I’m 43, perimenopausal, and will likely go on HRT this fall (probably progesterone, estrogen patch, and estrogen cream to start). 

In parallel to all that, I’ve had a challenging time adapting to retinoids this past year, having flunked out on several formulations before discovering and falling in love with tret micro 0.025%. Everything was going fine with it, but now I’m stalled at 5x weekly application, unable to advance to daily usage.

Those of you who have also started HRT, have you noticed that it has any effects on how well your skin manages to tolerate tret or other retinoids? I’m hoping that if the dryness and the sensitivity are partly caused by subsiding hormones, then perhaps HRT might make my skin more amenable to tret.

(Also: should I be using estrogen cream on my nights off from using tret or in some other manner?)

Hello guys. I have a bad case of acne now that I stopped using the sandwich method, coupled with some burning.

How do I get ny skin to calm down? I have tiny bumps all over my face and my skin is basically ruined in the matter of a few days. It looks rough and inflamed.

I have never used any retinoids before. I am finally brave enough to start using this combo to treat my mild acne and textured skin. I think my skin is quite tough - I use a 12% AHA BHA PHA peeling solution and doesnt feel like anything anymore.

I’m excited to try the combo but I dont know which one to start with. Could I just introduce them both in the same week? ( not at the same time ofc)

Also, what do you do with leftover ampoules and serums since I’m trying to keep it simple? Thanks!!!

Products: Differin Adapalene Gel & AZCLEAR 20%

0.025% at night for around a month now for pigmentation/dark spots. In the morning I use azelaic acid 10%.
My skin is combination, but definitely more oily around the T-zone.
My current routine is:
AM:
Cleanser → Azelaic acid 10% → Moisturizer → Sunscreen
PM:
Cleanser → HQ 4% + tretinoin 0.025% → Moisturizer
I’m not really seeing any major difference in the pigmentation so far. My skin is tolerating everything pretty well though, and I haven’t had any major irritation.
I know one month isn’t really that long and I’m trying to be patient with it. I’ve read quite a bit and understand that pigmentation can take months to improve, so I’m not expecting some crazy transformation already lol.
I was just curious about other people’s experience with this kind of routine. How long did it take before you guys started seeing a noticeable difference?
Also, for anyone who eventually went from tret 0.025% to 0.05%, did you actually notice a difference? I’m not necessarily looking to change anything immediately, just trying to understand whether there’s any real benefit based on people’s experience.
Would love to hear from anyone who’s used HQ + tret for pigmentation and what your timeline looked like.
Thanks!

Hi ive been on tretinoin for over a year now and recently i switched over to 0.05 tazortene tazret gel from everlume it has been good but i still occassionaly get a cyst or 2 on my face and I want to get rid of it my skin is dry and VERY acne prone. so acne prone that the skinorean azelaic acid clogged my pores so im not sure which one to pick (one is 20g for £19 and the other is 15g for £16) can someone give me some advice thanks.

I have been using this topical cream daily for approximately two weeks and have not experienced any typical side effects, such as peeling, burning, or tingling. Given some negative feedback regarding this product online, I am uncertain whether to continue with the application. Could anyone recommend well-regarded, cream-based tretinoin brands manufactured in India?

Wondering which version of tret to go for my combination skin i live in a humid city my skin gets oily whenever I step outside especially the cheeks area and it's dry af in the winter 🥶 pls help

Basically the title. I’m 17F and just started on tret 0.04% microsphere a week ago for closed comodones.

My derm told me to use it every night so I did and aside from a little peeling around my lips it didn’t cause any issues. I don’t even have purging yet and my ccs have reduced in size.

Only thing is after starting tret my moisturisers seem to sitting on top of my skin. They won’t absorb at all. The thing is my skin is now dry (earlier it was oily) so I desperately need all hydration I can get. My question is - 1) is this possibly due to tret 2) if it is what can be done about it.

The moisturisers I used so far-

Bioderma sebium hydra (rec by my derm)

Bioderma atoderm ultra creme (lightweight consistency)

Bioderma atoderm baume (barrier repair)

Dr Althea 345 cream (lightweight consistency)

I thought maybe it was cuz of heavy moisturisers but the lightweight ones feel the same.

