retinol making me look ten years older..

[kryptonfactor]

Looking for a bit of advice. I started using a retinol eye cream a few weeks ago, after about a week it started having a really unpleasant effect on my face. My under eye skin went very dry and rough and the fine lines under my eyes deepened and looked SO much worse, I don't exaggerate when I say I looked ten years older, probably more. I stopped using the cream and have been moisturising like crazy and it is improving, my face and skin look much more normal today.

Is this something I have to just ride out and then I will see the benefit? Or did the retinol just not agree with me? I'm really not vain but I looked so awful I got a bit of a fright. I have read about retinol causing some dryness or irritation but this seemed really extreme.

Are you also using spf everyday?

Are you using moisturiser?

It will be dehydration. With retinol you often look worse before better unfortunately. Don’t use every day. Find a really moisturising eye cream.

It takes months to see the difference too. Many people just give up which is understandable.

I can only use it x1 per week, otherwise I'm a wisened old hag.

Which retinol eye cream? Does it need moisturiser over the top?

My retinol says to start slowly. 2 days on 2 days off and put something very moisturising on once it's soaked in.

This is what happens. It's a long game. Trying buffering your retinol. Put moisturiser on half an hour or so after your retinol. Sometimes, round my eyes I put a small bit of moisturiser on a while before my retinol. Hiwever, the more moisturiser you put on, the more you weaken the strength of the retinol so it's about finding a happy medium.
Also when you start using it, you need to build up gradually depending on the, strength of the retinol. So maybe start once a week and moisturise the other days, then twice a week. Then every other day. TBH, if your skin is tolerating every day, the retinol is probably too weak.
Remember retinol increases your skin turnover so it's inevitable you will peel. My lines always look redder and deeper for a coupe of days before they start to look reduced because the retinol dries and dehdrates the skin before it peels off.

Retinol did that to me too, I developed horrid Wrinkles that weren't there before ! Scared the life out of me ! I stopped using it straight away!

What % retinol is it? You might be using something too strong to start with.

I cant use retinol. I bought one 20 years ago when I was 28 and it was the most irritating thing i have ever put on my skin. Avoid at all costs

Use it at first every 3/4 days and build up to every other day. Some people don't even need that. You may need to drop a strength as well.

I'll repeat what others have said. It's a long game. Use moisturiser, have a few days off, use SPF. I too was horrified at one point. The skin around my eyes was really bad at one point.

@madisonbridges

This is what happens. It's a long game. Trying buffering your retinol. Put moisturiser on half an hour or so after your retinol. Sometimes, round my eyes I put a small bit of moisturiser on a while before my retinol. Hiwever, the more moisturiser you put on, the more you weaken the strength of the retinol so it's about finding a happy medium. Also when you start using it, you need to build up gradually depending on the, strength of the retinol. So maybe start once a week and moisturise the other days, then twice a week. Then every other day. TBH, if your skin is tolerating every day, the retinol is probably too weak. Remember retinol increases your skin turnover so it's inevitable you will peel. My lines always look redder and deeper for a coupe of days before they start to look reduced because the retinol dries and dehdrates the skin before it peels off.

Exactly this 👆🏾

If it's making you look older, stop using it.

You're welcome 😁

I think the point is retinol/Retin A is the only skincare treatment with actual scientific evidence for anti-ageing. Some can’t tolerate it for sure.

But it really is about the long game. It took 6 months for me to see the results. And you need to be careful about protecting your skin barrier and keeping up hydration. I understand why people give up though.

You could try dialling right back to once a week and upping hydration.

Agree with long game. I've been using tret for 2 years and look no different except less acne
But that's the point - I don't look 2 years older!

I can't get along with it at all. And the dryness definitely made me look older.

I've just bought bakuchiol on the recommendation of the doctor who does my fillers. Haven't tried it yet as I just had my microblading topped up (and can't be trusted to keep products away from them) but apparently new studies have shown its efficacy in comparison to retinol and it doesn't cause all the irritation.

I would say to use Rx tretinoin rather than retinol. I was using skinceuticals retinol 1% for a while and it left my face dry, inflamed, sensitive and peeling - that was only once a week! I made a switch to 0.05% Retin A, and that didn't give me any reaction at all. I was surprised! (could be a reaction in my case to the alcohol in retinol).

So, it is frustrating that to get hold of prescription tretinoin in the UK you need to go to a private derm (unless you can convince your GP to prescribe it for acne) but there are plenty of places yu can buy from abroad online. All Day Chemist is a good website that will ship Rx tret to the UK fairly cheaply!

Also - as other have mentioned it is important to moisturize your skin while using, only apply to a thoroughly dry face (wait 15-20 mins or so after washing) and use a sunscreen daily (the higher SPF the better). It can take months to reap the benefits but it worth it. Good luck!

I used it around my eyes for about a week and my skin peeled, but it then looked remarkebly unlined. I use it maybe twice a week now and moisturise a lot

@FuzzyDonkey you get prescription tretinoin from Dermatica or Skin and Me in the UK. They are online dermatologists and you uploads photos of your skin every few months. I use tret from Dermatica and the service is great. I pay £20 for a tube of tret with niacinamide which lasts around 2 months.

@FuzzyDonkey

I would say to use Rx tretinoin rather than retinol. I was using skinceuticals retinol 1% for a while and it left my face dry, inflamed, sensitive and peeling - that was only once a week! I made a switch to 0.05% Retin A, and that didn't give me any reaction at all. I was surprised! (could be a reaction in my case to the alcohol in retinol).

So, it is frustrating that to get hold of prescription tretinoin in the UK you need to go to a private derm (unless you can convince your GP to prescribe it for acne) but there are plenty of places yu can buy from abroad online. All Day Chemist is a good website that will ship Rx tret to the UK fairly cheaply!

Also - as other have mentioned it is important to moisturize your skin while using, only apply to a thoroughly dry face (wait 15-20 mins or so after washing) and use a sunscreen daily (the higher SPF the better). It can take months to reap the benefits but it worth it. Good luck!

Most likely the issue is that you were using 1%. That is supper strong. 0.05% is a very low concentration so not surprising it has been a gentler ride. Over time you may be able to move to 0.1 then 0.25 and 0.5 up to 1%. Or maybe you can just stay at the level you are on

Those of you saying that you look older, did you return to normal once you stopped using it?

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LAURENS5YP3

I've been using it for a year now and I'm now on the max strength they prescribe of tret at 0.030%. I used to get the occasional dry patch after going up in strength but I've been on this strength for a couple of months and my skin has never looked better. It was a very gradual process and they recommended having days off or buffering the product if there's any irritation.

@turnaroundtime the 1% was a retinol (the tretinoin derivative you can buy in Boots etc.) The 0.05% was a tretinoin (prescription only), which is commonly available in 0.1, 0.05 and 0.025% (and rarely some other ones). Believe it or not a 0.05% tretinoin is going to be far stronger / more effective than a 1% retinol as retinol needs converting into a retinoic acid first, whereas tret IS retinoic acid so can get to work immediately. This link can explain the difference better than I can: www.verywellhealth.com/retinol-vs-retin-a-4155865

@turnaroundtime sorry - tretoinoin derivative is not quite the right phrase for retinol! Other way around really, but def Rx tretinoin is stronger that retinol!