(This comment is to help others find this post in the future) Cerave sa smoothing cream Cerave blemish control cleanser
The cream stays on the skin where the cleanser is washed off. Salicylic acid continues to be effective for 4-6 hours if it remains in contact with the skin. I’d say the cream would add to the effectiveness (assuming it’s not overkill for your skin).
Wouldn’t it be overkill to use both the cream and the cleanser? I’m also assuming the cleanser is more powerful than the cream, i.e. bigger concentration of the salicylic acid.
the cream also has urea, I had better experiences with that than the cleanser
While the concentration in the cleanser may be higher, you’re washing it off with water fairly quickly so it has barely any time to properly work. Creme should provide better results since it stays actively on your face. Now using both of them or either/neither entirely depends on what your face can take.
Using the cleanser mainly on my arms, to treat ketoris pilaris. I’ll probably start using the cream then, after the washes.
I used the cleanser in a “quick mask” kind of way on my legs for strawberry skin and on the back of my arms for KP - before my shower, I dampened my hands, added some cleanser and lathered it up in my hands and then smoothed it on to my legs and the backs of my arms and let it sit for a few minutes before getting in the shower (saw this suggestion on one of the YT Derms). I started with 1 minute a few times a week and then worked up slowly until I was doing 5 minutes every day. When I got out of the shower, with my skin still damp, I applied the lotion. It took about two months of (including the build up) to see a difference in my skin - after getting the results I was looking for, I stopped doing it every day and now I do it about 2x per week for maintenance. FYI, I do not have sensitive skin… just in case 5 minutes every day may be too much for someone with sensitive skin.
The cleanser is going to have much less of an effect than the cream - you’re washing it off quickly so the actives don’t have time to work on your skin. I would just use the cream - using both is overkill and you can save some money with a cheaper cleanser.
For KP, I would recommend the InnBeauty bright & smooth body serum. Nothing else has worked so well for me.