Tretinoin- I really need help please

[Benjaminbraddock]

I’ve started tret two years running and given up because I can’t stand the tightness.
i have and always have had incredibly dry skin.
Mixed heritage, we are all prone to dry ashy skin on the body in my family but I’m the only one with an incredibly dry face.
each time I’ve started tret at 0.01 , using sandwich method, I’ve ended up with such tight and dry skin I can’t continue with it.
it leaves me with terrible under eye lines and my skin feels so tight as though my face will crack and that’s with expensive face cream and barrier cream on top.
i don’t have loads of money to spend and I don’t want to keep wasting the tret but I don’t know how to progress so I end up stopping each time and then trying to heal what feels like damaged skin.
each time I’ve tried, my under eyes skin has got worse and worse an I’ve aged incredibly since starting tret (other external factors at play too)

what can I do? Should I persevere and try to move past this drying process? It feels like my top layer of skin has been sandpapered and compromised and I feel it’s made me look older , not younger.

please help. The baggy wrinkly under eye is particular is getting me down

Is this a face thing or body too? Is it a subscription product? It sounds amazing!

I use everything sls free, shampoo too, I was using sanded but now I’ve read your post I’m not so keen!
aveeno dermexa and ones formulated for babies, some of the neal yard ones, whatever deals I can find. I had horrific eczema as a child so have been through all the steroid creams, I think it’s impacted me for life.

If I’m starting up again or have a break I will peel and feel tight. I have to use a great barrier cream- my favourite is La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ Ultra Repairing Soothing Balm.

Face thing,yes it’s prescription based,they specialise in tret

Following as I’ve recently started using tret again. I’ve tried so many times over the years and i never get past the tret uglies. However this time, I’m 2 weeks in and apart from a little peeling round my jaw, that only shows up at the end of the day and wearing makeup, the tightness and other peeling has gone after 2 weeks.
This time, as it was the very last time, I just went for it. I started on 0.05 (as had run out of 0.025) and used it everyday. I used a good cica cream below - either the anua or the votary one, a pea sized blob of tret then topped it all with Nivea blue. I double cleanse at night but in the morning I just use a hydrating toner.
I did peel all over on day 4-6 and my eyes stung then too but since then the peeling has gone down rapidly and today might be the day I have no flakes anywhere!
Can’t tell you if it was the cica cream, the Nivea or just using it daily that helped but hoping to dial down Nivea as it’s so greasy and makes my hair greasy too.

Yes that’s the other thing, even if put my hair up at night, the creams still seem to seep their way up into it by morning

Do you sleep on your back? Otherwise, …..

Another thing my derm recommended is to apply your tret well before you go to bed, so it can dry down before you smash your face into your pillow. That can cause irritation and I imagine get the tret into your hair.

Sadly I can’t sleep on my back due to disability pain so I try until the very last minute to keep my head right at the edge of the pillow so my face isn’t touching it 🤣🙈

Where can you get the illyoon ata please, I used to love this but YesStyle don’t do it anymore. I’m in Ireland if that makes a difference

I gave up with it. No matter what I did, how I persevered, my skin was red and sore. I now use a beauty bay retinol oil a few times a week and nourishing k beauty stuff along with ahas/bhas a couple of times a week.

Definitely try the avene cicalafate. The la Roche posay balm is great ( I use it on my daughter’s eczema when it’s bad and really inflamed) but the cicalafate is more moisturising. Also I find the aveeno oat gel moisturiser on before retinol stops it stinging for me. If I were you I would try cicalafate (and just that) for 6-8 weeks to try and really nourish and moisturise your skin barrier before trying the retinoids again. And when you do, start slowly ie twice a week and then every other night etc

I’ve just given up on dermatica. I think the 0.05 is too strong and despite filling in several consultation forms they never got back to me so I cancelled. I think I’ll see if one of the other companies will keep me on 0.025.

It’s so effective but the peeling is not worth it!

Are you using the strongest dose, .01?

Did you start with 0.025 and work up? If not you starting with a high dose which might be the problem.

Also there is a difference between the gel and the cream. The gel is much more drying.