Skin + Me and eye irritation

[Toffeewhirl]

I've been using Skin + Me for about six months now. No problems, lovely clear skin, etc. Then I suddenly developed one sore, red eye with dry patches of skin underneath. Mortifyingly, this made my undereye wrinkles worse, so I looked 10 years older on one side of my face 😳.

So I contacted Skin + Me. Was advised to stop treatment for at least two weeks, then restart gradually, using a lower strength (0.09).

As my eye had recovered after a fortnight, I started treatment again this week, but buffered with moisturiser first. Didn't put any on my undereye area. Next day, I had one slightly red eye, as before.

Had a one-day break, then reapplied cream after buffering with moisturiser. But this time I only put the cream on my chin and lower face, so nowhere near my eyes.

Woke up to one dry, reddish, wrinkly undereye again!

How can this happen? I don't understand how the cream can reach my eye, although I know that's the side I often sleep on. Do I have to give up tret?

Anyone else had this issue?

I used origins and started to have sore bits around my eyes. They went away after i stopped using it and came back when I tried again. It seems I got allergic to origins.
I need to find a new face cream.

I have this with lots face creams, I can use most of the Nivea Q10 range but only one of the eye creams they do that’s been discontinued in most of the places I shop.

@YumYummy @polmnlj - sorry you've both has similar issues. I'm assuming it's the tret, but it could be anything in the cream, I suppose. So frustrating!

I used to get on really well with Clinique then they must have changed an ingredient and now that does it to me too.

@YumYummy - that's very annoying!

I was doing so well with this cream and didn't get any reaction, even when the strength increased. But it must have sensitised my skin.

I’ve had the same problem. I’ve had to drop down strength on skin and me and now put a layer of Vaseline or aveeno cream all over my eyelids and undereye. I also only use it every third night now. Hoping my tolerance builds up again but my eyes were a mess, like yours they seem to be sensitised now to it.

Oh and this happened at around month 7 for me so no idea what triggered it.

@NotquitewhatImeant - yes, month 7 for me too. So it was the fourth month of the higher dose (0.015%).

I was wondering if Vaseline would do the trick. Moisturiser doesn't work as an effective buffer. Otherwise I'm going to have to stop using it.

I'm still perplexed as to why it's only under one eye and how the cream migrates up there, though.

@NotquitewhatImeant - I tried Vaseline under my eyes before applying the tret and it seems to have worked! Thanks for the advice 🙂.

Same happened to me and it took ages to heal. Tret migrates so you need to keep it well away, even then if you put it on too close to bed it may transfer on your pillow to your eyes. It was always my right eye and I sleep on my right side. I gave up in the end and now use glow and gorgeous which is a dupe for medik8 without the price tag

It’s probably just because there is more immune cells which are sensitive to allergens near the eye (I can be more specific if you want me to be) as the are more mucous membranes.
I’m not sure why it would be one sided though.

What a timely thread for me. Ive just started waking up with a bit of dry, red skin just by the outer canthus of my left eye. Will try the Vaseline as barrier.

@underneaththeash - it's on one side because that's the side I sleep on most.

Dermatica offers an ingredient called adapalene for anyone too sensitive to tret. Has anyone tried this?

In the meantime, my red undereye came back, despite the Vaseline. I decided to cancel my Skin+Me prescription, but was persuaded to try a free bottle with an even lower dose of tret (0.06%) instead. I'll see if I can tolerate that. If not, I'll have to give up on it.

@superplumb - sorry you had the same issue. Mine took ages to heal as well. I'll bear the Geek and Gorgeous in mind if I give up on tret.

@NeedleWielder - hope the Vaseline works for you.

Update in case this is useful to anyone else: after taking a long break from the Skin+Me cream to let my undereye heal, I tried again last night, using the 0.006% cream.

Put Vaseline on my undereye area, then smothered my face with moisturiser. Then added half the amount of the tret cream. Sat up for a while before going to bed, hoping that might let it all sink in and be less likely to migrate.

All good this morning.

I'm going to apply every other day for now and keep buffering.

I've had exactly this on my eyelid. I had been using Skin+Me for a good 6 months without any complaint and then the redness and itching began.

I stopped using it and even now 6 months later it still flares up and looks red and flaky sometimes. I put my subscription on hold for a while and last month cancelled it as I wasn't sure when I would be able to use it again. It's a shame as it was really making a difference to my skin

Thanks OP. I actually cancelled my subscription as I got this and the wrinkles under my eyes were awful because of it. I actually don't have bad skin so going to leave it for now

Those are extremely low concentrations of Tret. If you are reacting to then it may be better to try a Tret alternative. They don't tend to be as effective but that's compared to Tret at 0.05 or 0.1. At your low concentration I would think the alternatives like bakuchiol or even just a retinOL otc product may be suitable.

Did you mean 0.006% and 0.015%?

Or do you mean 0.06 and 0.15?

My hands can't tolerate skin and me. My face is fine, but I have to apply it and rub it in with the doser . If I use my fingers, they peel and get sore.

Very strange!

Yes, @pocketvenuss - 0.006%. I'm hoping I'll gradually be able to tolerate increasing the strength. Thanks for your recommendations. I'll keep those in mind if I have to give up on tret.