Retin-A Q&A
77%
WORTH IT RATING
"Worth It Rating" shows the % of consumer reviewers
that stated the procedure was "Worth It" or not.
See more RealSelf Worth It Ratings
or Add Your Review
View Before and Afters
Average Retin-A Cost: $124
Learn about Retin-A
315 people and 124 doctors are talking about Retin-A
Get Free Email Updates
Do You Have to Peel for Retin A to Be Working?
asked 7 months ago by PinkyT in North Miami Beach, FL
Latest answer by F. Victor Rueckl, MD
Question viewed 184 times
Tags: not working, peeling
I started tretinoin .05 % cream about a week ago after having used an over-the-counter retinoid cream for several years. I've been using it in the very small dose prescribed nightly and "buffer" by moisturizing first (but don't always wait the 20 minutes. Life's busy.) No flaking or redness. Will it come? Is it not working if you don't peel?
1 answer to Do You Have to Peel for Retin A to Be Working?
+1
Not peeling from Retin A
No, peeling isn't necessary to show it's working. If you are following the doctor's orders I would think that's more important. I usually don't recommend people apply moisturizer to "buffer" it, but you do need to apply Retin A to dry skin. I have people use it directly on dry skin but usually only 3x per week or so. Most of my patients don't experience severe dryness, irritation, or peeling that way.
