For the past few months I've been doing the microneedling on the face and then immediately putting on a "mask" made from aztec clay, green tea powder, and activated charcoal and leaving it on for an hour once a week, and it's been making a very noticeable difference in my facial appearance. Have been getting many comments asking "what's different?" lately.You need to be at a 1.5.
Then these past few weeks I've added daily hyaluronic acid serum slathered on my face a 2-3 times a day, and I really do feel like it's helped even further.
My next step is going to be the retin-a cream on the face like you've talked about Aphex.