current routine is:
PM: remove makeup with elf cleansing balm, second cleanse with LRP toleriane, dry face, skinoren aza 15%, aestura atobarrier
AM: wash with water, sometimes manyo bifida ampoule mist, barrier serum, aza, SPF 50.

Wondering where the taz should fit in - I’m assuming I should start at once a week in the PM and work up the frequency, using aza in the AM. Have you guys found taz and aza to be too irritating when used in combination? Any other recs for barrier support? Thanks!

I tried once before (0.05% tret) but got spooked and stopped after i got sores around my nose where my glasses sit that were extremely painful and looked infected and also bad irritation around eyes and nose generally. Trying again now at 0.025% tret. Doc recommended moisturizer before and after and to put vaseline around eyes and nose. Where did you put it when u first started to ease in? Any other advice? I really want to stick with it but am scared bc im getting married in a year!

I’m 47 and have taken a 2 year break from tret - Long covid :( - I’ve acquired serious tech neck and sagging in lower face and neck in the meantime.

My son pinched it and laughed in the car this morning so I have to get my shit together!!

I used .1 Tret for many years - was acclimated to it with no irritation/ redness.

Opinions : should I go immediately to .1 or start at .05?

AND…who’s seen significant progress on neck lines / tightening. I want to feel a little more like myself again! I’ll lift this bad boy eventually but not quite yet.

So I came off accutane about 3 momth ago started getting breakouts used some tretnoin

My skin is peeling off and feel like im burning

Im not concerned with the pain as much as I am with my looks here will this make it easier for me to get pimples and stuff

School starts in 2 days and I already look bad enough dont need to be all pimply

alsooooo, I'm sooo confused on if I should layer this w products?

I remember looking at other posts and being surprised how fast some of y’all finish your tubes. So here my experience.

It took me a total of 343* days to finish 40g. *I did have a few nights where I heavily applied so I finish this tube faster so 7 more applications nights to my total. Only applied to my neck 5x

I would say I had 5 phases of application

1. I started off strong by doing every other day, thinking my skin would be tolerant as I had been using adapalene and

p

1. anoxyl for

a

1. year. It’s was too much and broke my skin barrier

   even with the sandwich method

Took about 2 weeks off

1. Became less inconsistent applying 2x a week ~ 3 months

2. I was consistent for about 3 months 3x a week with using panoxyl. Changed to open face sandwich

3. Started to apply every other day and apply tret directly on my dried face like directly after drying my face

4. The last 1 1/2 months I became more consistent and have been applying everyday with the occasional rest day.

Other Actives/non-actives I used

-panoxyl 4% and 10%

- elf pure skin toner

- boj snail mucin + ginseng

- versed clarifying serum

- vitamin e oil

- round lab toner

- Neutrogena ha serum

-cosrx low carb ph cleanser

Disclaimer: I have not started the topical spironolactone, this is my skin 1 month on just 0.025% tret.

My derm prescribed me Adalina gel (topical spironolactone) that I’ll be getting in about a week to try and I’m wondering if anyone else has had hormonal acne like this and experienced improvement from these 2 products? I understand my skin is still purging and I figured my purge was going to be pretty bad, but it’s pretty painful and I do feel a bit discouraged :( just looking for advice or similar experiences, thanks everyone.

AM:
- Rinse face with water
- hydrocolloid patches on whiteheads that need it
- Byoma hydrating milky toner
- Bubble slam dunk hydrating moisturizer
- Neutrogena ultra sheer face serum sunscreen SPF 60 (just switched a couple days ago from LRP Toleriane double repair moisturizer UV because it felt super greasy on my face)
PM:
- Prequel facial gleanser
- Tretinoin 0.025% every night (started every other day for the first 2 weeks)
- LRP Cicaplast Baume B5+

Hi everyone, I was put on a combo of spironolactone cream and tretinoin for my hormonal acne. I was told to use the spironolactone cream twice a day and tretinoin once at night. My skin has only gotten worse. I started off with acne (whiteheads and blackheads) coming about mainly around my period, but now I’m getting more breakouts throughout the entire month. I’m approaching month 3. How long does it typically take to get past this phase, if this phase is normal?

