not worth it
I am really beginning to question and wonder about...
I applied Retin A very, very carefully. I followed directions to a T. I'm now thinking the mistakes I made were to use a clarisonic and vitamin C ( not in conjunction but the day after) while also using Retin A. Perhaps I would still be having the issues I have had even without these things, but I do think these exacerbated the problem. I'd like to add that I was told it was perfectly safe to use both wihile on Retin A. Again.. wrong.
Let me tell you what Retin A does to the skin. It thins it. It thins the epidermis and damages the skin barrier. I don't care what any doctor out there says, this is what it does. How do I know this? Well, I used retin A for approx 3/4 nights ( every other night) and this is what it did to my skin in that very short time..
~Spider veins along nose
~dark circles
~extremely sensitized skin that turns red very easily, even know 3 weeks after being off of it
~greasy, oily skin. VERY oily
~fine lines increased
~deep wrinkles appeared from NOWHERE
~horrible, awful huge pores ALL OVER MY FACE
~red all around my nose
~splotchy skin
~shiny skin
Thanks Retin A. Retin A dehydrates the skin, damages the barrier and thins the epidermis, all of which are very difficult to treat and take months to resolve. If not years. For some people, this is never remedied.
I am lucky that I stopped using it as soon as I saw the large pores. I knew something was amiss and I was not taking any chances. It's been three weeks and with careful care of my skin there is vast improvement. But if you don't treat it properly and promptly, you will be regretting using retin a for the rest of your life. Please be cautious. If you have a bad reaction such as mine, leave a comment and I will tell you how to fix the problem. And stop the retin a immediately.. it will only get worse and harder to fix.
Replies (79)
Hi dpak! First thing- be very gentle with your skin. No harsh scrubbing, clarisonic, peels, etc. After a month of gentle care and improvement, I now do a very gentle exfoilation wash once a week, but that is it. I treat my nose differently however as it is oily and the skin is thick there. I can do acne treatments and no harm is done. This is what I recommend:
Wash your face with a very gentle face wash. I use extremely gentle face wash by cellceuticals. I'm sure cerave or cetaphil would be okay as well.
After washing apply a GOOD quality emu oil. Do not get it from Amazon. I get mine from Montana Ranch.
After applying emu oil cover face with a thin layer of barrier repair cream. I use ceractive by cell ceuticals and it is AMAZING. worth every penny. However, cerave would probably do as well. The combo of the barrier repair and emu oil together is of the utmost importance. Be gentle with your skin, that is what matters. Also, use a sunscreen everyday. I use an invisble zinc suncreen from skinceuticals that really helped with my pores. The zinc is healing to the skin. After about a month of this regime ( 2x daily) I was able to incorporate some b5 HA gel (skinceuticals) to my barrier repair and my skin has liked it a lot. I also carefully introduced a healing/hydrating serum from cellceuticals which has helped. Stick with emu oil and barrier repair lotion though and you will see massive improvement. It helps with inflammation, dehydration and repairs the barrier as well as thickens the skin. My skin improves every day although I still have to deal with some strange flare ups and the # 11s have not completely gone away. I have NO idea how 3 nights of retin A could create #11 wrinkles that were never there before! It's crazy. Let me know if this helps!
Also- get some oil blotting paper- it really helps with the appearance of the enlarged pores. Good luck!
Ugh. I take that back. I cannot incorporate ANYTHING back into my skin regime. Emu oil and barrier cream. That. is. it. My pores began to open back up with the serum and hylauronic gel. This is insane. What the hell is in retin a that it can affect the skin months afterwards?!!! Ugggggh. Anyway. The emu and barrier cream DO work. They will make your tone much better and the redness and oiliness will subside. I don't have any redness anymore and just oiliness on nose and between brows that is easily fixed with oil blotting paper. (I've always been oily there, so it's not much change from before.) But in the beginning of this mess the oiliness was out of control. So frustrating. Best of luck!
