Retinol - Purging

[showmethegin]

Did anyone NOT purge when they started retinol? I started Medik8 crystal retinal 6 around 3 weeks ago and so far no purge!

Is this normal? I'm worried this means it isn't working?

Nope never. Used lots of different retinols then Medik8 then tretinoin , never had any purging or anything really.

Interesting! Have you notice an improvement in your skin?

I didn't purge

Most people don't purge

What on earth makes you think you're meant to purge on it

If your skin starts peeling off and feels sore you need to stop using it immediately that you do know right ?

Either use a weaker one of use it less often

Never purged with anything. Sounds horrible!

I’ve been using Pai retinal for about three months and just changed to subscription tretinoin a few weeks ago. No purge with either, there shouldn’t be any purging with retinoids, ever, as far as I know. I had no reaction at all to retinal.

I was told when I started tret that there should be at worst some mild stinging and if so to take a couple of days off. That happened just twice and am going to a stronger tret concentration next week.

I just read that it was super common when starting retinol! There's lots of people even on this site that talk about it.

Has anyone seen a positive change in your skin?

I get married in July and am trying to up my skincare game. Have noticed a few fine lines creeping in so want to try and nip them in the bud!

My skin gets very dry/flaky if i use it too often but its generally sensitive

Not really. Four months in from starting retinal and its a bit smoother, I think. Nothing you can see. Very fine lines on my forehead still the same. Didn’t have any round my eyes to I can’t say about crows feet.

I got it because I was a bit concerned that a bit of sun damage I’ve just noticed on my cheekbones might get worse but it hasn’t affected that yet, my service said I should wait about six months to before there would be visible improvements. I assume that goes for lines as well.

Congratulations on your engagement!

I didn't. My skin started looking better after about a month, but it certainly never looked worse than pre ret

I didn't. Only been on tret for 2 months (4 months into skin + me) so I can't say I've seen magic results in anti ageing yet but I am happy with the way my skin looks, it's clear and bright (for mid 40s skin anyway!) worst I got was a couple of evenings of red and sore so I took a few days break each time

I'm. It sir

Oops don't know what happened there.

I'm not sure I've had any noticeable benefits from the tretinoin. Been on it with Skin & Me for over a year but can't see any change with my lines particularly round my eyes which to be honest are worse. Perhaps it is holding back worse changes, who knows.

I did all my purging before I started retinol with toners and other products. By the time I introduced the retinol (well, it was tret) my skin already had a good tolerance for products. I was able to use it daily right from the start. And around my eyes which is a big no-no for most people.

But, in saying that, occasionally and completely randomly I will react out of nowhere and have to stop everything. I then just use a moisturiser until my skin barrier repairs itself then go back to my usual routine. Not sure what triggers that.

<An aside> I thought for a minute there you were talking about making yourself sick after using retinol....definitely don't do this.

No purging at all.
I have been applying a retinol product from Skin+Me for about a month now and my skin looks good but I haven't seen any huge difference in my lines.
However, it's very smooth, very bright, not a single spot and my t-zone is very much under control. I am happy with the results I had so far and if my fine lines will get smoother in the next few months that's going to be a bonus!

I've been using the Medik8 Intelligent Retinol 0.3% for two months, and haven't had any purging. Started with twice a week and I'm now using it nightly, with no adverse effects. My skin feels smoother and the tone is more even, and the fine lines on my forehead appear to be improving. I've got a couple of red marks from previous breakouts that I was hoping it would fade, but they're not shifting yet - I may try a higher percentage vitamin C for that.

All in all, I like the Medik8 retinol because it's gentle and my skin feels good on it, but I'm not wild about the fragrance, and I think next time I'd look for something that's creamy rather than oily (think this is squalane?). So probably will try either the Medik8 crystal retinal or the Geek & Gorgeous one when this is used up.