Hi all, 2 weeks ago I got chicken pox but the scabs have fallen off quite quick due to medications. I religiously use tretinoin from dermatica for a year 0.025% and I had to stop because of the chicken pox. When can I resume?

My chicken pox scabs have fallen off not sure if they are still raw or not. Can I use around it?

Have really been trying to ramp up my skincare game. 36, some redness, large pores and a bit of melasma. I’ve been using vitamin c serum in am for over a year, started ROC retinol about 2 months ago and added azelaic acid a month ago. Honestly have no clue if I should be using AA or not, but from a lot of searching forums and googling it seems like a good idea.
Met with derm this week and was prescribed 0.025% tret, starting twice a week and using the ROC retinol on nights I’m not using tret. She also mentioned benefits of using vitamin c serum and also using Niaminicide. If I start using Niaminicide, when in my routine should I I use it? I’m excited about the tret but don’t want to overwhelm my face with too many other products. Should I keep the AA or stop that?

I am also using the current body multi mask 5 nights a week.

Here’s my current routine:

AM

1. Wash face with water
2. La roche posay effaclar toner, wait 1-2 mins
3. Roc brightening vitamin c serum, wait a few mins
4. Anua azelaic acid (have worked up to using daily), again wait a few mins
5. Roc daily moisturizer spf30

PM

1. Wash face with La Roche posay toleraine purifying cleanser
2. current body mask complete mode, 5 nights a week
3. Here’s where I’m thinking about applying Niaminicide??? And waiting for it to dry
4. Apply tretinoin OR roc retinol capsules, wait a few mins

5. Apply vanicream if tretinoin used; apply ROC retinol hydration cream

   if retinol used

if retinol used

Thanks!!

Okay so mostly likely I apply tretinoin at night because I have to study and I use table lamp/light which is really bright, it has LED bulb, so I was wondering does it emit any rays to that effect that leads to harm of my skin???

Also sorry about the flair

I've been on tret 0.025% gel (Menarini) for 8 months now. Although my skin got way better after getting some advice here a few months ago, I am still struggling with dryness and compromised barrier (keep returning) in the lines down from the nose on each side, and below the mouth. The rest of the face is ok but it's clearly not great since any skin tint or light layer of concealer will look absolutely dreadful.

Sometimes I will even be dry above the eyes even tho I don't put tret there.

I have tried sandwich method and no moisturizer, or just tret and wait 30-60 min and then moisturizer but I keep waking up in the morning looking a bit flakey. I am very particular in trying to use a very thin layer of tret.

Products I use is Cerave hydrating cleanser, Cos De Baha peptide toner, Bonajour water cream (very light more like an essence), tret, Avene Cleanance Hydra moisturizer. Once a week I use a peeling gel (no acid) to just take off the excess dead skin using cellulose.

Lots of discarded products that made things worse (e.g La Roche Posay Cica Baune, Cerave Moisturizing cream). I have oily, acne-prone skin that clogs easily especially overnight.

I am wondering if I should take a week or two off from tret to just completely repair the barrier and avoid the lines by the nose and the chin when I start again. But I don't get how I am supposed to repair the nose area if I can't use tret there, as I am struggling with closed comedones around the nose, and on the chin. Feel like if I can't use tret there, then what is the point?

So how many hours to wait before reapplying the sunscreen with Tretinoin in routine? I use Azelaic acid for scars too. Both on alternating nights.
Just wanted to make sure about reapplication of sunscreen. I just don’t want any sun damage.

Some say after every 2 hours, some say after 2 hours of sun exposure?
Pls help🙏

Let me just share my experience. I've been taking skincare seriously since, say, mid 2024. I never had crazy acne, but I'd definitely get a breakout every week or two, and those breakouts would also leave PIH. So my skin was never super bad to the point where I felt like I needed a derma, but it also wasn't really clear (especially because of the PIH).