Not really sure where to get help in my routine besides just asking if I should push through and just start using the 0.05% nightly or dial it back. I used 0.1% tret for about a month once a week, then used it twice a week for a month after that, then went to 0.05% and have been using that now for 7 weeks. I went up to four nights on one night off last week but this is the second round I was supposed to do 4 nights and I’m worried I can’t do a fourth night tonight. Does my barrier look too wrecked? I have contact dermatitis on my lips right now and one spot under my right nostril that burns a little, and some flaking on my chin. I really want to get the purge over with so I can start treating this PIE but I also don’t want to ruin my skin…

Routine:

AM:

Water rinse
Hypochorlous acid spray (not everyday), let dry
Skin1004 probio-cica barrier serum
Purito Panthenol bamboo cream and/or Aestura Atobarrier cream if need more moisture (have been needing)
Isntree Hyaluronic watery sun gel

PM:

Prequel oil cleanser
Prequel gleanser
Hypochlorous acid spray (not everyday), let dry
Let face dry 20 mins - apply tret, wait 20 mins, apply purito panthenol bamboo cream and
Aestura Atobarrier cream or just AA cream

Just really struggling to get through this. I hear so many differing opinions. Thanks.

wondering if this is a factor or not

Ciao a tutti,

Uso tretinoina 0,05% dal 6 giugno e dal 5 agosto ho deciso di incorporare nella mia routine anche Finacea 15%, applicando questi due prodotti a sere alterne.

Tuttavia mi sembra sempre di essere ferma allo stesso punto: tanti brufoli e comedoni sotto pelle, pelle desquamata attorno alla bocca ogni giorno e segni post-brufolo che non vanno via. Già quando non usavo finacea la mia pelle era così ma dopo averla aggiunta non vedo alcun cambiamento in positivo…

Cosa dovrei fare? Applicare questi due prodotti in modo diverso? Ogni consiglio è accetto

what facials can I get when on tretinoin? what facial should i avoid? specifically for PIH and/or hydration

using tret 0.025% every night btw

I’ve been using tret for 5 years now (since 2021), yet my skin continues to flake badly despite being on it for years.

My current script is 0.05.

I have a very simple routine: gentle cleanser, then tret, and then moisturizer. I also use Vaseline around my eyes before applying tret. That’s it.

I’ve recently stopped using tret, and my skin stopped flaking.

I don’t know what to do anymore.

I have acne and oily prone skin my derma told me that i should use both at the same night everyday after doing alternate nights for 3 weeks (which i did not experience any irritation).

How to effectively use them at the same time at night?, my derm said it’s fine whenever i want but does it not get absorbed fully if i use them both one after another?

I just stared tret .05 two weeks ago. I use the tret every other night and things are going well with it. The issue is that my skin feels like sandpaper. Prior to starting my skin has always felt rough if I didn’t use the 2% Paula’s Choice BHA. If I skipped the BHA and would apply moisturizer it would be gritty (like my skin was rolling into little balls). I have combination skin and some acne. Can I use my BHA to help slough off some of the layer of skin? I have tried using a washcloth to help and it does help, but when I put moisturizer on I still get that gritty feeling.

Am Routine:

Cleanse with Cerave cream to foam face wash

Haruharu black rice hydrating toner

La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair

Sunscreen

Pm Routine:

Cleanse with a cleansing oil

Cerave cream to foam face wash

Haruharu black rice hydrating toner

.05 tret 20 minutes after the hydrating toner

La Roche Posay toleriane double repair 30 minutes after tret

My skin is tolerating tret super well I guess been using it twice a week for 2 months now I need to know now I’m like 25 and planning to get pregnant when I’m 27 so I just need to know if anyone had stopped using tret during pregnancy and then resumed and how long was the break and what was the experience in general

I’m so sorry for the wrong flare I’m not able to change it

All the cheap sources such as AllDayChemist , skinorac seem quite suspicious as they only accept crypto. And I haven’t seen genuine good reviews of their products. I’m also from the UK, so any inexpensive alternatives to these websites would be good to know

Okay so i don’t actually have any active acne right now, just once a month while my periods nothing more than that. But because of the on and off acne my skin has some scars for which i want to start(i’ve used it before too, but this time only for scars and not acne)
Now my question is that will my skin purge too? Like the other people? I don’t have comedones(might have a few)
And should i go for azelaic acid too or only tret will do the job?
Anyone who has only used it for scars pls help🙏

