Alright, so my finances have recently gone from bleak to hopeful, and I'm finally in a position where I can add a chemical exfoliator.

My skin issues:

• I have hormone issues, so my skin is horrendously oily.
• I get thick, black, spiky hairs on my upper neck area under my chin, and they tend to be ingrown, inflamed, and cause angry bumps to form.
• I had cystic acne for 12 years, but I took Accutane and then Spironolactone back in 2010. (Side note: I recently got tested for PCOS, and it was negative.)
• I have some pick-axe scarring
• Blotchiness/hyperpigmentation
• A few milia
• Closed comedones
• Pimples that are like little pore plugs, and when I extract them, they come out in waxy yellow shapes
• Really dark undereye circles and yellow stain-like patches under my eyes. (I do not smoke or drink.)
• I recently went through about 3 weeks of having 10 or 15 comedones on my face at one, time, and I thought my skin was reverting back to its pre-Acutane days. Luckily, things are starting to calm down.

Overall, I just feel like I make an effort, but I'm not seeing the results that everyone else does. Over the years, I've tried things like various forms of birth control, Mary Kay (I know, ugh), Neutrogena, antibiotics, Retin-A Micro, etc., but nothing really gives me impressive results. The only time I saw any real improvement was with Accutane and Spironolactone. Now I'm just sort of getting by. I worked so hard to get those medications and go through the treatments, and my skin is still not that good. It's like I traded one problem for others. I plan on getting Fraxel treatments from a reputable cosmetic dermatologist as soon as I can afford them.

Current Routine:

AM

• Cleanse face and neck with an extra strength Stridex pad. (I honestly just do this to clean the excessive oil off my face and neck quickly and easily from my bedroom so that I can apply makeup. They haven't improved my skin at all, and I've been using them daily for over a year. Dollar store cleansing wipes would probably be just as effective.)
• Sunscreen as needed in the highest SPF I can find (I don't leave the house very often because of a chronic illness.)

PM

• Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil
• CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser
• Benton Snail Bee High Content Lotion
• Sunscreen as needed in the highest SPF I can find

So as mentioned, my skin is still just kinda . . . "meh" at best. I'm still nowhere close to going makeup-free, and I feel like a chemical exfoliation would help. I read the side bar stuff, but I still need a little guidance. Upon reading the side bar, I realize that the Stridex pad are pointless for me, and that using AHAs would mandate the use of sunscreen rather than just using it "as needed."

But I'm kind of starting from scratch, here. What kind of AHA should I use? Glycolic acid? Retinol? Azaleic acid? Hyaluronic acid?

I'm really interested in trying Dr. Pimple Popper's [SLMD Retinol Serum](https://slmdskincare.com/product/clarifying-treament/) even though it's $40. But other than her website's reviews, I haven't heard much about it, so dropping $40 on it is a bit of a risk. Then I thought of The Ordinary skin care products, which are much cheaper and have rave reviews. But their site lists literally *hundreds* of skin care products, so I don't know where to begin.

I'd like to keep it at around the $20 to $40 if possible. i don't mind spending a little more than that one time, but I can't sustain anything too expensive.

Thanks and sorry this was so long!