Thanks to Rodan + Fields for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’ve struggled with breakouts and cystic acne for so long, I have forgotten exactly when it started. After countless years and thousands of dollars I have found a system and routine with products that work for my skin (of course this changes from time to time dependent on life factors, weather, etc.). And my cystic acne finally subsided! But wait… Why does it look like I still have a face full of acne? These spots are flat! So, it’s not an active breakout. What is this discoloration? Why does it look like I am still struggling with acne when I’m not? WHAT ARE THESE SPOTS?!
So imagine my shock when I went from this…
To this…
But I still felt like ugh. I should have felt like a million bucks, but I didn’t. Yes, my skin looked better. But I didn’t feel better. Why? Because I still felt like it looked like I had acne. Because I still needed makeup to make my skin look “flawless.” Because, unless you were examining my face, you wouldn’t be able to tell that these spots were flat – that they were not acne and, well, just post- acne marks.
So now I was on a mission to find products that would address these spots head-on and I preferably didn’t want to spend countless years and thousands of dollars doing so.
Fast forward a little time and some trials and tribulations and I landed on the REVERSE Regimen from Rodan + Fields. Yes, yes, the same doctors that brought you Proactiv (fun fact: did you know that my mom used Proactiv when I was growing up and because of that it was the first skincare I ever used!). Rodan + Fields was founded by Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields in 2002, which has become an incredible brand of skincare products under their namesake.
The REVERSE Regimen plus REVERSE Targeted Dark Spot Corrector focuses on correcting and preventing the appearance of dullness and skin discoloration – aka the discoloration and brown spots left over from my acne (post-acne marks). The regimen is also easy and quick to use, it is literally laid out for you – 3 numbered steps to efficiently reverse visible discoloration. Do you like what I did there? ☺
These products are smart, too. They are created to perform at the optimal time of day allowing even better results. How, you ask? During the day it is all about the magic combo of Niacinamide and Rodan + Fields’ patented RF3 Antioxidant Complex. First, the Niacinamide works to brighten skin and visibly even the skin tone; then the RF3 Antioxidant Complex bumps up the skin’s resilience allowing it to defend against aggressors that lead to discoloration. Then at night, it is all about actually minimizing the appearance of those pesky dark spots. Best way to do that? Vitamin C. But did you know that Vitamin C becomes unstable once mixed into water solutions, rendering it worthless because it degrades almost entirely upon exposure to oxygen? I know, mind-blowing. So what makes the tone correcting treatment from the 3-step regimen effective? Stability. Rodan + Fields uses 10% stable Vitamin C and boosts it with their proprietary Retinal MD Technology and Kojic Acid tackling visible dark spots and discoloration head-on.
Now, before I get into the step by steps of this regimen, let me lay down some facts for you. Because after all, it’s the clinical results that really matter.
CLINICAL RESULTS:*
Instant:
73% noticed instantly brighter skin
After 2 Weeks:
84% noticed softer, smoother-feeling skin
After 4 Weeks:
70% noticed skin looked more radiant/luminous
After 8 Weeks:
85% had less visible dark spots
73% noticed clearer, more translucent skin
97% had more moisturized skin
82% noticed healthier-looking and feeling skin
70% said skin has a healthy glow
These clinical results were provided to me by the R+F team. *Based on an 8-week U.S. clinical and consumer study. Results may vary depending on multiple factors: age, gender, skin type and condition, concomitant products used, health history, location, lifestyle and diet.
Remember when I said this regimen was easy to use? Well, I wasn’t lying. It’s literally 3 steps and it's numbered out for you. It’s so easy that my grandma (who doesn’t speak English by the way) would be able to use it! So what are these 3 steps?
Step 1: Cleanse. First things first, we cleanse our skin with the Deep Exfoliating Cleanser. This step is a no brainer because your canvas needs to be cleansed. But the beauty of this cleanser is that it not just cleans but it exfoliates your skin by using not just physical, but also chemical, exfoliants to buff away the dull and pigmented cells sitting on the surface of your skin.
Step 2: Tone. Now that your canvas has been cleansed, it needs to be prepped for all the goodness that’s about to come its way. Cue the Intensive Brightening Toner. This toner is gentle yet effective. It uses Niacinamide to decongest skin and visibly even skin tone, Sodium Hyaluronate to hydrate and soothe skin and Licorice Extract to calm the skin and visibly reduce discoloration.
Step 3 (AM): Protect. Did you know that the sun is your skin's worst enemy? Everything we do day in and day out in our bathroom to address our skin concerns can all be erased by going into the sun without protection. Premature aging, like visible fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots…the list goes on. So yes, although mine, and maybe your dark spots are caused by acne, sun exposure can make them appear more prominent. So, rain or shine, indoor or out, always protect your skin. And, yes, you guessed it. The last step in the morning is SPF. The Brightening Defense Fluid Broad Spectrum Lotion isn’t just any SPF – it is a Broad Spectrum SPF of 50 that includes the patented RF3 Antioxidant Complex and Licorice Extract. So that while you’re protecting your skin from harmful rays, you’re also helping to address current discoloration.
Step 3 (PM): Treat. So you’ve now cleansed, toned and protected your skin, but you need to actually treat the problem. Although all the steps have tried-and-true ingredients that will help with the discoloration, the true treatment to the culprit is in the last step of your evening regimen. The Tone Correcting Treatment joins the forces of the brightening power of the 10% stabilized Vitamin C with the revitalizing strength of Kojic Acid and Rodan + Fields’ proprietary Retinal MD Technology. The combination of these ingredients into one boosted formula work to visibly even skin tone and minimize the appearance of dark spots and brown spots.
Bonus Step: Now think of this as your secret weapon. The Targeted Dark Spot Corrector, which precisely targets the look of stubborn dark marks and patches to visibly minimize the size and intensity of uneven pigmentation. Rodan + Fields partnered with an international biochem company, Sirona Biochem Inc., to leverage their innovative new molecule as part of R+F proprietary technology ToneRF. Everything down to its packaging allowed me to directly and precisely target my stubborn dark marks. I personally love using this daily – specifically at night, between Steps 2 and 3!
Now I know I’ve talked your ear off (or read your eye off? Not sure how that phrase correlates into a blog post haha), so I’ll end this here. But I do want to leave you with this: I saw visible results from REVERSE Regimen, but as with any skincare, it’s all about consistency of use and continuous use. But one thing is for sure, the longer you use it and the more consistently, the better your visible results.
REVERSE Regimen and REVERSE Targeted Dark Spot Corrector are available to purchase here on www.rodanandfields.com or through an Independent Consultant.
xx, Neghin
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