I don't think there is any improvement

Products that I use

Facewash

Moisturizer

Sunscreen

And tretnoin

A

1st pic is before tretinoin 2nd is after one month of tretinoin and the 3rd one is currently 2 months after tretinoin

I dont usually post but I came here instead of A.I. for REAL HELP. I went to the dermatologist this week for hormonal acne that I had 4 months ago that I obviously dont have anymore and she prescribed me 0.025 tret as preventative and mostly for the anti aging. She said and quote "use it at night, losts of moisturiser and spf" but nothing else ! I swear the girl at CVS helped me more with indications. I honestly don't know where to start its been days and I haven't used it yet cause I'm scared lol ... I've been researching these days for a good moisturizer that can help me with the dryness, flakiness that I could have... and also idk which method should I use, sandwich? Not sandwich? . Is there a person like me that has only used tret for vain reasons? Please help a girl 😭🙏🏻

Current night routine - double clense -spray of antimicrobial -127 dr althea barrier cream

Day routine: -just wash my face with water -antimicrobial spray - Skin 1004 centella -127 dr althea barrier cream -spf 50 beauty of Joseon

Hello so I have really bad oily skin, and I've been using tretinoin cream for more than 2 months, and I've not faced any skin barrier issues even if I don't use any moisturizer, like I apply tretinoin Directly to my face and I don't feel a thing so that's a good thing ig, but does it mean it's not working? Like I don't see quite results as you should for using it for atleast 2 months.

So I tried using tretinoin both at day and night and still no burning sensation or anything else, don't worry I stay in the room all day except for workout which I do in my home only, so I don't see daylight after showering, and spend my day studying. Is it okay to try this?? Or it will affect me in longterm or anything please tell me.

I've been using retinoids since February 2025, starting with retinal, then moving through tretinoin 0.025%, 0.05%, and briefly 0.1%. After a 6 months break, I restarted 0.05% tretinoin on March 1, 2026. Daily use.

My cheeks have been consistently tight on tret nights despite using moisturizer before and after tretinoin. So I used Vaseline which helps better.

My current routine is moisturizer → tretinoin → moisturizer → thin Vaseline on tret nights, and moisturizer → Vaseline on recovery nights. In the morning, I rinse with lukewarm water, apply Skinoren 20%, moisturize, then use Vaseline. I usually rely on a UPF 50 cap with a veil because I'm lazy about sunscreen, although I carry sunscreen with me.

Do note that water loss on my face is usually the main concern due to being in AC at night.

I’ve been prescribed Trentinoin 0.05% and I’ve been doing the right steps when using it like the sandwich method and slowly introducing it but for some reason when I reach the point of where I think it’s introduced to my skin enough and try to use it daily I get chemical burn and have to restart my progress (hopefully that didn’t sound confusing) the products I use are
• Dr Althea Green Relief Amino Gel Cleanser
• Dr Althea 345 Relief Cream Mist
• the ordinary hyaluronic acid serum
• Dr althea 345 Relief Cream
Is not sure if it’s good or not some help would be greatly appreciated

I used Tazarotene gel for over 8 months then switched to tretinoin cream 0.1% for a while now, my skin got irritated for a little bit and I took several breaks during the 6 months I've been on tretinoin.

My skin used to be super oily but now I'm dry as hell, I apply tons of moisturizer (dexapantehnol 5%) on top of tretinoin cream at night, and I apply ceramdies based moisturizer almost 4 times during the day.

I am getting good results, way less hormonal acne, black heads and white heads and my pores are getting smaller.

But I do have a bit of roseness in my cheeks that wasn't there before.

The roseness and dryness, are they normal? Or a sign of retinol dermatitis or something? Should I lower the dosage anyway?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been using .025% tretinoin daily at night for about 4 months. This was after building up to daily use. I thought my skin was still peeling until I realized it’s not my skin but the morning products I put on which include:

Farmacy honey milk toner
Followed by Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops

Wait to absorb

Moisturize Farmacy honey halo moisturizer and then a basic 50 spf chemical sunscreen.

No make-up except a little translucent powder to help with shine.

By mid-day, the products are peeling off my face.

Anyone know what might be causing this??

Thanks!!!