Long post coming. I split it into sections so people can skip to whatever part they care about. I did use AI a bit to clean up the writing, but the full experience and timeline is my own.
This whole thing started almost a year back, so I might not remember every single product or step perfectly.
Skin before breakoutBefore all this drama, my skin was mostly clear and a bit oily. I rarely got inflamed acne. Sometimes I had a few closed comedones here and there but they were small and not really noticeable. My skin would get a little sensitive with heat and sweat sometimes, but overall it was healthy and easy to manage.
I did break out once during 2022–2023 when I switched from Minimalist 2% salicylic acid serum and 10% niacinamide serum to cosrx bha. That breakout eventually settled once I started adapalene.
Photo: Oct 2025 added in slide
Routine before breakoutAM- Bioderma Micellar Gel Cleanser
- Kikumasamune High Moist toner
- Sunscreen (alternating between Skin Aqua Super Moisture Gel, Nivea Super Water Gel, and Nivea UV Deep Protect & Care Gel)
PM- Double cleanse with oil cleanser or micellar water if I was wearing makeup or heavier sunscreen
- Bioderma Micellar Gel Cleanser
- Kikumasamune High Moist toner
- Plum Green Tea Oil-Free Moisturizer
- Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
I didn't use acids along with adapalene. I did try a few random products here and there during this time but nothing long enough to really affect my skin.
Timeline Part 1 BreakoutMarch 2025I started VT Reedle Shot 100 mostly out of curiosity after seeing it literally everywhere on social media. My skin had always been pretty strong so I assumed it would handle it without any issue.
I used it around once a week. Sometimes I even used it on nights when I was also applying adapalene.
You can actually feel the micro spicules in reedle shot when you apply the rest of your skincare. Even the next morning while washing your face you can still feel them. The product itself didn't feel irritating though. I didn't get any obvious redness or burning.
May 2025Suddenly I noticed a huge increase in closed comedones. Small clusters started forming on my cheeks and I also started getting red inflamed pimples.
At that time I didn't suspect Reedle Shot at all. My skin had always been strong so I assumed it was something hormonal or environmental.
Photo: added in slide (May 2025) CC clusters and early breakouts
June 2025I stopped Reedle Shot because I was worried it might make the acne worse. At this stage I mostly tried to manage things with the same routine and tested a few calming products like Skin1004 Tea-Trica serum.
At first it felt like it was helping but in the long run it didn't really change much. The CC clusters and random inflamed pimples kept coming.
September 2025During this time I did visit a dermatologist but the suggestion was basically benzoyl peroxide and adapalene only as spot treatment. That honestly didn't make much sense because I had already been using adapalene regularly on my whole face for a long time.
I was getting desperate to fix my skin. During my first breakout in 2022–2023 our family GP had suggested tretinoin but at that time I wanted to try something gentler first so I went with adapalene. This time I finally decided to start tret.
Timeline Part 2 Starting tretBasic routine during tretAM- Cerave Foaming Cleanser
- Remedy Rich Moisture Cream for Dry Skin
- Tocobo Cica Sun Serum
- Naturium Phyto Glow Lip Balm later Laneige Glowy Lip Balm
PM- Oil cleanse (Inkey List Oat Balm or Softymo Speedy Oil)
- Cerave Foaming Cleanser
- L'Oréal HA Caffeine Eye Serum
- Sana Nameraka Honpo Eye Cream (pink)
- Cerave Moisturizing Cream
- Avene Cicalfate (added later when dryness became intense)
- Tocobo Vita Lip Mask
The area around my mouth is super sensitive and cannot handle tret or benzoyl peroxide properly. So I skipped both tret and benzoyl peroxide in that area. Winter plus tret also caused a lot of flaking around that spot.
Weeks 1–3 (October)My skin actually looked clearer and I didn't purge at all. Even when I used adapalene earlier I never purged, so I thought everything was going perfectly.
After a few weeksDryness slowly started showing up, especially around my mouth. At first it was manageable but the irritation gradually increased.
I stopped the Skin1004 serums and paused benzoyl peroxide because my skin felt irritated. I started getting around one inflamed pimple maybe twice a month which I assumed was hormonal.
December 2025Dryness got worse because of winter plus tret. I added Avene Cicalfate at night and started using benzoyl peroxide again in the morning to dry out pimples faster.
Around this time the closed comedones that had been sitting on my cheeks for months finally started coming out and turning into big pus filled pimples. But they didn't all come out together. They appeared slowly one by one which made the whole process feel super long and frustrating.
Benzoyl peroxide helped dry them out faster once they appeared.
January 2026At this point I was honestly feeling very discouraged. I had started tret in October and my skin seemed to improve at first but then suddenly it didn't.
I even thought maybe tret just doesn't work for me. But I still continued using it anyway. I was honestly so sad and frustrated that I stopped taking photos for a while.
February 2026By February most of the CC had finally surfaced and cleared. I also stopped getting new pimples.
What was left was some redness and mild micro scarring, but overall the congestion underneath my skin was gone.
That's when I realised tret had probably pushed out all the closed comedones that were stuck under my skin for months. Even the ones around my chin, between my eyebrows and under my eyebrows. I didn't take photos of those areas because I didn't think tret would actually help with congestion there.
Final thoughts & Current RoutineLooking back now, I feel like Reedle Shot probably triggered the initial CC buildup. Then tret slowly pushed them out months later.
The process took way longer than I expected. Mostly because the CC came out slowly one by one, which made me think it was irritation breakouts instead of purging.
Now that the weather is getting hotter and more humid, I stopped using Avene Cicalfate and Remedy Rich Moisture Cream. My skin is getting slightly oily again.
I also added Eucerin Dual Serum and night cream to help prevent PIH from the leftover redness.
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You looked amazing in 2024, I have to say your skin was really great back then
I really liked what you wrote and the stickers, thanks for sharing, it was really helpful. I am thinking of starting tret too since my skin breaks out easily and is sensitive. Also, could you please tell me where you bought the naturium brand and the jbeauty products? I have these tiny bumps all over my face and I have no idea which product is causing them.
Thanks for the detailed post, I think I will learn a lot from it and from the comments you get. By the way, I am new to all this skincare stuff and the products, so sorry if my comment does not make sense or seems unnecessary.