Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum here and I will post soon in the Introductory section more about myself and my quest to find some answers, but I wanted to jump in on this discussion. I, too, have been to Dr. Neal Schultz' dermtv website and watched all his episodes. I became even more confused as he instructed not to use topical antioxidants during the day but only at night. He also said to always put the sunscreen on first so it is the first product on your skin and then put your other products on over the sunscreen. Because I had read and heard differently, I then sent him a response asking him about the stability of Vitamin C serums, specifically Skinceuticals CE Ferulic & Phloretin CF serums, as well as Cellex-C Advanced C serum and the oxidation issue. I asked him about the usage of these products (when to apply and in what order) with the sunscreen. I also asked him about using glycolic products when on a Retin-A/hydroquinone regimen for brown spots/hyperpigmentation.
This is his response to me:
"Carolyn,
Thank you for your support and kind words concerning the website. While it is true topical antioxidants containing l-ascorbic acid are less stable then other forms of Vitamin C, they take months to oxidize in the bottle even after the bottle has been opened, so you are not wasting your money. However do not leave the bottles open and do not leave them in direct sunlight.
And yes, the sunscreen product should always be put on first, but sunscreen and antioxidant serum are really never used together because sunscreen is always used during the day and antioxidant serums work best when used at night. Remember what we said about protecting your antioxidant bottle from sunlight; you also donâ€2122t want the antioxidant product on your skin to be in direct sunlight because the sunlight will damage it. You want to put your antioxidant on at bedtime when there is no sunlight so that it can absorb into the skin and do its protection inside the skin during the day .
Lastly, retinoid products are themselves very fragile and often destroyed by glycolic acid, so you are correct that you should not be using your glycolic acid and retinoid product at the same time.
Have a good weekend,
Neal"
I emailed him back and said according to the Skinceuticals website, for CE Ferulic & Phloretin CF use, it says: “Once in the morning after cleansing, apply 4-5 drops to a dry face, neck and chest. Follow with SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel and a SkinCeuticals moisturizer and sunscreen.†This is contradictory to his advice. I also asked him if I was on a PM regimen of Retin-A & hydroquinone, then where would the topical antioxidant fit into the PM regimen. I havenâ€2122t heard back from him on these issues.
There are so many opinions out there that it gets really confusing. Iâ€2122m just trying to get all these products and their proper usage (order and time of application) down so that I can experience the most effectiveness from them.
Just thought I would share what I was told by Dr. Neal Schultz on dermtv.
Carolyn
