Retin-A: Stories

Ugh. I'm kinda sick of people belligerently defending retin a and refusing to accept that people can use it correctly and still damage their skin. Trust me, it happens, and the longer you use the stuff, the more likely it is to happen to you, so you need to watch out for it. I used retin a CORRECTLY (even less than I was supposed to, in fact) off and on for years so I can say this from experience. You are all secretly afraid of it happening you--and you are right to fear it. Yes, Retin A can be a great help sometimes, but it also THINS THE TOP LAYER OF YOUR SKIN while it does it, making it more vulnerable to damage (not just sun, but acne scars, if you suffer acne). It's why over time, people get slow healing and scars, and ironically, the thinning of the top layer can also make you more vulnerable not just to acne scars, but to the acne itself due to the fact that the skin doesn't have that extra layer of protection from bacteria and germs. Because it's slower to heal, it's also slower to fight off infection. This is why eventually, zits can stick around forever and the skin sort of just stops shedding (there is nothing left to shed so it just eats away more and more of that top layer making you skin appear craggy). I suspect we all have a different threshold when it comes to the point where it starts to damage (some seem to get it much much earlier than others), but I'd just exfoliate daily with a clarisonic brush or olay brush if you want smoother looking skin and only use the retin sparingly after the inital 6 months. My skin eventually started appearing leathery and I was only using it 2x a week when I quit it. Ever since I switched to an olay brush my skin appears SO MUCH better it's not even funny. That said, it's not the end of the world if you do get a little damage people! Sure, it sucks, but I think some of you need to get a grip....this is not the kind of damage that anyone but YOU is likely to notice. Any damage you could get from retin a will only ever be shallow (as it thickens the bottom layer) and damage like this slowly heals over time (I would know).

I get the feeling a lot of women give up on this product because they don't follow instructions carefully. You have to start in very cautiously in the beginning. When the irritation starts up, and it will because it's SUPPOSED to, don't go to pieces, just back off till your skin feels better, then use it again, very cautiously. Never let the sun EVER hit your face while using this. How hard is that to follow? Wear a sun hat whenver you leave the house. Don't depend on sunscreen alone.

The same things keep getting said over and over that don't seem to add to the discussion. I'm not flaming the folks who would just like some online mental support and who are reaching out for that, or folks like Della80 who have legit questions, but others who haven't read anything on here and straight up complaining about conditions induced by not using the stuff properly. The issue isn't whether or not your skin is damaged, but whether you used the reputable product or some other thing and also did you use it properly and did you get the right strength and preparation. Folks, enough people have posted on here to inform everyone of EXACTLY how to use Retin A, what the different strengths are about, AND the different preparations, ie, gels versus creams of the same brand. Just begin reading this thread from the top. Are people doing this? If you have PROPERLY tried it the way SEVERAL have outlined on here and still experience probs, sure post. But really, if you use the simple ingredient, tretinoin, then you just have to be patient most of the time and go VERY SLOW, address complications efficiently as they occur, and use the lowest percentage first and DON'T get the gel. Bear in mind, that practically every medical ointment or medicine that is prescription is not appropriate for a segment of the population. This is not a surprise. That's why, for example, they ask you on a simple new patient sheet in a doc's office, just what meds you have a reaction to. That's why the risks are ALWAYS listed when you get your prescription filled - that sheet of paper that comes with the med, no matter where you buy it. It happens. Nothing works for everyone. I just feel as if a dead horse is being flogged on here and that several people are not paying attention to what was already posted multiple times by multiple people.

I have to be careful about how often I use Retin-A on my face or it makes my face have pink spots that sometimes become small sores in places. It also dries out my skin and I have to put Palmer's Cocoa Butter on it and keep rubbing it in to remove the dead skin. If I use it a little more than a week apart then I am good and my face fills out fuller and my skin gets softer. This is a medicine that you have to just practice using to see how your skin will react to it. It is a little too strong for me at 0.5 so I go easy on using it but I do like the end results when the spots go away. Tamm

I would steer clean from retinol products. It gave my cheeks an orange peel texture and gave me scars! I have pictures to prove it! I'm on month 4 not using retinol and my skin is slowly getting better. I'd stay away, I'm on 27 and retinol gave me the texture of a 60 maybe even 70 year old...in a few months i should have my old skin back i hope!

does anyone have anywhere that they recommend to buy retin a from. I bought mine from chemist direct and it was only about £7.00. its a well known website but i'm just a bit unsure as i have seen it alot more pricey than that. doctor won't prescribe it to me. on the box it says tretinion cream u.s.p retino A 0.05% looks like it has indian writing underneath. I'm not sure. says made in india by johnson and johnson limited. worried it may be fake. i have just applied it and no burning at all. but maybe it burns with continued use. help someone please. you all seem to know alot more than me from experience. thanks x

I purchased Retinol A 0.5 and put it all over my face and went to bed. The next morning I washed my face and put it on again and then applied a moisturizer and then foundation. I did this for about four days in a row. My face has red sore spots on it on my cheeks and one red sore spot under my eye. My chin area is completely red and dried out and very touchy. My face burns to touch it and I dare not use foundation because it hurts to touch and only flakes off like dry skin. Now I noticed upon looking into the mirror that not only do I have red spots that I am treating with Bacitracin ointment and no Retinol A anymore but it looks like I am wearing a darker foundation than I normally wear. It is even around my jaw line, did my Retinol A do this or did I stain my face for good by using the foundation with the Retinol A on my face. Will the darkness go away soon or am I going to have to wait a month and do a TCA Chemical Peel all over my face. I also purchased Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid which I tried putting on one night when I took off my make-up and Retinol A and my face burned like fire so I learned not to mix the two of them by experiencing pain. I know the red spots will heal but what I am most concerned about is why my face turned dark just like where I wore my foundation. Please tell me that my face will lighten up and the dark brown stain will go away in a certain amount of time. I now realize I shouldn't have used the Retinol A four days in a week and only used it at bedtime instead of the daytime when I was wearing make-up over it. What can I do to take the brown off of my face and how quickly will my face heal. My chin area is very dry and really burns when I wash my face. The Bacitracin with pain killer helps numb my face so that it doesn't burn when I go to bed. Thank you for your answers, if anyone can help me I would appreciate your help. Tamm You may e-mail me at: tlesley@sbcglobal.net