ASK HERE! Daily Help, and Questions: April 28, 2016

I'm 36 with very oily, acne prone skin with large medium dark melasma patches on my forehead and a couple of small spots on the left side of my face. (I use sunscreen daily, seriously avoid the sun, use hats, umbrellas, I don't have children, not on birth control, a hormone imbalance test did not show any abnormalities, there is no history of melasma in my immediate family)

I used 4% hydroquinone twice daily and retin-a micro 0.04% twice weekly for the past 3 months and my hyperpigmentation lightened by about 60%, which is GREAT but its still there. My acne lesions are under control, I still get clogged pores mostly on my chin but they just don't turn into pimples. I plan to keep using the retin-a but need to discontinue the hydroquinone. I'm happiest with my Cerave cleanser and Cerave moisturizer but I'm open to switch out all other items. I least like my sunscreen, it wears great but the tint does not match my skin well. I pretend that it does though and justify it by saying that at least I'm protecting my skin. :) Also, I know arbutin, kojic acid and azelaic acid are promising ingredients...what specific products can I use to specifically target the melasma, at least to maintain my current results?

A.M. CLEANSE: Cerave Hydrating cleanser EXFOLIATE: 2% Stridex BHA (non-tretinoin days only) TREAT melasma: 4% Hydroquinone TREAT aging: PC 15% Vitamin C serum MOISTURIZE: Cerave Moisturizing lotion PM PROTECT: PC Resist Spf 30

P.M. Pre-CLEANSE: Emulsifying hemp oil CLEANSE: Cerave foaming cleanser TONE: PC Resist Advanced replenishing toner TREAT melasma: 4% Hydroquinone TREAT acne: Tretinoin 0.04% (M,F) MOISTURIZE: Cerave Moisturizing lotion PM

Other possible relevant info: I don't have any known allergies. I'm about NC20, live in Southern California (Mediterranean climate). Also, I pay out of pocket for my skin prescriptions since my health insurance considers them to be cosmetic, so I prefer to stay away from super pricey items. Thank you so much for any assistance!

/r/AsianBeauty Thread