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POSTED UNDER Retin-A Reviews

Retin A is a Life Saver!

UPDATED FROM choklitvomit
2 years post

2+ years on retin a !! UPDATE

choklitvomit
WORTH IT$13
I have just found my old profile from two years ago and I can't believe how much my skin has changed! Granted, the photos on here never showed the worst stages of my acne and retin a journey but even then its a big difference!

Replies (3)

September 21, 2016
Hi! I'm so happy to find a blogger that has kept up with a retinoid, made it through, and now has great skin!! I have so many questions for you.... I have just started adapalene, which is a type of retinoid. I've been looking all over the Internet for stories like yours. My pores on my forehead are absolutely GIANT. They were never visible before, but right now they almost look like an orange peel, with little black dots in the middle. That was where the majority of my CC's were as well. I read that you had the same effect. So this went away for you on your forehead? How long do you think it lasted? Is it just part of the purge? I've only been on my retinoid for 3 weeks, and I've legitimately read every horror story about people with the same problem as me and never coming out of it.... but reading yours is absolutely AMAZING!
September 21, 2016
Actually, I also wanted to ask when the blackheads STARTED as well, and then went away! Thanks so much!! :)
September 21, 2016
Hello. Yes I had the same exact things on my forehead and I hated it so much. Retinoids can be a pain in the ass because they work so well that they make you see whats inside your pores when you didnt even know there was anything inside them.
The orange peel stage is not very flattering but it will 100% go away on its own when you keep using it. Also try not to ever squeeze any of it out even if it tempts you (it can get itchy when its on its way out) because if your skin is really dry then it wont heal well and may leave a small mark and you also wont be able to use the retin a if your skin is scabbing over or damaged, so just mildly exfoliate and use a bit of cream to combat the dryness.
September 21, 2016
I have always had problems with oily skin or clogged pores but i never really noticed just how much of my skin was affected until i used retin a and it alllll started surfacing. The pores above my eyebrows expanded and as yoh described had a "blackhead" in the middle. Eventually these dried blackheads/ comedones all came out and the pore went back to its original size and shape.
September 21, 2016
Do you remember how long it took?
September 22, 2016
Also, do you remember having to deal with indents in your skin? I had a couple show up this morning after I used my retinoid.
September 22, 2016
Im not sure what you meant by indents youre gonna have to clarify..

It took me a few weeks, i would say maybe a couple of months , but I think it depends how clogged your skin was to begin with. After that period I kept getting less and less. The six months mark picture was when my forehead wasnt bumpy anymore
September 22, 2016
The pictures are all down as "6th month post" but the captions state the real dates. The photo i am referring to is the third one in bright lighting and that was taken during the third month on retin a .
September 23, 2016
Okay, thanks for replying! By "dents", I mean that my pores look a little sunken in where there were bigger closed comedones to be taken care of. Also, it's interesting, because I was reading a blog about so many people experiencing the same effect that you and I had/have, and they all stopped their retinoid after about 4 months. Maybe that's why their effects didn't go away? Maybe they didn't moisturizer enough, or used too much retinoid in the beginning? Who knows. But this post is very reassuring!!!
September 24, 2016
Well thats what it looks like because the skin is being stretched to let the comedone reach the surface, so the pore is opened and looks sunken in like orange peel. Its a big mistake to quit after 4 months because the best stage is only about to start.

I didnt mousturise at night at the beginning and that just made my skin very itchy and made my scabs heal much slower so i started to use cream every day after putting on my gel and also in the morning. I used too much retin a at the start too because i thought it would work better but i had really bad dry and red patches and my skin was really sensitive but that all went away
September 24, 2016
Wow, thanks! I was really beginning to worry that these women just had horrible side effects. I really hope I'm not one of them!! Thanks!!
September 24, 2016
Side effects are really not that severe if anyone says they got scars from this they are lying or hiding something. The only places I have some permanently enlarged pores or small scars is where i picked at my face. It was all my fault.
September 25, 2016
Thank you!!
September 27, 2016
Hi, I just have one more question.... did you wait for the pores to go away by themselves, or did you use a mask or something else to help the process along?
September 29, 2016
Ive used clay masks scrubs but found that it was just too drying to do all those things so i just lightly exfoliated with sugar and used masks occasionally but they really didn't make much difference. Being outside or busy all day helped my skin clear out faster but I really didn't do much to it
September 29, 2016
Sometimes when I have a spot and it bothers me to feel it there or to look at it, I dab some retin a on it and put a plaster over it at night or I use nappy rash cream and a plaster on top. Its a good way to let your acne get better without having to see it through its ugly stage. Saves me from so much stress
September 30, 2016
Okay, thanks SO MUCH. I still see a lot of those crazy stories and it still freaks me out, lol. By the way, did your pores look like this? I just want to make sure it's the same thing: https://imgur.com/a/YNxBE
September 30, 2016
Yes they looked very similar. Im not sure if its just the camera but i cant see much all i can see is some slightly enlarged pores, with nothing inside them. Pores change size depending on temperature to make it easier for sweat and oil to escape so you shouldn't worry
September 30, 2016
Oh they're like filled with blackheads
September 30, 2016
Oh righ I couldnt see on the picture. Yeah i had the exact same thing and it went away :)
October 2, 2016
Okay, thanks so much. I really hope my skin is the same!!! This orange peel phase SUCKS
October 3, 2016
Btw, I got a much better picture of my pores!! You can see the black stuff better: https://imgur.com/a/PuHik
January 27, 2017
Sorry but this stuff can permanently ruin people's skin and the indentations are one of the main things that people complain about when having a bad reaction and side effects. I am one of these people and I for damn sure ain't lying.
I WISH I was.
Its been 5 months since using the retinoid that I did and not an ounce of improvement.
I've got the orange peel, random shallow areas and indentations showed up, like the skin was eaten away or something, my skin looks rough yet is so incredibly fragile, like jello. It's looks best up. My once porcelain complexion is now mottled reddish yellow. So I almost look orange along with the orange peel.
It's like a joke.

