Skin damage from Retin A

Question

I'm a 29 year old female and started using retin A when I was 28. I wasn't prescribed it from a dermatologist or doctor but after doing some extensive research I decided to purchase it from abroad. After about 3months using it I noticed I was getting more wrinkles, especially under my eyes and forehead. My pores become very large and my overall skin texture became like that of an orange peel. I stopped using it for about 3months and the damage did not reverse. Please, please help!!

Fereydoon S. Mahjouri, MD · Answer

Hi bellehp!I am sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience. Retin-A is extremely easy to get from a doctor. If there are other medications that require a prescription, please see a doctor rather than risking your health. It sounds to me like you could benefit from seeing a licensed esthetician. They can assess your skin and perform some treatments to help the texture of your skin as well as educate you about some great anti aging products you can be using at home. It's not too late to get your skin healthy again. Microneedling may be a great treatment option for you. It creates micro injuries in the skin, forcing your body to produce collagen to repair the injuries. This will greatly improve texture and it can be used right up to the lower lash line. Best of luck!

Hratch Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

I prefer more gentle retinoid creams like Retinoid Repair RR cream and its use with Elevase Moisture Booster, an Opti-Ceramide cream for deep moisturization and hydration and Spectrase, which is a wide spectrum sun block (SPF 50+) to prevent sun damage and irritation. See link below. 
Combining them does not reduce effectiveness.
H Karamanoukian MD FACS

Skin damage from Retin A

Answers (2)