How Do I Use Saranghae Products For Hyper-Pigmentation & Scarring
CCustomer: Kylie S.
Skin Type: Combination
Skin Concern: Large Pores, Hyper-Pigmentation, Acne Scars
Skin Stage: Mid-Mature (35 to 44)
MQuestion From Kylie
Hi Saranghae,
I have been a long time fan of your products and have been using the 5 step routine for years. With all the new products coming out, I am feeling a little overwhelmed about selecting the right AM and PM routine for my skin. I am in my early 40s and would like to reduce age/acne spots and wrinkles. I naturally have combination skin (but your moisturizer has eliminated the dryness!), rarely have acne at this point, but do have old acne spots along with age spots that popped up during my pregnancies and have not fully gone away.
I am noticing more fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes and on my forehead. Right now I start my day with the 5 step routine. In the evenings, I use the toner, Advanced Brightening & Dark Spot Repair Serum with 25% Vitamin C + 1% Tranexamic Acid, the bioactive collagen system, and then finish with the moisturizer. Any tips, tricks, or sequences to meet my skincare needs and goals would be really appreciated!
Best, Kylie
Saranghae Recommendation
Hi Kylie,
I understand that you feel overwhelmed. Heck, sometimes we feel overwhelmed and many of us here have spent time testing and creating these formulations. How one incorporates our products, and any brand's skincare product will depend on skin type, skin concern, time of year and timing of products (for example retinol should be cycle on/off every 45 days).
Many of these products can be complimentary, but many can also overlap because we want to offer our customers choice in formulation and products. For example, one customer may love the snail mucin serum, some may not like the idea of using snail mucin at all (even though it's an incredible formulation). Your skin concerns are: anti-aging, acne scars, hyper-pigmentation/spots - so let's start with that.
Along with the Advanced Brightening & Dark Spot Repair Serum with 25% Vitamin C + 1% Tranexamic Acid - I'll call 25% vitamin C serum (that name is so long! lol). I would recommend you try 2 other products to start.
1) Advanced Pore Minimizing & Skin Tone Corrective Serum With 10% Niacinamide + 1% Glutathione
The 10% niacinamide is a complimentary product to the 25% vitamin C for hyper-pigmentation. Origially we wanted to combine all 4 ingredients into 1 super serum but the formula became unstable when you combined all 4 ingredients so we separated into 2 products. If hyper-pigmentation is the main concern, try stacking the 25% vitamin C serum with the 10% niacinamide serum
2) 2% AHA|BHA Pore Minimizing Exfoliant with Salicylic & Lactic Acids
This is your acne/acne scar treatment. At 2% Salicylic Acid and 1% Lactic Acid, this liquid exfoliant is highly concetrated and extremely powerful. The lactic acid helps clear all manner of dead skin and impurities at the surface level, the salicylic acid clears out deeply clogged pores and excess sebum.
The combination of the water soluble and oil soluble acids is what makes this product highly effective. However unlike most brands, our exfoliant is gentle on sensitive skin so you get the best of both worlds. Try it out with your night time routine maybe 2x a week to start (use a cotton pad to wipe and leave on). It's important to continue with your regular skin care routine to calm inflammation and protect newly exfoliated skin. You will see a brigther, smoother and more radiant skin almost immediately. By the way, it is a very powerful acid so plesae be mindful on frequeny of use. Also, if it does prove too strong, try our Calm & Glow Snail Mucin Serum 96 immediately after the exfoliant (but wait to see how you react to the 2% first). It greatly reduces the inflammation and kicks start the healing process.
So my recommended night time routine would like this
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday (night time routine)
1 - cleanser (with brush)
2 - toner
3 - 25% vitamin C serum
4 - 10% niacinamide serum
5 - deep radiance OR bioactive collagen serum
6 - eye cream
7 - bioactive collagen cream
Wednesday, Sunday
1 - cleanser (with brush)
2 - 2% AHA | BHA Pore Minimizing Exfoliant
3 - 10% niacinamide serum,
4 - deep radiance OR bioactive collagen serum
5 - eye cream
6 - bioactive collagen cream
Becareful not to combine the 2% AHA | BHA with any other concentrated corrective in the same routine. It's highly acidic and very strong (it's clinical strength). I recommend you start with 2 days a week, but over time you can get to ALMOST everyday (although I limit myself to every other day, but I do know of many that use the exfoliant everyday).
Day Routine (everyday)
1 - cleanser
2 - toner
3 - 10% niacinamide serum
4 - bioactive collagen serum
5 - bioactive collagen cream
6 - sunscreen at least SPF30, mineral based recommended
You'll see exceptional pore shrinkage, even skin tone, diminishing of acne scars and diminishing of hyper-pigmentation. You'll also see a smoother skin due to the resurfacing.
A few points to consider:
1) Your night time routine is the most comprehensive and I would say important because your skin’s waste removal, repair and regeneration happens mostly at night when you sleep.
2) Your day routine should fit your lifestyle but always consider applying your sunscreen during day time. As you probably already know, protection from UV light is probably the single most effective thing you can do to prevent future wrinkles and sagging skin. If you must skip you daytime routine, that’s ok, it happens from time to time. But my advice is to always be vigilant with your night time routine.
3) Consistency is more important than any miracle product or formula. Your largest skincare gains will come from simply practicing this foundational skincare routine consistently over days/weeks/months/years.
Give the above routine a try, I think it'll make a big difference in your skin. You will eventually need to revamp again probably every year or so. But I think that's part of the fun :)
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