What tret strength are you on?

[CottagePieLaLaLa]

I used 0.5% for a year and a half, then moved to 1%. No side effects. I'm enjoying the results. I buy tret in Spain where you can get it without prescription. If you are a tret user, what strength are you on? And how often do you use it?

I use Skin & Me 0.25% every other night, and it's still almost too strong for me! I have quite sensitive skin though. It's definitely made a difference to skin texture and acne for me.

0.1% here too, my skin loves it but I hydrate like crazy.

I'm now on 0.1% and only use it twice a week buffered with moisturiser. Even though I've used tret for years and 0.1% for over a year, I still peel like crazy if I use it more often!

0.025 for a year, never had any reaction so wonder if it works. I could never use the No7 retinol without it burning 🤷‍♀️
Starting 0.05 soon.

I have used 0.05 and 0.1. I prefer 0.05 as I don't need to moisturise constantly. I have dry skin so it needs a lot of hydration. It was just taking so much to stop flaking so I decided to go back to 0.05 which I can use daily.

0.05 every night for the best part of a year. I worked up to this. No real side effects and I moisturise religiously. Skin tone has improved. I started using Dermatica but then bought Retrides when on holiday in the Canaries. I’ll buy more when I go back in November.

@BangingOn if you don't mind, what hydration do you use? I find my face is dry all the time, so looking for some tips!

I use 0.1 every night. Dermatica. Weirdly only my chin flakes, which is also the oiliest part of my face. Sometimes I feel like it's less flaky if I don't use any moisturiser, just the Dermatica formula.

I have been on 0.015 (Dermatica) since 1st June and still have a very heavily flaking chin and the area around my nose. It’s getting worse and it’s painful and it looks like my chin has gone darker this week. I’m not sure I’m going to carry on but I’ve been saying this since a week and a half in.

I was on 0.015 with skin&me. They’ve reduced it to 0.006 as I was getting redness and flaky skin!

I joined a brilliant Facebook group recommended on here and got lots of great advice. I mostly use Korean products and have started adding glycerin too which really helps. The group is ‘Tretinoin and retinoids users- tips, products and routine help’, the pinned posts are a great place to start.

@BangingOn Brilliant - thank you!

0.1 from skin and me
Use it every other night

I've had 0.021 from Skin & Me, but recently bought 0.25 in Spain and I'm very happy with that, I use it for 3 or 4 nights then one off, and I've had no side effects. Am going to cancel Skin & Me and hope I know someone going to Spain again soon!

I used 0.1 for years but last year I started having monthly facials, laser, Ipl, radio frequency so needed to stop 5-7 days each month.

After a few months I started getting sore with odd patches of peeling. I tried using less tret often but no improvement. My skin felt uncomfortable and sore so reduced my tret %.

Six months later, I'm now using 0.025% every night and having my monthly aesthetic facials and my skin is the best it's ever been.

I did use 0.1% for about 6 months but was getting sore patches and drying. I dropped back down to 0.05 and use nightly and much prefer this. I then use 0.025 on my neck and chest buffered with a layer of moisturiser first.

I still have a tube of 0.1 but think I'll stick with 0.05 tbh

For 4 years I've been using the Spanish brand Reterides at 0.1%, usually mixed in with moisturiser. Never had a problem with irritation.

Can I get tret in Barcelona or Tenerife? I use Medik8 retinal 20 and wonder what strength if I should get?

You should be able to get it in a Spanish pharmacy - the brand name is Retirides.
I would recommend starting on a lower strength of 0.025% and building up, even though you have used Medik8 that is retinaldehyde which is a much lower concentration than tretinoin.

I started on Retirides at 0.025% and after a year or two moved up to 0.05% and have been on that for the last 2 or 3 years - my skin tolerates it really well using it 5-6 nights a week with no irritation, so I don't plan on going up to 0.1% because I don't feel there will be much added benefit, but there would be a possibility of more irritation.

I read a study about tretinoin that compared usage after one year of 0.025% and 0.1% and the results were fairly similar, but the higher strength users reported more irritation.

Tretinoin 0.1%
Niacinamide 4%
Azelaic Acid 4%
From skin and me, every night
Took me a while to work up to it