Tretinoin 0.006 - I think I can see an improvement already!! (Pic)

[menohnopausal]

I've been using skin + me for the last month, and am on an incredibly low dose of tret (0.006), but I think I can see an improvement!! My skin has been feeling softer and more "elastic" somehow (although I thought that might be due to slathering in moisturiser to soothe the dryness I experienced for a couple of weeks). I feel like my face just looks a bit brighter. I took a pic before starting and another one a couple of days ago. I've put them together and I think I can see a little softening of my (intense) frown lines. I'm so pleased! Can you see it too? (first pic on the left, new pic on the right). I'm annoyed that I didn't get the lighting the same, so I look more pink in the recent photo.

Pores look a bit lessened? Botox will sort those lines out OP!

Just to add, I think I can particularly see it on the right frown line. There are sort of "feathers" of creases that go up, and the top feathers look less visible.

I know botox would help with that, but I have a very expressive face and I'm reluctant to mess with it...

Yes looks good! I've been thinking of doing this - I have very large open pores on my forehead that botox has helped with but thinking tret might be better.

I'm now going to shamelesly post my discount link: https://www.skinandme.com/?promocode=MARYL5V9N

If you sign up you get your first and fifth Daily Doser for £3.50 and I get a tenner off my next order!

Obviously this might backfire if I'm delusional about the improvement I think I'm seeing :-D

I can definitely see a difference!
Can I check how many ml or g is in a bottle? I've heard you can buy cheaper from online pharmacies but not sure how much more you get for your money

Yes, I've been looking into this and you can definitely get it for cheaper from online pharmacies (I assume shipped from abroad, as you can't buy it without a prescription in the UK).

The "daily doser" is a container with a mechanism that delivers one "dose" a day for 28 days. I think it's 12ml in total, which is pretty small! However, it was kind of reassuring to have the exact dosage blobbed out each day, and in my "personalised" daily doser the tret is combined with 4% niacinamide and 4% azelaic acid. I'd be keen to continue with those ingredients, and at the moment this seems like a convenient way of doing it.

Most importantly, I'm glad my tolerance is being built up slowly. I was dubious about the 0.006% to start with - it's so much lower than any percentage of tret I've seen anywhere else. However, my skin is usually "bomb-proof" (not at all sensitive), and for a couple of weeks even I was experiencing significant dryness, redness and extreme tingling. It's all settled down now, but I can only imagine it would have been even more unpleasant on a higher percentage.

TBH my plan is to follow the skin + me plan, building up to 0.0125% over the course of four or five months, and then switch to the cheaper online pharmacy tret, and try and find niacinamide and azelaic acid to emulate the skin + me "cocktail".

Good to know. I have been using tret for a long time now as I buy it for around GBP2-3ish per tube of 20gms with paypal and it has been great by far. Here goes my routine:
Morning:
Using water to wash your face,
Sebamed clear face gel,
Garnier spf
Evening:
Cerave moisturizer,
Tretinoin (0.1) from skinorac
Sebamed clear facial gel

You can definitely tell a difference OP. I'm on month 5 of using the doser now. I was sceptical but my sunspots have hugely reduced and skin looks so much better. I'm on 0.015 Tret now.
I wash and SPF in am.
Evening, gentle cleanse, then the doser.

I'm onto my 2nd year of tret and I'm still feeling the benefits. If you don't get really close up I have very few wrinkles.

I started on it a week ago and am on the same prescription as you, OP.
Sounds mad but I’ve noticed a difference already. Normally I get daily breakouts and will always have tiny whiteheads somewhere on my face in the morning. I’ve had none at all since starting!
I know I’ve got a long way to go, but I’ve had spots since I was 10 - I’m now 45 and dealing with ageing plus the fecking spots - and if this works I’ll be the happiest person on the planet.
and no, I’m not being paid by them!!!

Do you mean the improvements started showing up in just a week?

Definite difference!

Glad it’s worked for you. I used skin + me for a year to absolutely no avail, and they refused me tret due to rosacea. But it just shows that it’s a matter of finding the right treatment for you..

@UmberMoose Yes. Baffled, because everything I’ve read says it takes weeks. But my skin is less oily and I’m not breaking out. It’s subtle - no one else would notice but me, and the texture/tone etc hasn’t changed.

I can really see the difference! I've just started my tret journey too! I kept thinking will it even work?! This has given me faith!

I didn't see a difference when using it and it ended up burning my skin, it got to the point where I couldn't use it at all as it felt like my face was on fire, I tried mixing in with moisturiser too and it took ages to get my skin back to normal. Just to add I've also tried the dermatica brand too, my skin tolerated that one better but i still didn't see an improvement 😔

@UmberMoose that shop looks interesting! Which exact product do you use? Where is the shop based? And can you pay normally, or is it just by bank transfer (sorry being lazy... I know I could scout for that info on the website).

I actually also saw positive changes for about the first 10 days. I've got combination skin, so it was less oily and looked fresher. Then it went through about two weeks of looking really dry and blotchy, and it felt very tingly when moisturising. Then it seemed to settle down, and it was like I'd had a chemical peel (but that I've ever actually had one... But I imagine!).

I've been looking at skin + me on and off the last few months, this thread has convinced me to sign up. Am interested to see what they recommend for me.

I generally use paypal for the same. I use tretiwell and aziderm cream from there.

My order is on its way! I note the free add ins for this month of cleanser and moisturiser etc but what do people use themselves once they've run out? The brands offered (at cost) or alternatives? At the moment I use Nip n fab Vit C cleanser, Protect & Perfect creams and La Roche Posay 50 SPF. Are any of them suitable to keep using? Thank you

I'm with Skin & Me too and I use it on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, I found it irritated my skin using every day. My 'script is 0.012 tret, 4% niacinamide and 4% Azelaic acid, I've been using it for 2 months and can definitely notice a difference. Acne has cleared right up and my fine lines appear less noticeable

@MiniCooperLover I'm excited for you!! 😁 Re: the add ons, the trial size sunscreen, cleanser and moisturiser were all nice (soothing and bland) but too expensive for me to buy at full size, so I got the Garnier Ambre solaire anti-age SPF50, and Cerave hydrating cleanser and moisturiser (bundle from Amazon), all of which seem every but as good as the skin + me products. The pot of moisturiser is huge, and that's a good thing as I've been slathering it on so liberally.

I did actually buy the "morning booster" serum because I couldn't find a direct cheaper alternative. Not sure if I'll continue buying it, but I was reluctant to lose any of the "magic" of the current routine!

@Idontjetwashthefucker I wonder how you got started off on a stronger tret concentration? I'm on my second month and have only gone up to 0.009! On the one hand I want more faster because it's great, but on the other hand it's really is strong stuff, so I I'm glad to be eased in!

Not sure, I completed the questionnaire and it was mostly based around my acne, plus I'm 50 so not sure whether age is a factor?

All seems fine other than the tret %, I feel you may start with 0.025 to actually see something