Startet Tretinoin - will the skin shedding settle?

[Hanswurst]

Actually started with a lower dose last month and it made my face look amazing - all dewy and fresh and lovely, no side effects.
Moved onto slightly higher strength this the beginning of the week and I have a lot of dry skin on the lower part of my face. I’m only using it every other day at the moment and moisturise after using it. Haven’t tried using moisturiser as a buffer before applying it because I read that it makes it less effective and I don’t really need to in terms of irritation - apart from the dry skin I tolerate it really well.
I’m wondering if my skin just needs to get used to it and the dryness will eventually settle (hopefully sooner rather than later!). Does anyone know?

Honestly, you might be doing too much too soon. If you started at a lower dose only a month ago, why move up so quickly?

Tret is not a quick fix, it is a long term maintenance thing really. It took me months to get past the peeling and irritation, obviously everyone is different, but there really isn't a way around it. I'm about 2 years in, and I still get some random peeling around my nose.

You can limit the peeling by starting really slowly, and building up. For example I started once or twice a week for about three or four months, and then went up to three to four times a week etc etc.

I think you're expecting too much too soon, and also when you say this Haven’t tried using moisturiser as a buffer before applying it because I read that it makes it less effective
Tretinoin is most effective over the long term, it will not work quicker if you use the highest strength, all you will do it induce more irritation. You skin needs to acclimatise. There's not really a way to bypass that. But there are buffers, like moisturiser etc that will help ease the irritation.

Also, not sure if it will work for you the same, but since I introduced niacinamide into my routine (again at a low dose) it helped with the peeling. But that was only after a year or so, it might have just eased off anyway. It really is trial and error.
But you don't want to do more damage to your skin by doing too much. Also, high SPF everyday.

Thank you for your answer. I’m actually using a combo of Tretinoin, Niacinamide and Azelaic Acid and the treatment is prescribed through an online Dermatologist service. They were the one increasing the dose, so it actually doesn’t have anything to do with me wanting a “quick fix”.
They warned me I might get some irritation and skin peeling and made some suggestions of how to reduce this and also stated I might need to go back to a lower strength again if symptoms were too severe. I was merely trying to work out if this sort of problem (the peeling) was what other people experienced and if so how they dealt with it and how soon it settled. I might try buffering it, but as I said - my skin doesn’t feel irritated or uncomfortable, it just looks dry and flaky in the morning after I used it the night before.

Could you use it every third night?

I'm also a few years in and still get some peeling on my chin. I would say it's better to get up to every night as soon as possible but to buffer (under, over or both) until you are tolerating it better. Having this peeling is part of the not tolerating. Also make sure your daytime moisturising enough. A hyaluronic acid serum is worth a go of if not using already, ideally on wet skin.

Thank you, I’ll give Hyaluronic Acid buffering a go!

I'm 5 months in and have just started getting very spotty on my nose. Was wondering whether this was a delayed response.

I'm using the same formula as you. I had moved up to the higher formula but they put me back on a lower strength after soreness.

4 year's in,i just finished my tretinoin that I buy from spain early in the year, as I can't buy any until I go to Spain again, I brought the ordinary 1% retinol in sqaline that I first started my retinol journey with, thinking it's better then nothing, I was surprised to see i am peeling with it, I do still peel with the tret if I use to much.

I use skin and me and had some flaking
Things you can do
Make sure your skin is totally dry before you apply it, wait about 20 mins then moisturise
Moisturise the flaky parts before you apply it
Go to every second or third night then build it up
Moisturise first then apply