I’ve been using my Skin & Me prescription for three months now and my skin has changed so much in that time, so in line with all my other skincare based posts, here is my honest review.
Skin and Me are a skincare brand who specialise in prescription based skincare which is personalised just for you.
All you need to do is have a dermatology consultation with them and your personalised doser will be sent in the mail! (this includes sending in 3 photos of your face & answering some questions).
Skin and Me make your skincare routine simpler and easier, with you only needing to apply one dose of your treatment every night, followed by your moisturiser!
It’s designed to be applied at night, so the treatment can get to work whilst you sleep. We all know that your skincare works best at night, as it’s when your skin repairs itself.
Like I said, I’ve been using my doser for three months now and I can’t quite believe just how much my skin has changed in that time.
They say that it can take up to 16 weeks to see any changes and I’ll admit, I was tempted to change my prescription from tackling my skin texture to instead helping to get rid of my acne as it had been concerning me for a while.
It didn’t seem as though the doser was working properly, but if only I’d waited a couple more weeks…..
My Skincare Journey
I’ve had quite the journey with my skin over the years and have suffered from acne for almost my whole life.
It did seem to clear up after I finally got my skin type properly assessed when I came back from Australia and started working in Yorkshire in 2016.
It turned out my skin was severely dehydrated – in fact my moisture levels were at a shockingly low 29%!
When I went to the Kiehl’s store in York, it turned out that I was using completely the wrong products for my skin type!
After my moisture levels were checked, I was given a whole bunch of Kiehl’s products to help improve my skin. To say I was shocked when I learnt just how badly dehydrated my skin was, is an understatement!
Almost as soon as I started using my new skincare products, my skin literally changed overnight.
I’d say that the hero product in my routine was the Hydro plumping re-texturising serum concentrate.
This little bottle of goodness gave my skin exactly what it needed most – hydration! With this, my skin could repair itself and thus give way to acne free skin.
So I’ve learnt a lot over the past few years about my skin, learning about the different skin types, how to handle them and to treat my skin properly, instead of treating it as one big spot!
I’ve found that if you treat your skin for what it is, then you may find that your skin repairs itself naturally anyway.
So, with my acne under control it was time to sort out my skin texture. Something I hadn’t really considered before, but definitely an aspect of my skin I wanted to sort out.
I’d had a patch of dry skin on my cheek along with a couple of spots for as long as I can remember, so it was with this in mind that I started on my journey with Skin & Me.
Month One
Tretinoin 0.006%
Niacinamide 4%
Azelaic acid 4%
I was very excited to try this new prescription skincare product out for myself, as I had seen them around Instagram, showing plenty of befores and afters.
When one of my friends had a code which meant I only needed to pay the £3.50 pharmacy fee – a bargain in my opinion and I’d not lose out too much if it really didn’t work out for me.
When you first sign up you go through a dermatology consultation with the Skin & Me pharmacists so they can correctly assess your skin and therefore go forward and put together the correct acids for your particular skin concern.
All these acids will be at a low percentage to begin with – to allow your skin the time it needs to get used to them and build up slowly over time.
This is important especially if your skin is prone to reacting – although this would’ve been covered in the consultation if your skin is particularly sensitive.
My main skin concern was mainly to sort out my skin texture as (at the time!) my acne was under control and would usually only flare up around my time of the month. I’ve always thought that my skin could do with a bit of an overhaul, I’ve tried various skincare devices/tools in the past and whilst they’ve worked for a while, there’s nothing that’s quite worked long-term.
So with these thoughts in mind, I started using my personalised doser every night and with it, my simplified skincare routine.
Month Two
Tretinoin 0.009%
niacinamide 4%
Azelaic acid 4%
After a month of using my Skin and Me doser there had been some change, although perhaps not as much as I was perhaps hoping for! I know with acids it can take time for changes to be seen – upto 16 weeks as your skin adjusts and goes through a purge and renewal cycle.
But there was hope, I could definitely see some small changes and my overall look was starting to look better – even after a 7k run!
With everything, there will of course be negatives before seeing any positives. But I’d also say that there are always positives to see in everything – even in the negatives!
My skin was definitely changing and it was so good to see, I was also loving how much the doser had simplified my skincare routine. In the morning, I do my usual routine of hot cloth cleanser, serum, oil, eye cream and moisturiser.
At night, it’s just my hot cloth cleanser again, my Skin & Me doser and then moisturiser 10 minutes later if I need it.
I could actually tell that my skin’s texture was changing as it felt different – smoother and not as dry. I almost couldn’t believe how much it had changed – it was starting to look brighter too!
The patch on my cheek also cleared up – I almost didn’t notice it at first because I’m so used to seeing it there but it was when I clocked that the two spots/lumps I’d had there, simply weren’t there anymore!
It was amazing! I feel that with this patch gone, then my whole attitude towards my skin has changed, even the occasional hormonal spot doesn’t dampen my spirits when I look at my face anymore.
Before this though I was contemplating changing my prescription from tackling my skin texture to instead tackling my acne as it was plaguing me for a while and I was upset that it didn’t seem as though my Skin & Me doser was actually working.
Discovering that, in fact, it WAS working ensured that I didn’t change it or cancel my subscription completely! I was willing to use up my month two doser and continue with my subscription for another month – after all 16 weeks is the desired time-frame for changes to occur.
Month Three
Tretinoin 0.012%
Niacinamide 4%
Azelaic acid 4%
Well I’ve only just started with this month’s doser which sees my Tretinoin increase to 0.012% - this retinoid accelerates skin cell turnover to improve skin’s texture.
I’m excited to see where my skin is at when I finish month three, I’m pretty sure it’ll be looking amazing and I’ll be back here raving to everyone about how they should get themselves a doser too!
If you DO fancy seeing for yourself the amazing changes that can happen when you have a dermatology consultation with Skin & Me, don’t forget to use my code: SARAHD5VTJ to get two months free and only pay the pharmacy fee! It’s TOTALLY worth it!
Sarah
xoxoxo
