So overall u think the minimalist sunscreen is good for me right now and also the reequil is good from 2 days I don't know maybe the oil is getting absorbed to my pillow or my dress cuz I was sleeping these 2 days in the mid and I have to get the bioderma micellar water and also azaelic acid maybe I'll see I have been using the adapalene fro like 3 to 4 months now should i stop it if it's over and just switch to azaelic acid or should I get both my comedons don't seem to be gone yet they just appear somehow and how to regulate my hormonal acne how to get hormonal balance with my food habits and all which foods, teas, snacks,fruits, or anything I can implement to maintain my gut health and also my hormonal balance overtime and I stay at a hostel and I get protein from eggs 2 daily in Kettle and extra in the mess on 2 to 3 days in the dinners with rajma, paneer and egg curry and I only have Kettle so no fridge to store anything, so I have to get something that doesn't get rot very easily or needs a fridge all the time
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I have enough to give you a thorough answer. Let me put it all together.
Your Skincare & Hormonal Acne Roadmap
Sunscreen & Reequil Oil Issue
Minimalist Sunscreen — yes, generally a solid pick for acne-prone skin (lightweight, no heavy silicones/oils). Keep using it.
Reequil oil absorption — very likely the culprit is your pillow cover and clothes. A simple fix: switch to a cotton pillow cover and change it every 2-3 days, or put a fresh cotton dupatta/cloth over your pillow at hostel. That alone makes a big difference in how much product gets stripped off before it can work.
Adapalene After 3-4 Months — Should You Stop?
Short answer: No, don't stop it, especially since comedones are still present.
Adapalene (a retinoid) is a comedolytic — it works by normalizing the way skin cells shed inside the pore, preventing new clogged pores from forming. According to NICE Acne Vulgaris Management guidelines, adapalene or azelaic acid are both recommended as maintenance therapy even after initial improvement, because comedones have a tendency to recur once treatment is stopped.
- If your comedones haven't fully cleared in 3-4 months, that's actually not unusual — comedones can take 6-12 months to fully resolve with adapalene
- 3-4 months is when your skin is finally fully adjusted and the real clearing begins
- Don't stop it now — you'd likely regress
Adapalene + Azelaic Acid — Do You Need Both?
| Feature | Adapalene | Azelaic Acid |
|---|---|---|
| Comedolytic (unclogs pores) | ✅ Strong | ✅ Moderate |
| Anti-inflammatory | ✅ | ✅ Strong |
| Targets hormonal/inflammatory acne | Moderate | ✅ Strong |
| Fades post-acne marks (PIH) | Moderate | ✅ Very good |
| Suits sensitive skin | Moderate | ✅ Better tolerated |
Practical approach for you:
- Keep adapalene for nights — it's doing the heavy comedolytic work
- Add azelaic acid in the mornings — it handles inflammation, PIH (dark marks), and hormonal component without sun-sensitivity concerns
- This combination is well-supported by guidelines and not redundant — they hit different targets
Bioderma Micellar Water
Get it. For hostel use, it's ideal — no need for water-based double cleansing, gentle, removes sunscreen effectively, and won't over-strip skin that's already on retinoid.
Hormonal Acne — Food & Gut Health (Hostel-Friendly)
Androgens (testosterone, DHEA-S) drive sebum production and acne. The two biggest dietary drivers that spike androgens and IGF-1 are high glycemic foods and excess dairy. Gut health affects this through the estrobolome (gut bacteria that regulate estrogen clearance).
Foods That Worsen Hormonal Acne — Reduce These
- White rice (large portions), white bread, maida-based foods, biscuits
- Excess milk (chai multiple times daily with full cream milk — this is a big one in hostels)
- Packaged chips, namkeen, instant noodles
- Excess sugar — sweet chai, cold drinks, packaged juices
What to Eat — Hostel-Feasible Options
Protein (you're already doing well):
- 2 eggs daily in kettle — excellent. Keep this
- Rajma, paneer, egg curry in mess — good, continue
- Peanuts / roasted chana — cheap, no fridge, shelf-stable, good zinc source (zinc reduces androgen-driven sebum). Buy a small packet and snack on these
Gut health & hormone balance:
| Food/Drink | Why it helps | Hostel feasibility |
|---|---|---|
| Spearmint tea | Clinically shown to reduce androgens (testosterone) in acne studies | Buy spearmint/pudina tea bags, boil in kettle — very easy |
| Green tea | Anti-androgenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant | Same — kettle, tea bags |
| Pumpkin seeds | High zinc, helps regulate sebum & androgens | Shelf-stable, buy at a dry fruits shop |
| Flaxseeds | Lignans act as mild anti-androgens, support estrogen balance | Shelf-stable, mix into curd/mess dal |
| Curd/dahi from mess | Probiotic — supports gut microbiome, helps hormone clearance | Available in most college messes |
| Banana | Prebiotic fiber, supports gut bacteria, vitamin B6 | No fridge needed, easily available |
| Amla (Indian gooseberry) | Very high Vit C, anti-inflammatory, supports liver detox of hormones | Amla candy/murabba — shelf-stable |
| Walnuts | Omega-3 (anti-inflammatory), supports hormone balance | Shelf-stable, 4-5 daily |
Practical daily template for hostel:
- Morning: Green tea or spearmint tea (kettle) + 2 boiled eggs
- Snack: Roasted chana or peanuts + 1 banana
- Lunch/dinner: Mess food — prioritize dal, sabzi, curd, reduce white rice portion if possible
- Evening: 1 more cup of spearmint or green tea
Key gut health habits beyond food:
- Hydration — 2.5-3L water daily. Hormones clear through urine and bile; dehydration concentrates everything
- Sleep consistency — even hostel naps, irregular sleep spikes cortisol which spikes androgens. This is a major silent driver of hormonal acne
- Reduce excess chai — 1-2 cups is fine; 4-5 cups of milky chai = significant dairy and caffeine load daily that disrupts gut and hormones
Summary Action List
- Keep adapalene at night — don't stop, comedones need more time
- Add azelaic acid in the mornings — handles inflammation + PIH + hormonal component
- Get Bioderma micellar water — good for hostel, gentle removal
- Change pillow cover every 2-3 days for the Reequil absorption issue
- Spearmint tea daily (1-2 cups) — easiest anti-androgen intervention you can do
- Roasted chana, pumpkin seeds, walnuts — shelf-stable zinc + omega-3 sources
- Curd from mess when available — probiotic support
- Reduce milky chai and white-rice-heavy meals when possible
Your protein intake is actually already decent given your constraints. The two highest-impact additions are spearmint tea and reducing excess dairy/sugar in chai — both are easy and cheap to implement in a hostel setup.
But I use niacinamide serum in the mornings
That's actually a good combo — niacinamide and azelaic acid work well together and target overlapping things (both reduce PIH, inflammation, sebum regulation). But you don't need both in the same routine necessarily.
Two options:
Option A — Keep niacinamide in the morning, add azelaic acid at night with adapalene
- Niacinamide morning → sunscreen
- Azelaic acid + adapalene at night (apply azelaic acid first, wait 10-15 min, then adapalene)
- This works but layering two actives at night can be irritating initially
Option B — Swap niacinamide for azelaic acid in the morning
- Azelaic acid morning → sunscreen
- Adapalene alone at night (cleaner, less irritation risk)
- Azelaic acid is stable in daylight unlike some actives, so morning use is completely fine
Which to pick depends on your skin:
- If your skin handles adapalene well now after 3-4 months with no dryness/peeling → Option A is fine
- If your skin is still a bit sensitive → Option B is safer and simpler
One thing to keep in mind: niacinamide is not doing anything adapalene or azelaic acid can't also do for acne. If budget is a consideration, azelaic acid effectively replaces niacinamide serum. You don't need to buy both.
What's your current night routine exactly? Just adapalene or anything else alongside it?
I can put azaelic acid and adapalene alternatively u know my routine right
I don't actually have memory of previous conversations — each session starts fresh for me. So I don't have your full routine on hand.
Can you quickly tell me:
- Morning: what you're currently using step by step
- Night: what you're currently using step by step
That way I can give you a proper alternating schedule that actually makes sense for your skin rather than a generic one.
Alternates I use adapalene and non adapalene nights I use hyaluronic acid
Got it. So your nights are already alternating — adapalene nights and HA nights. Here's how to fit azelaic acid in cleanly:
Morning (every day):
Cleanser → Niacinamide serum → Minimalist sunscreen
Night — Adapalene nights:
Cleanser → Adapalene → (if dry) light moisturizer
Night — Non-adapalene nights:
Cleanser → Azelaic acid → Hyaluronic acid on top
This is the cleanest way to do it. Azelaic acid on your off nights means:
- No layering conflicts
- Your skin gets active treatment every single night (adapalene one night, azelaic acid the next)
- HA seals in moisture after azelaic acid on those nights which is actually a good pairing
You can drop the niacinamide serum eventually once you get azelaic acid since they overlap a lot — but no rush, finish what you have first. Niacinamide in the morning alongside this routine is totally fine for now.
Which azaelic acid to buy pharmacy or which one
For India/hostel budget, these are your best options:
Best Picks
| Product | Concentration | Price (approx) | Where to get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimalist Azelaic Acid 10% | 10% | ₹399 | Nykaa, Amazon, their website |
| Dot & Key Azelaic Acid | 10% | ₹595 | Nykaa |
| Re'equil Azelaic Acid 10% | 10% | ₹495 | Amazon, Nykaa |
My recommendation: Minimalist Azelaic Acid 10%
- Cheapest of the three
- You're already using Minimalist sunscreen so you know the brand doesn't irritate you
- Straightforward formula, no unnecessary fragrance or heavy additives
- Widely available online, delivers to hostels
Pharmacy option?
Pharmacy-wise Finacea gel (15% azelaic acid) is prescription-grade and stronger, but honestly for your use case — comedones + hormonal acne + PIH — 10% is sufficient and less likely to cause irritation especially since you're already on adapalene. No need to go prescription strength right now.
Stick with Minimalist Azelaic Acid 10% — it fits your existing routine, budget, and you're already familiar with the brand.
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