I have tretinoin...

[Buttalapasta]

....but no idea what to do with it! I understand it can be harsh on your skin so I don't want to overdo it. I'm late 40s, dry skin, wrinkles on forehead, décolleté and a few crow's feet. Any suggestions on how to start?

Very slowly. A couple of times a week. You may find your skin peels initially and you need a thicker moisturizer. I've never had any issues but I went from 3%/0.3 granactive retinoid to 1% retinol, then to Tret and I still only use it every 3 nights.
Sunscreen is a must. It will take time to see a difference and you won't suddenly go "bloody hell I look 12" but there'll come a moment when you'll say "my skin is looking bloody good for my age"

Thanks. Do you just put it on the "problem " areas?

Careful with it around your mouth and eyes - I’ve managed to ‘burn ‘ myself a few times. I now do it every other night and sometimes take a longer break.

what strength is it?

What strength?

And what moisturiser do you use? You might have to get a richer one?

I have dry skin I do cleanse with a balm (don't wear makeup), Tret, beauty pie ceramide capsules, La Roche Posay moisturiser, vaseline / squalene / rich oil

This works very well for me.

Many people can't tolerate it on their chest so I would aid caution.

It's 0.05%. I just use whatever moisturiser is on sale!

I would personally have started with 0.025. It's strong stuff and leaping in too strong too soon can do more harm than good.

The way to apply it is:

Wash face
Pat face dry
Wait 20 mins and then apply a small pea sized amount to your face. (applying tret to even vaguely damp skin can create much more sensitivity)
Apply all over face avoiding the delicate skin around the eye and the crease of your nostrils.
I usually then apply a rich night cream over it just before going to bed.

To begin with only apply every three or four days eventually building up to every other day.

And just concentrate on your face at the moment. As a pp mentioned this would most likely be way too strong for the chest region.

and wear spf during the day.

I use tret and it has been a game changer for me. You only need a pea sized amount. It will dry your skin out initially - around my mouth / chin was awful!! Then a FB page I follow for all things skin (amazing resource) had a tip for using moisturiser first, leaving for half hour and then using the tret! Honestly absolutely upped the game and my skin hasn’t been better.

Also - patience… it will and does work but you have to be consistent with a good routine.

I use Squalane and it’s REALLY helped me tolerate the tret.

Thanks everyone. @sunshineonasunnyday Is squalene instead of the moisturiser or after the tret?

I use Squalane before tret on tret days (30 mins before) on non tret days I use over my moisturiser and before my sun cream. It just helps with keeping my skin hydrated.

Like previous posters have said - with tretinoin the general advice is to go gently and be patient.

Maybe start once or twice a week at first and build up to using it more regularly. Your skin might freak out for a few weeks (peeling and irritation), but if you keep using it consistently, you should see good results in a few months. Also, sunscreen everyday.

Also, be careful using it on your neck as the skin tends to be more sensitive - after 3 years or so of using it on my face, I still can't really tolerate it on my neck, it gets red and itchy and looks like I have hives.