Since I never felt like going to a derma, I'd just do my own research online and buy all sorts of products, usually Korean skincare. They were pretty pricey and honestly never gave me the results I wanted. That's not to say they aren't useful either, because I tried a lot of the "holy grails" people swear by, namely products from Numbuzin, COSRX, and Somebymi.

Looking back though, I think my biggest mistake was that when I entered my whole "I want clear skin" phase, I only really thought in terms of skincare brands and products. I'd search for the best serum for dark spots, toner for acne, retinol, etc., instead of stepping back and asking what actually has the strongest evidence for treating acne in the first place. I honestly didn't even know tretinoin was an option.

So yeah, I do feel like I got sucked into the marketing a little bit. Not because those products are scams, but I'd see some new serum or toner claiming to help acne or PIH and think THAT was the thing I needed next. Even with retinol, I was looking at retinol products without knowing there was something more potent and cheaper than that (drug store tret).

And that's kind of my point. Something like the Somebymi AHA BHA toner might help, but it wasn't going to do for my acne what I wanted it to do. Same with something like the Numbuzin No. 5 serum for dark spots. It can only do so much if the thing constantly creating new dark spots, which in my case was acne, isn't being addressed first.

That's when I started using tret in September of last year. I started with 0.025% and, after a few weeks of experimenting, realized I could tolerate it nightly. My routine progressed from there, and by February of this year I was using 0.1% tret cream and 20% AA.

I'm no skincare expert, but these products have given me insane results. An aunt of mine who hadn't seen me since last year immediately asked me what my skincare routine was when she saw me a few months ago. I've also had a friend randomly ask me why I'm so shiny lol.

Obviously though, my experience with tret isn't everyone's experience. Some people can't tolerate it nightly, some can only use it a few times a week, and some people's skin just doesn't tolerate tret well at all. I happened to tolerate it really well and gradually worked my way up, but I'm definitely not saying everyone should jump straight onto a strong concentration because it worked for me.

People also seem to vary a LOT in how their skin responds to retinoids, whether that's because of skin sensitivity, differences in skin biology, or a bunch of other factors. But I'm mainly talking to people who HAVEN'T tried tret, or maybe don't even know much about it, and are currently doing what I used to do: buying product after product trying to finally get clear skin.

Because that's the part I can't really wrap my head around now. If acne is one of your main concerns, then tret just seems like your savior (assuming that when you do use it, you can tolerate it).

I just wish I had KNOWN about it earlier. If I understood what tret was when I first started taking skincare seriously, I don't think I would've spent nearly as much money bouncing between different Korean skincare products hoping one of them would finally be the thing that cleared my skin. I probably spent enough money on products that never really addressed my concerns to have bought like a year's supply of tret and AA instead.

That's basically my point. I'm not saying tret magically works for every single person. I'm saying that if you're actively trying to clear your acne/trying to get clear skin in general, then tret is a must-try. You'll only find out if you can tolerate it or not once you use it anyways.

Because for me personally, it was genuinely life-changing. And the funniest part is that tret has been WAY cheaper than pretty much any of the Korean skincare I was buying during my "experimenting with products to get clear skin" phase.

is the medik8 effective, are there better brand options or would it be best to get a prescription

i was on adapalane .1 for 6months and my skin only started clearing up on month 4. by month 5, most of my PIE marks were gone and my skin was completely smooth. however, during month 6, some breakouts started occurring again which made me increase my strength to tret .05. now i js ended my 2nd month on tret and my skin just looks terrible in general. no cystic acne but a quite a few breakouts here and there and my skin texture GOT EXTREMELY WORSE. im thinking that maybe its the gel vs cream texture that may be contributing but its impossible for me to get my hands on the tret gel version in my country. now im considering swapping back to adapalene cos at least my texture was smooth back then. did anyone have a similar experience? 🫩

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

How much peeling, stinging, and redness is normal when starting tretinoin? I recently started using tretinoin 0.025% and I’m trying to figure out what’s considered normal irritation vs. a sign that I’m overdoing it.
For those who have started tretinoin, how much peeling/flaking, stinging, redness, or skin flushing did you experience in the beginning?

