My new derm is one of the most helpful I've ever been to. My first appointment with him took an hour (yep, a whole hour!!) and during the appointment he went through everything I was using (I had to take it all with me) and went into everything I have used over the past year in detail, examined my skin closely and helped me work out a combination of products that should work to clear up the remainder of my concerns/problems.

So it's back to Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser in the mornings and Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar in the evenings to remove sunscreen. In the mornings he told me to use Finacea, followed by my sunscreen and in the evenings Differin gel mixed with Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum (fragrance free). He said the Olay serum gave "the best bang-for-buck" and was a serum he recommended to a lot of his patients as it works for most skin types and conditions.

That's it and he wants to see me again in a month to see how I go on just those basics.

He said given my history of sunbathing that my skin was in "superb condition" and that he could barely tell I'd been a regular at the beaches and tanning salons. He also thought that I was only in my mid 20's which was a real buzz!! (my reply to that was "are you kissin' my tooshie?" ) He could see that I do have a problem with clogged pores, and that I do have mild rosacea, but he felt that both would be able to be easily controlled in a matter of months without compromising my skin barrier.

Keep your fingers crossed for me

(now, what am I going to do about all this space in my goodie bag?)