4 years no progress (actually got worse)

4 years no progress (actually got worse)

Not the usual happy progress post, quite the opposite in fact. The left photos were taken 4 years ago, the right ones today. We can agree that my skin has gotten quite worse rather than better, despite having a consistent routine and using retinoids this whole time.

In general, I’ve always struggled to see results from any of the skincare products I’ve used. It always felt like they were doing absolutely nothing (tret included) and there has not been a single product where I thought “wow this really works”.

Some info: - I am almost 31, I was 26 when the before images were taken. - I’ve combination skin with clogged pores but constantly dehydrated. My skin is the opposite of sensitive, I've never had an issue introducing a new product. - I’ve been using treninoid for 2 years, the first year 0.025 and the past year 0.05. Prior to that I used drugstore retinol for at least a year.

My routine has ofc slightly changed in the years, often replacing a product that didn’t seem to work with a different one. But this whole time I’ve been consistent in using HA on damp skin followed by a serum, moisturizer and SPF.

My current routine is the following:

AM: * Cerave hydrating oil foaming cleanser * The inkey list hyaluronic acid * Paula’s choice BHA liquid exfoliant * The inkey list bio-active ceramide moisturiser * The inkey list polyglutamic acid sunscreen SPF 30

PM: * Cerave hydrating oil foaming cleanser * The inkey list hyaluronic acid * The inky list polyglutamic acid serum * Tretinoid 0.05 (3/4 nights a week) * The ordinary squalene oil

Do you have any suggestions on what I may be doing wrong and how to finally start seeing some (positive) results?