My skin hates Cerave PM

[MsBojangles]

Everyone raves about this stuff but it makes my skin burn like a motherfucker. I'm currently using tretinoin cream every other night and bar the odd flake my skin is tolerating it well. On alternate nights I use Cerave PM and the results are not pretty let me tell you.

Is there something in there that I'm sensitive too? My serums and day cream cause no stinging at all so it doesn't seem to be a tretinoin sensitivity issue.

Anyone else have this?

[SecretWitch]

I love Cerave cleanser...but had an issue with the moisteriser. I found Nivea...just the plain blue tin works best for me..no irritation.

[MsBojangles]

Ah yes, Nivea is a good safe standby for me too. It's like a comfortable duvet of lard on your face with not a hint of irritation. I need to go back to it.

[SecretWitch]

Yes!!! A nice lard duvet....but no nasty itchy irritation...

[QuestionableMouse]

If it's bothering your skin that much, why are you still using it?

[MsBojangles]

Because it has active ingredients, not just a basic moisturiser and I like to persevere.

If it continues to irritate then I'll stop, obviously.

[Wolpertinger]

Some people are sensitive to niacinamide

However are you sure that it isn't just that you aren't being nice enough to your skin? Alternating tretinoin and Cerave is a bit odd - it would normally be tretinoin alt days while you build up and Cerave (or whatever moituriser of your choice) every day as your skin needs lots and lots of barrier repair while you are on tretinoin.

If your skin burns when you put the Cerave on it's more likely that your skin is unhappy due to the tretinoin and is telling you about it.

I found that while I was in peak redness/flakes phase of building up the tretinoin the Cerave wasn't quite enough and I went for Avene Cicalfate which I had sat in the cupboard.

[MsBojangles]

That's what I'm doing - tretinoin (Refissa actually, richer formulation) alternate nights and Cerave PM on my non tretinoin nights. Oil, rich moisturiser and sunblock during the day cause zero burning so it's clearly the Cerave that's the issue.

Now on my neck I don't use tret at all, so I've been doing Cerave PM only every night - low and behold I've got the itches and a slight rash.

I might try that Avene product...or good old Nivea.

[Wolpertinger]

You need some sort of barrier/moisture product every night with the tretinoin was what I meant not alt nights with it.

But if your neck doesn't like it either then it sounds like your skin doesn't like niacinamide. You might like the Cerave Moisturising Cream better which still has loads of ceramides, hyaluronic but no niacinamide.

[MsBojangles]

It does sound like the niacinamide doesn't it, thanks for the tip about the regular moisturising cream, that's a new one to me.

Refissa is really thick and emoillient, almost vaseliney in texture, I can't imagine putting another layer of grease on top of that - it's designed for dry skin so not sure it's necessary.