Chemical Exfoliant: The PC CLEAR toner is excellent and reviewed HERE.  

Healing Treatment: The Cicaplast contains an ingredient known as madecassoside, a component of Centella Asiatica. To my surprise, it actually has a few studies suggesting that it can facilitate in wound healing and reduce the appearance of hypertrophic and keloidal scars. For those of you interested, madecassoside in vitro inhibited the migration of keloid-derived fibroblasts (KFs) by decreasing the activities of various mitogen activated protein-kinases (MAPKs), and decreased F-actin filaments by reducing the phosphorylation of cofilin. This would be quite beneficial for papules, pustules, and cysts that have recently been extracted or popped. Great find!

Serums: The three CSS serums all contain at least a few excellent and proven ingredients. The Phloretin’s effficacy is due more to the 10% vitamin C content, rather than the phloretin itself (an apple-derived polyphenol), as it does not have much documentation. Phloretin, as an antioxidant, has some documentation suggesting that it is anti-carcinogenic due to its ability to inhibit some cyclooxygenase (COX) pathways, like salicylic acid. It does so (at least in mouse skin) by inhibiting the expression of the COX-2 gene by reducing the binding of the necessary transcription factor (nuclear factor-κB). However, more research is needed to elucidate its potential benefits. The Eye Gel’s efficacy is also due mostly in-part to the Vitamin C content. On the other hand, the Phyto Gel contains a multitude of well-studied lightening ingredients (arbutin, kojic acid, and bearberry leaf extract), and is overall quite good. Granted, all of these are packaged in dropper bottles, which while preferred over jar packaging, is not impressive as airless pump bottles. Finally, the Trilogy Serum is also good, with the inclusion of several non-fragrant plant oils (sunflower and evening primose) and calming extracts (chamomile, licorice, and cucumber).

Moisturizers: If it weren’t packaged in a jar, the MooGoo cream would be pretty good for dry skin types due to the inclusion of the olive, almond, and coconut oils. Its emollience along with the presence of aloe vera will help soothe dry and inflamed skin. Too bad Catherine doesn’t have that kind of skin type. The PC RESIST Serum is fantastic and also reviewed HERE.

Eye Moisturizer: The Bobbi Brown Eye Cream contains several beneficial ingredients such as green tea and mulberry extracts, wrapped up in a decadently rich base of shea butter, olive oil, and petrolatum. However, it’s packaged in a jar, so down the drain it goes (in every sense of the word).

Moisturizers with SPF: All of the sunscreens listed are chemical sunscreens in a water and alcohol base. They all provide excellent UVA and UVB protection.

Primer: The Laura Mercier primer is very silky, but contains moderately high amounts of alcohol.

Acne Treatments: The Acne.org BP Treatment is excellent, having both 2.5% benzoyl peroxide and a silky gel texture–something that’s lacking in many OTC BP products.

Masks: Both the Sebum Clearing and Skin Refining Masques are clay masks that help absorb excess oil. However, with the inclusion of various irritants like menthol, sage, and camphor, these are no longer adequate, if they ever were. It’s odd because while these contain various forms clay, there’s also several emollients throw into the mixture. Talk about a confusing skin care line! The salicylic acid content in the Sebum Clearing Masque will not exfoliate the skin since the pH is too high (4.5). The Multivitamin and Hydrating Masques are anything but, with butylene glycol and glycerin as the main “emollients.” Not to mention that though some antioxidants are present, several other irritating ingredients are present in even higher concentrations, such as the bitter orange and lemon extracts.

Discussion:

Just like for Adrianna, our goal is to streamline Catherine’s routine and also, to focus on getting her acne under control. The main problem with her routine is that in an attempt to integrate anti-aging products, Catherine unknowing included heavy emollients and plant oils that can certainly contribute to an excess amount of sebum and clogged pores. Furthermore, certain treatments are applied in the wrong order and have therefore, become compromised.

Recommendation:

Morning:

