Tretinoin

[Grk1964]

Started using Tretinoin two weeks ago through Dermatica. I’m moisturising before and after but my skin is sore, dry and peeling. I also have a few scary looking spots!

How long does this “purge” and dryness stage normally last for?

For those who have used it, how long was it before you saw results? I am hoping to soften a few fine lines that have appeared on my face haha x

How often are you using it? Are you using any acids? If you're not already, drop down to once every 3 days for 2 weeks, then every other day until your skin calms down.

I’m using it everyday as advised by Dermatica

Also with Dermatica and changed my prescription as my skin didn’t really tolerate Tretinoin.

That's because they rely on you buying it monthly. It's common to take tret very slowly to not aggravate your skin. Hotandflashy on YouTube has made a lot of videos on this. Tret is brilliant and I love it, but I still have to takea day off every week or so and I've been using it a long.

What is the percentage of tretinoin in the dermatica? I’m using skin and me and they increase it slowly each month. I’m on 0.015% now after 4 months and I haven’t noticed any kind of reaction.

What strength is it? I don't know why Dermatica advise every day from the start, your skin has to get used to it.

I use Retirides from Spain. I started by using it once a week for a couple of weeks, then upped it from there. Now I use it every other night and I love it, although I do use it every night sometimes. I have been using it for a year.

It took about 7 or 8 months to see noticeable results.

Your skin is sore, it's telling you to stop. Wait until your skin feels right again and then re-introduce it slowly, just two or three nights a week. I've been using tret for about 5 years and I only use it every other night.

My prescription is Tretinoin 0.025% / Niacinamide 4%/ Clindamycin 1% lotion

I'm on 0.025 and applying every 3 days, sandwiching with moisturisers in between on tret days, so far with no peeling. I would cut back to every 2-3 days - you don't want to damage your skin barrier.

There is a dedicated FB group for Tret users which is very useful - "Tretinoin and retinoids users: tips, products and routine help"

I second that Facebook group.

I would sandwich the Tret with La Roche Posay baume or dermatologica barrier repair. I'd also consider doing every other day until your skin adjusts.

There is tonnes of advice on that fb group though so definately join

I think it took at least a year for my skin to get used to tretinoin. They say no quick fixes and I really did find that. 0.025 is a very low strength so makes me think it will take you a while too. Just make sure you maintain your skin barrier as you go along

I found this with skin&me and so started applying moisturiser first then the skin&me, it eased within a few days

It took about a year for my skin to adjust properly. With tretinoin it's a marathon, not a sprint unfortunately. I would scale back to twice a week for a few months and slowly increase from there.
Also, for most people the peeling, sore skin is just something you have to ride out. It's great, but it's a long term investment, not a quick fix.