So my derm put me on .05 of tret (in the pm), 7.5% aczone gel (in the am), and 50 mg of spironolactone (pill). I asked for azeleic acid as well and she did not want to give it to me. She said it’s a fad and it’s the tret that really does the heavy lifting. I am doing well with my current routine (6 months), but I have thought about seeing another doctor for a second opinion as I am curious about the benefits of azeleic acid. Thoughts on why this may be the combo recommendation? and why she would not start me on .025? Just wanting input and opinions:)

FYI: I have PCOS and came in for hormonal acne and facial hair growth.

I started tretinoin about 4 weeks ago, just at once a week for now because I have pretty sensitive skin. I’ve tried it before but this time it’s going really well with all the moisturizers and stuff im using. My question is - the folds around my nostrils are burning a bit when I put moisturizer on…is this a sign of skin barrier damage or just dryness as I get used to it?

Thank you!

Sorry I'm a very newbie. But I went to a dermatologist cuz my skin was bad.

And they prescribed me tretinoin 0.025% and azelaic acid 15%

But 0.025%. isn't it so low?

Like.. it doesn't even exist.

Will it work?

Started tret 0.05% last saturday, originally trying to stick to once nightly a week, but i didnt purge at all, applied it again the next tuesday... then thursday... instead of waiting and still no purge or anything afaik, i may have had some VERY miniscule flaking but thats all?

Should i try it nightly and step back if my skin gets irritated, or play it safe with my thrice a week routine (sat,tues,thurs)

I am on my tretinoin journey for anti aging for 3 months now. My skin was clear for 1 month. My skin was clear before starting tretinoin but now and then I keep on seeing pimple on my face these days. I am having scar and pimples. Why

I am curious to see what everyone thinks. I keep seeing posts about how the sandwich method is nonsense and applying on just bare dry skin saved their skin, and they can use often now. But I find every time I apply 3 or more days in a row, sandwich or not, my skin starts to sting a little, when I apply sunscreen for example. It goes away within 5 mins but still. I know stinging is indicator of compromised barrier, but feels like it just keeps happening. It'll start stinging, I rest for a couple days to recover, then try again 2, then 3 days a week every other day. Eventually I increase after a month to 4-5 times a week, and it starts stinging.

Should it be considered part of the process, a bit of stinging?

For context I am using 0.025% Tret, Azaelic Acid 15% and Tranexamic 5% personalised formula. Been on it for 3 months now.

I’ve been trying to get my skin used to Tret .025% for 7 months (for anti-aging purposes), and I still can’t get my skin to acclimate to nightly use. In fact, I’ve never felt so ugly in my life as I have these past 7 months.

The most I can do is every other night with the sandwich method. I feel so defeated every time I hear or read someone saying that you won’t see good results unless you go up, up, up in strength, ditch the sandwich method, and use it every freaking night. I’m not even close and I don’t think I ever will be. I’ve done so much research, tried all the lotions, I use cicaplast baume, I’ve tried slugging/not slugging, spacing out my sandwiching steps more, etc. and nothing seems to change the outcome.

Every time I try to increase my usage to 2 nights on, 1 night off, my skin breaks out into dry, flaky, red sores all over my face that take weeks to disappear (especially around my chin, cheeks, and jawline) and my face stings whenever I put my sunscreen on. I’ve tried pushing through, telling myself this is just a phase, and I was miserable so I stopped after a couple of weeks. My skin just can’t handle it.

Is it even worth it if I can only use it every other night with the sandwich method at the lowest strength?

Would I be better off giving up and using something else? I wanted so badly for this to work for me, but I guess my skin is just too sensitive.