• Cleanser: MooGoo Milk Wash OR Dr. Bronner’s Baby Unscented Pure Castille Soap
  • I personally would like Catherine to pick the MooGoo one just because it’s a bit more sophisticated. But it’s really her preference. I’d advise just picking one or the other.
• Toner: Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Toner
• HealingTreatment: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast (on open lesions)
  • The order of application is not “correct,” and will be addressed in the final version of the routine.
• Chemical Exfoliant: Paula’s Choice CLEAR Extra Strength Targeted Acne Relief Toner (on existing spots and nose area)
  • This contains 2% salicylic acid, which is meant more as a preventative measure against acne, rather than a treating one. While it certainly will treat existing acne, our goal is to treat the contributing factors that cause ance, not its aftermath or visible manifestations.
• Hydrating Toner: Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion
  • Please remove this. It has no real function and only serves to provide another layer of product that subsequent ones need to first penetrate before coming into contact with the skin.
• Anti-Aging Serum: Cosmetic Skin Solution’s Phloretin Serum AND Cosmetic Skin Solution’s Firming Eye Gel
  • I’d suggest removing both for different reasons. The Phloretin Serum’s efficacy comes mostly from the 10% L-ascorbic acid. Phloretin does have some documentation showing its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities, but nowhere near those of L-ascorbic acid. Furthermore, it contains ethanol, which will be irritating to Catherine’s already irritated skin.
  • The Firming Eye Gel is basically the same as the CSS C+E Serum (a dupe of the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic Serum), but 2x more expensive since it’s marketed as an eye product.  
  • Therefore, I’d recommend replacing both with the Cosmetic Skin Solutions C+E Serum because it has more research behind it (due to its similarities to the Skinceuticals version), and because it is more gentle and cost-efficient. If anyone’s curious to see how similar the two version here, refer to Nicki’s post HERE.
• Moisturizer: MooGoo MSM Smoothing Cream
  • Please remove this product. This may be the product in Catherine’s routine that’s most responsible for clogged pores, since it contains some heavy duty non-fragrant oils whose components are similar to sebum. Catherine’s skin being very oily, already has an excess of sebum. Why add to the torment?
• Eye Moisturizer: Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream
  • Please remove this product as well, mostly because it’s packaged in a jar. But again, Catherine’s skin is already so emollient, why use a heavy-duty emollient cream on top of that? Furthermore, any moisturizer can double-duty as an eye cream.
• Moisturizer with SPF: Shiseido Anessa Perfect Essence Sunscreen SPF 50 OR Kiehl’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 OR La Roche-Posay Anthelios 45 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid
  • I’d recommend removing all of these and finding a single mineral-based sunscreen that’s also lightweight in texture.
• Primer: Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation Primer
  • This is personal preference but, while this contains a bit of alcohol, which I said in my second FutureDerm post HERE, can dry up layers of product, it may still be too irritating for Catherine’s acne-prone skin. I’d (personally) recommend something like the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer SPF 15 due to its non-alcoholic-derived mattifying properties and inclusion of gentle mineral sunscreens. This can also be mixed into the Moisturizer with SPF, which would be nice as it further simplifies the routine and lessens the total wait time.

Evening:

• Makeup Remover: (Acne.org Organic Jojoba Oil OR MooGoo Oil Cleanser for Combination Skin) AND (L’Oreal Lip and Eye Makeup Remover)
  • For the oil cleansers, I’d suggest removing the MooGoo one because its primary oil is jojoba oil and it also contains potentially irritating essential oils. Usually I don’t mind them in something like a cleanser, but since Catherine’s skin is so easily irritated, I’d suggest removing any and all essential oils completely.
• Cleanser: Moogoo Milk Wash OR Dr. Bronner’s Baby Unscented Pure Castille Soap
  • Same as before, just pick one.
• Physical Exfoliant: Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (every other day) OR Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant (once a week)
  • As I discussed in Jessica’s routine HERE, physical exfoliation is not preferred over chemical exfoliation due to the former being inconsistent: By not exfoliating in some areas and too much in others. Furthermore, it isn’t constantly causing exfoliation, which is what skin naturally does and what chemical exfoliants mimic.
• Toner: Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Toner
• Healing Treatment: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast (on open lesions)
  • Again the order of application will be addressed soon.
• Chemical Exfoliant: Paula’s Choice CLEAR Extra Strength Targeted Acne Relief Toner
  • Because Catherine expressed that this product is quite irritating to her skin, I’d recommend using this only during the daytime.
• Hydrating Toner: Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion
  • Remove please.
• Lightening Serum: Cosmetic Skin Solutions Phyto Botanical Gel
  • Because we’re not going to be using the PC CLEAR Toner morning and evening, we still need something with salicylic acid to address the acne. Therefore, I’m recommending the Paula’s Choice RESIST Clearly Remarkable Skin Lightening Gel, which contains 2% salicylic acid (but without the penetration enhancer methylpropanediol from the PC CLEAR Toner and therefore, has less irritation potential) and 2% hydroquinone, which will further address any hyperpigmentation.
  • By alternating the Phyto Botanical Gel and the PC RESIST Gel, Catherine will still be getting all the lightening ingredients her skin needs, with the addition of a slightly less potent salicylic acid treatment.
  • And if Catherine or anyone is scared to use hydroquinone, rest assured it’s safe to use. I’m not going to go into detail, as this topic will be addressed in numerous future posts, but I will quickly just say that even arbutin (which is supposedly and correctly all-natural) is just glycosylated hydroquinone, meaning that it’s lightening capabilities are because of its HYDROQUINONE content.
• Anti-Aging Serum: Trilogy Age Proof Nutrient Plus Firming Serum
  • Please remove this because of the inclusion of several emollients that Catherine’s skin doesn’t require and probably can’t tolerate, leading to clogged pores and increasingly damaging breakouts.
• Moisturizer: Paula’s Choice RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum
• Eye Moisturizer: Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream
  • Same as the morning comment: remove due to jar packaging and emollience.
• Acne Treatment: Acne.org 2.5% Benzoyle Peroxide Treatment (on spots and chin area)
  • This product is fine but used in the wrong order.

