What can I use to help face peeling after using tretinoin gel for acne?

Question

I used tretinoin gel on my face to reduce acne and to reduce the acne scars. The gel came in contact with the sun. My skin is now peeling. It feels like I have a sunburn and I don't know what to do. Please help me.

Theresa M. Jarmuz, MD · Answer

The goal with Retin A is to push through this flaking period and work up to daily use to achieve consistent, even skin cell turnover. If you experience excessive or stubborn flaking you can use an adjunct exfoliative product such as Obagi’s Exfoderm Forte to hasten the pesky peeling. If you’re having skin irritation, inflammation, or burning, you may be overly sensitive and should consider reducing dosage or frequency of use.. for this you could also cut the potency of the Retin A with Obagi Clenziderm glycerin moisturizer to soothe while promoting cell turnover.

Elyse Rafal, MD · Answer

Thank you for inquiring about tretinoin/retin-a.  Here are some tips on proper usage. If you have questions and concerns it is alwasy best to see your dermatologist. 
Apply the tretinoin to face at night at least 20 to 30 minutes after washing your face or 30 minutes after applying your last acne medication.  Use a gentle cleanser.  Do not spot treat, apply a thin layer (i.e. pea sized amount for entire face) and gently rub into area.  Moisturizers and sunscreens are applied in the morning.  Never apply any moisturizers, sunscreens or topical medications before, during or after applying the prescribed medication unless instructed otherwise.  Side effects: Sun sensitivity.  Apply a sunscreen with spf 15 or above at least 15 minutes before going outside.  During the early weeks your skin may become worse.  This means the tretinoin/retin-a is working.  It is normal for some people to experience some irritation (i.e. redness, peeling, stinging, burning and itching) If skin becomes very irritated, decrease usage to every other night or twice a week, gradually building up until you can tolerate every night. Avoid defoliants, scrubs, toners and astringents.  
I hope this helps.  Remember, schedule appointments with your board certified dermatologist for proper skin regimans.

Onir Spiegel, DDS, PhD · Answer

Depending on how much "peeling" or sluffing you have, a great treatment would be to have a dermaplane treatment followed by a facial.  This way were removing any extra flaking skin and also removing the peach fuzz and dead skin cells on the epidermis.  A dermaplane treatments is such a fabulous pre treat to a facial because after removing all the dead skin cells etc you get much better product penetration and much more out of the products that are being applied!Best from Boston!Kayla

What can I use to help face peeling after using tretinoin gel for acne?

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What can I use to help face peeling after using tretinoin gel for acne?

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Everything you need to know about Retin-A

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