If you have the type of skin that freckles every single time you step outside, you know how annoyingly frustrating it is to deal with aftermath of sun damage. It seems like once your skin gets even the slightest dark spot or hint of freckle, it’s stuck to your face until the end of time. Which is probably why one woman’s before-and-after photo of her sun damage treatment is currently blowing up on Reddit: Everybody wants to know how the hell she did it.

This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

In a Reddit post first spotted by Cosmopolitan, a woman by the username of NeverMeant125 detailed the treatment plan that left her previously damaged skin brighter, more even, and noticeably less freckled, along with a before-and-after pic of her results.

“In high school and in to college, I tanned regularly,” writes NeverMeant125 in the post, adding that along with her tanning habits, she also never wore sunscreen or moisturizer—thus all of the freckles. “The texture of my skin was awful because it was so dry; I honestly wore a lot of makeup back then because I didn’t like how my skin looked,” she continues, “not because of the freckles, but because of all the other things.” So, she decided to start a skincare routine to “target the melasma and overall unevenness” of her skin.

SilkNaturals Facelift Serum silknaturals.com $17.95 Shop Now

That was four years ago. And, as you can see by the “after” photo on the right, her skin has been completely transformed. Insane, right? Though, sadly, NeverMeant125 didn’t use just one product that completely changed her skin (it was a whole new routine filled with cleansers, serums, and chemical exfoliators), she did say that there were two products that she thinks made the biggest, noticeable difference in her skin: “I think [it was] the vitamin c serum and then wearing sunscreen every single day even when I’m not getting any sun,” she writes.

Specifically, she used SilkNaturals Facelift Vitamin C serum, and First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Face Cream SPF 30, both of which she applies in the morning (as a reminder, serums go first, then moisturizers, then sunscreen).

First Aid Beauty 5 in 1 Face Cream SPF 30 sephora.com $40.00 Shop Now

And it makes sense, too: Vitamin C serum not only protects skin from free radical damage (which leads to sun spots, freckles, melasma, and fine lines), but also works to fade discoloration and brighten skin overtime. And, hey, you should already know the merits of sunscreen—it blocks cancer-causing UV rays, shields against damage, and prevents your freckles, scars, and melasma from darkening.

Yes, even though her results have been a long, four-year win, they’re still a major transformation, and it was all thanks to taking care of her skin now, rather than in 20 years when the damage has already been done.

So if you’re not already slathering on a serum and sunscreen in the morning, may I suggest doing it ASAP? And take a “before” photo while you’re at it—I’ll be here in four years, waiting for your “after.”

Chloe Metzger Deputy Beauty Director Chloe Metzger is the deputy beauty director at Cosmopolitan, obsessively writing about new makeup launches, the best hair products (curly girl here; whattup), and the skincare formulas that really work for every skin type ( follow her on Instagram to see behind-the-scenes pics of that magazine life).

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io