Others:

• Deep Cleanse Mask: Dermalogica Sebum Clearing Masque OR Dermalogica Skin Refining Masque
  • Please remove these. With the removal of several heavy products, Catherine’s skin will be less oily. Furthermore, there are better ways of controlling oils such as with a primer, foundation, powder, etc…
• Hydrating Mask: Dermalogica Multivitamin Recovery Masque OR Dermalogica Hydrating Masque
  • Please also remove these. These aren’t particularly hydrating and contain several essential oils. Usually I don’t mind them in something like a mask but like for the MooGoo oil cleanser, since Catherine’s skin is so easily irritated, I’d suggest completely removing any and all essential oils.
  • Furthermore, I don’t believe in masks because they’re on the skin for such short periods of a time. The skin’s health is significantly more influenced by a person’s daily routine, not gimmicky masks that are done once or twice per week.

SO TO SUM EVERYTHING UP, HERE’S WHAT I’D LIKE CATHERINE’S ROUTINE TO LOOK LIKE.

Morning:

• Cleanser: MooGoo Milk Wash OR Dr. Bronner’s Baby Unscented Pure Castille Soap (Pick ONE)
• Toner: Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Toner
• Chemical Exfoliant: Paula’s Choice CLEAR Extra Strength Targeted Acne Relief Toner (over entire face)
• Acne Treatment: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast (on open lesions only and wait at least 30 minutes)
• Anti-Aging Serum: Cosmetic Skin Solution’s C+E Serum
• Moisturizer with SPF: Catherine’s Choice!
• Primer: Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation Primer (keep only if absolutely necessary) (Like I said above, Catherine can mix a little bit of something like the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer SPF 15 into her Moisturizer with SPF and skip this step entirely, which of course is preferred)

Evening:

• Makeup Remover: Acne.org Organic Jojoba Oil AND L’Oreal Lip and Eye Makeup Remover
• Cleanser: Moogoo Milk Wash or Dr. Bronner’s Baby Unscented Pure Castille Soap (Pick ONE)
• Toner: Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Oil-Reducing Toner
• Lightening Serum: Paula’s Choice RESIST Clearly Remarkable Skin Lightening Gel OR  Cosmetic Skin Solutions Phyto Botanical Gel (alternate everyday)
• Acne Treatment: Acne.org 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide Treatment (on lesions only and wait at least 30 minutes)
• Moisturizer: Paula’s Choice RESIST Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum

Hopefully, everyone can see that Catherine’s skin won’t be so covered up and clogged by heavy emollients with this much simpler routine! I was hesitant on whether or not to recommend a retinol product (because it’s such a fantastic multi-purpose ingredient), but since Catherine claims to have tried retinoids before (and responded negatively to them), I ultimately decided not to go down that same path.

Conclusion:

I’d be lying if I didn’t think that some people “deserve” a detailed routine review more than others, but alas, I have to consider everyone equally and do any and all routines in the order that I receive them. But I really want to take the time and thank Catherine for trusting me and even including photos of her condition. Many people with as severe a conditions as hers, would be too ashamed or afraid to show bare-faced pictures. Catherine is quite fearless and I am very proud of her.

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments down below. And if anyone would like for me to review his/her routine in a similar fashion, click HERE.

Like I’ve mentioned before in the Disclaimer, I am not a medical professional of any kind, so if you decide to follow my advise, do so knowing that you bear full responsibility.

*This is something new that I’ve decided to do from now on. I was actually inspired by Emma (routine review v 0.04), but from now on and for any past reviews, if a reviewee follows my advice for a significant (relatively) period of time and gives me a detailed (relatively) update on how his/her skin is responding to the new routine, your response will be given ITS OWN POST! And I will respond with my own thoughts of course. You could say its a way for you to have a GUEST POST on this site! Of course if you have a blog or something you’d like to share, you may provide a link. I think it’d be a fun and educational way that will benefit both parties! Any “updates” will be included in a completely separate series. In no way will the choice or promise to give an “update” affect whose routine gets reviewed or when that happens. I will add this information to the Template, but I’ll include it in the next few Come Out routine reviews!