Ugh. People like you drive me nuts. YOU people are the reason that I thought retin a was safe. Before taking it I read every thing I could on the net. I read people say it ruined their skin and then some commenter would come along and say they were lying and retin a doesn't do that. That is such bull! I did not use it incorrectly. I did not even get red or flaky skin! My pores opened all over my face and it freaked me out so I stopped using it. THEN my face became all read and sensitized and dehydrated. It's two months later and I am still dealing with this crap. I have to have three broken caps lasered off my face now bc of it. My skin is so sensitive that if I use anything or do anything besides gently wash my face and use emu oil and barrier repair my face turns bright red like I have a sunburn. I cannot use a clarisonic or acne medication or exfoliate my face or have a facial. Lucky you that retin a didn't mess your face up but be careful. Go read ALL the Q & A's under retin a and you will see how many people get the problem with open pores. And sometimes this problem doesn't show up till months and months later. If you are someone who uses retin a for 8 months and then your face open ups with pores, you are in big trouble. They will never go away. I was lucky only bc I used a few times. People become suicidal over this stuff. Go read IPL laser damage support group. There are a few people on there with retin a damage and they became so depressed they needed to medicate themselves. You have no idea what you are talking about. Google retin a thin skin/open pores if you think I am the only one who has suffered from this weird reaction.
And I am smart and lucky that I only used it three times. I would forever have damaged skin otherwise. Look on retin a q&a and notice how many questions go like this... "PLEASE HELP ME!!! I have been using retin a for six months and at first it made my skin beautiful, now I have open pores all over my face!!! Why did this happen and what can I do???"
And guess what you will notice? Not one answer from any doc. They don't know why this happens but it IS a known cause. It is also KNOWN to thin the skin for some people but yet again, doctors don't tell you this. This pore/texture problem is EXTREMELY difficult to fix. You better hope it doesn't happen to you. No joke because it could.
How to fix the problem Retin A creates.
This is how you help restore your skin. You need to repair your skin barrier and hydrate the skin. This is the exact routine I follow.. and I follow it until my skin is all healed and then to be safe I will continue on for another month. First things first.. NO acids, no exfoliation, no scrubbing. Be gentle with your skin. As gentle as possible. Spot treat acne.
1. Wash skin with cellceuticals extra gentle cleanser. ( this cleanser is awesome.
2. Apply small to medium amount of cold emu oil to the skin.. ( I keep my emu oil in the fridge. It will turn into a cream and then melt into your hands. I buy my emu oil from the Montana Ranch. It is very important that your emu oil is purified and pure.)
3. Immediately after applying the emu oil, while skin is still moist from the oil, apply barrier repair cream from cellceuticals.
4. About twenty minutes later apply zinc sunscreen from skinceuticals. Zinc is very healing to the skin.
That is ALL I do. Nothing else. This will heal your skin barrier but it takes time. It will also hydrate your skin. Your skin should not break out from this routine. Your t-zone may be affected if you over apply these things so apply them sparingly to these areas. I also spot treat my nose to prevent black heads. I will wash with a BP wash or apply proactive BP cream on it. But only to my nose. The emu oil has actually stopped me from breaking out on my face completely.
Replies (9)
It sounds as if you have sensitive skin. Retin A/Tretinoin is the only proven cream that minimized wrinkles and even reverses sun damage. It does cause rapid turnover of the skin and promotes collagen but I don't think you should use it every day of the year. I don't. I use it two weeks on and two weeks off. It is important to allow your skin to regenerate and to maintain it's own protective qualities.
I am NOT a Dr. or dermatologist but I do read a lot. I would talk to a qualified Dr. but honestly, I would probably just research reputable sources since Dr. don't generally have time to recount everything they know and debate products.
Sounds as if you have found what works for you. I love Emu oil! (and my tretinoin cream).
Do NOT wash with cellceuticals extra gentle cleanser, wash with raw honey!
Replies (5)
Up to that her skin was bed.
And she just kept going.
Does anybody knows anything?
I am using ratin a for over 5 month and experiencing some patches of good skin. And some with pigmented orang peel tucture and gray hew
Thank for sharing your story, sorry that Retin-A didn't work out for you. Everyone reacts so differently to treatments such as this so it is important for us to hear the good and the bad, so again, thanks for sharing and I hope you find a treatment that will be successful for you.