At Dermatologist's Choice we are committed to helping you achieve your best skin. Every question is important to us. Sometimes your questions can help others thinking the same thing. In this case, we want to share a recent question regarding our Glycolic Peel Cleansing Pads, Facial Enhancement Cream, and Ultra Anti-Aging Cream. 

You are doing it correctly by starting with once a week for three weeks. This helps your skin build a tolerance to the non-neutralized glycolic acid. Great job! The Facial Enhancement (daily moisturizer) is milder than the Ultra Anti-Aging Cream (night/treatment cream).

To start what is your skin type and have you ever used glycolic acid before? I can better help personalize a routine if provided this information but in the meantime here are some helpful tips. 

- The Facial Enhancement Cream is DermChoice's "everyday moisturizer". This cream is only 5% non-neutralized glycolic acid, suitable for daily application. If you have never used glycolic before then you might feel some "tingling" or see redness, but this i normal and will go away after a couple uses when skin builds a tolerance to the glycolic. It is important that the 5% is in the daily moisturizer because just a moisturizer will not activate skin cell change, reducing fine lines, acne, and skin pigmentation. So feel free to use the Facial Enhancement daily and re-apply as needed. If you are looking for skin improvement over time and to keep blemishes at bay then this is for you. 

- The Ultra Anti-Aging Cream is the "night or treatment cream" Think of this as the "heavy lifter" of the DermChoice products. The Ultra Anti-Aging cream is our flagship product with the highest percentage, 15% non-neutralized, glycolic acid. Since it does have the highest percentage of clinical-grade non-neutralized glycolic this will accelerate the cell turnover process similar to a mild dermatology office chem peel. If you have experience with glycolic or have built a tolerance then it is possible to use everyday. If not, it is likely to experience some redness, flaking, and tingling when first applying. This is normal and will calm as your skin builds a tolerance- just soothe with cold water or lotion. Other options include using it as a spot treatment around the eyes, mouth, and forehead. Simply put, if you have an acne, fine line, or pigmentation spot you would like to "zap" away using the Ultra Anti-Aging cream is the way to quickly minimize these blemishes and accelerate results. No time wasted!

- The Glycolic Peel Pads cleanse, exfoliate, and treat. The Glycolic Peel Cleansing Pads are a "game-changer". They will take your routine to the next level and results will be experienced sooner. This will clear your skin of excess oils, dirt, and make up while delivering the 10% non-neutralized glycolic, which is similar to receiving a mild dermatologist office chem-peel. This product will be drying- helps minimize acne, skin pigmentation, and fine lines. When applied before the Facial Enhancement Cream and Ultra Anti-Aging Cream it helps the creams penetrate deeper into the pores increasing the impact and results. This is the closest to a true dermatologist treatment at-home. The pads are also ideal for traveling, camping, after working out when traditional cleansing is not possible. 

Please note: You can use all three products at once or you can pick and choose depending on how your skin feels/looks. You can base this off the percentage of glycolic in each product. (Facial Enhancement Cream 5% glycolic, Glycolic Peel Cleansing Pads 10% glycolic, and Ultra Anti-aging Cream 15% glycolic). The important aspect of our product line is the delivery of real clinical grade ingredients, such as Glycolic Acid. This will make the difference in your skin. The higher the percentage of glycolic the more immediate the results and stronger the treatment. 

This may look like a lot so I'm happy to make it simple by answering any additional questions. I'm happy to help.

Do you have a question about skincare? Comment below.