u/Any_Conversation990

Azelaic acid messes up my skin more than tret… what am I doing wrong

I can tolerate tretinoin pretty well now, my skin slowly got used to it and I’m using 0.025 without much issue.

But azelaic acid is a completely different story for me. Every time I try it, my skin gets really dehydrated and tight and just feels uncomfortable overall. It honestly affects my barrier way more than tret ever did, which I didn’t expect at all.

I do want to eventually move up to prescription strength azelaic acid, but right now it just feels like my skin can’t handle it unless I change something.

For context, I have oily acne prone skin and I live in a very hot and humid place.

My routine is pretty simple. In the morning I use Cetaphil gentle cleanser and sunscreen. At night I use the same cleanser, tretinoin 0.025 and Bioderma Atoderm moisturiser.

I’m wondering if anyone else had this experience with azelaic acid and managed to make it work. I feel like I’m missing something with how I’m using it.