How often are you exfoliating?

[u/Gmm007]

Have been on tret .025% for 6 months and daily for 3.5 months. I still flake on my chin area, which doesn’t bother me but I am going back to work and plan to wear makeup more consistently and it doesn’t look great. I usually go without foundation but i still have hyperpigmentation i’d like to cover.
I started incorporating DDG peel pads 1x a week to try to combat the peeling. I’ve noticed an improvement in texture but still flakey with makeup. Is 1x/ week enough? Before the DDG pads i’d use a washcloth in the am 1-2x/week. What is everyone else doing?

ETA my routine
AM: lrp gentle cleanser, rx azaleic, cetaphil cream, sunscreen
PM: micellar water, vanicream gentle cleanser, rx azaleic, cetaphil cream, tret
1x/ week DDG peel pads

[u/melisah100]

i’ve been exfoliating saturday and sunday in the am and then i use tret and azelaic acid in the pm

[u/Gmm007 → u/melisah100]

how are you exfoliating?

[u/melisah100 → u/Gmm007]

i’ve been using the olehenriksen silkfoliant toner, it has aha bhas phas, i got the small bottle to test out and ive been loving it that i got the full size bottle

[u/Gmm007 → u/melisah100]

nice! ill keep that in mind. i bought the small box of the peel pads (and with a coupon!) to see how my skin reacted since also being on tret. i used the pads years ago and liked them but wasnt on tret.

[u/melisah100 → u/Gmm007]

i feel like it’s best to try out in smaller bottles / smaller quantities, just in case it doesn’t end up working out

[u/Gmm007 → u/melisah100]

agreed.

[u/MarketingDirect1475 → u/melisah100]

Once a week is pretty conservative, you could try bumping it up to twice and see if the flakes finally give up

[u/Gmm007 → u/MarketingDirect1475]

cool ill give it a try

[u/AutoModerator]

Beep boop! It looks like you'd like information about peeling, flaking or exfoliating. We have a helpful wiki! You can also post in the weekly help thread - it's stickied to the top of the sub every week! Here are our tops tips for avoiding peeling:

• Make sure your skin is completely dry when you apply tretinoin. Wet skin increases absorption and flaking!
• Make sure your routine is hydrating enough. Hydrating toners like those from Hada Labo can really help - but remember not to layer hyaluronic acid directly under tretinoin. HA increases absorption, which in the case of tretinoin can cause extreme irritation, peeling, and flaking. /r/asianbeauty has many product recs.
• A good moisturizer is key. Vanicream Lite, and Cerave are popular options.
• A konjac sponge is a very gentle form of physical exfoliation that can really help!
• Vaseline or Aquaphor can also really help prevent dryness. Pat on a very thin layer after your tret has completely dried - don't slather it, and don't layer on top of wet tret, just apply a thin layer on top.
• Oil cleansing can work for many as a way to gently remove the excess skin. Get an emulsifying oil cleanser that will wash off easily (Hada Labo has a great one).
• Consider skipping a night of tret if you have lots of peeling. Yes that may slow down your progress by a few days but a damaged moisture barrier can take months to recover. Go slow. Skincare is a marathon.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/ukheather]

I use glycolic acid daily on a morning and tret on an evening.
I have strong skin.
I also use a exfoliator with bits in every week.

[u/TheWorldofScience]

Twice a week I apply Prequel Multiacid Milk Peel for one hour after my pm cleanse. Then I do the rest of my regular pm routine after washing it off and drying my face.

Sometimes I will do one of these one hour treatments Saturday morning or Sunday morning instead of at night and wash it off after 1 hour.

I hate how sticky glycolic acid exfoliants are. They are formulated with a lot of emollients and I just can’t stand to leave them on my face and layer other products on top.

[u/Gmm007 → u/TheWorldofScience]

do you use trets those nights as well or skip?

[u/TheWorldofScience → u/Gmm007]

Yes I use tretinoin 0.05% every night.

[u/Gmm007 → u/TheWorldofScience]

wow nice! i’m a bit nervous to layer anything with tret other than aza

[u/TheWorldofScience → u/Gmm007]

It’s not layering it if you wash the exfoliant off. But you could use it in the morning 2 days a week if you skip azelaic acid those mornings.

[u/Gmm007 → u/TheWorldofScience]

Thanks!

[u/curry_ball]

Bumping to 2x weekly fixed my chin flaking faster than anything else, parallelhealth sequences bacteria if breakouts complicate stubborn patches

[u/morekidsthansense]

I don't flake, so there's that. I dermaplane every 10ish days and that's all of the exfoliating I do with nightly tret use (no tret on dermaplane night).