Do not just make a blanket statement of all people are lying if they have this type of horrific and unexpected thing happen. Perhaps you are just trying to quell this girl's worries but still.
It's not very kind to those who are suffering.
Many of which are on this site and trying desperately to reverse their situation. Even dermatologists can't seem to be of help.
It an absolute nightmare.
January 27, 2017
Sarah I looked at that pic and it looks just like my forehead only mine may be worse.
If you HAVE healed from this I would love to know. I am losing my mind over this and it is breaking me down completely.
January 27, 2017
*beat up

Sorry typo
May 10, 2017
@23F, sorry to hear about your predicament. What strength/type of Retin-A did you use? Have you seen any improvements since?
December 30, 2016
Your skin looks amazing!!!!
March 7, 2018
Your skin looks amazing! Can you please share your regimen? Which cleanser do you use, how often do you wash your face, how often do you use retin-a and moisturize? Thanks!
UPDATED FROM choklitvomit
7 months post

its still hard to accept compliments

choklitvomit
It feels so strange to be getting compliments on my skin now because I don't think I ever got any from people before!! In the summer my aunt said I have really nice skin (this was outside in the daylight) and last week a a girl from the shop said I have beautiful skin. For a second I thought 'no I don't but thanks' but then I realized I DO have beautiful skin and Im so glad I stuck with the retin a because now I can go back to college and not worry about my appearance as much anymore because my skin was a HUGE issue for me last year and I even skipped school when I felt 'too ugly to be seen' , I was really depressed and now, now I dont even remember the last time I cried about my complexion. Im happy with it, I accept it, even some of my old little scars are no big deal to me like they used to be. I was a perfectionist aiming for an unrealistic goal, but then I accepted reality of developing some scars and tried to move on and work on getting clear (which I am now yay!) ok ok I have one pimple near my hairline, but I think its from my mums bronzer or too much daycream, idk but it doesnt bother me anymore!!!

Replies (5)

August 29, 2014
When 1st introducted, Renova/retin-A was manufactured by Johnson and Johnson and required a perscription to obtain and cost approx. $100 per tube. What exactly is being sold on e-Bay? Who is the manufacturer?
August 31, 2014
it's funny I used 0.05 for months and had orange peel texture. now I'm back in the 0.1 cream with no Orange peel issues. I think the stronget one works better for me.
August 31, 2014
My conclusion is that the cells turn over faster with the 0.1 eliminating the side effects. My own little experiment lol
December 2, 2014
I'm so glad I found your review ! It's amazing, your skin looks incredible :) I've just started using .1% gel yesterday, which I also got from eBay :) I hope my results are as great as yours xx
February 17, 2015
I'm looking to order the Retin a from eBay. May I ask the buyer that you purchased from?
February 18, 2015
Some of the cream based Retin-a products are occlusive (as Renova was). You obtain the benefit of acne fighting trentinoin, but there are the clogging effects of the heavy cream in which it was suspended. Some of the gels are much too harsh. Trentinoin should be used with great care in sensitive skinned people. If you put on too much, and rub it in too fiercely, you may get the equivalent of a chemical burn. Until you let your skin recover you will become irritated, red, dry and peeling. Under no circumstances should any more than a pea sized amount be used for the entire face. It cannot be used any more frequently than once per day. Finally, toss out any and all alcohol based cosmetics since it cannot be used in conjunction with Retin -A. One last word of caution- I would advise against ordering Retin-A on the Internet. You Malay wrongly conclude that your Retin-A doesn't work. There are inauthentic trentinoins being sold. I personally recommend Kinerase prescription trentinoin. You must have a docs prescription. It is suspended in a fish oil base that won't clog, and helps the skin heal. The Kinerase will cost about $100 U.S. This may be more than you find elsewhere, but it is worth it since a $100 tube lasts for several months. Good luck, Oh. . . You might also want to try a baby quasar blue light. It kills bacteria associated with acne, but won't irritate your skin. A good plan might be to alternate-blue light one night and Retin-A on alternate nights.
UPDATED FROM choklitvomit
6 months post

tretinoins I buy

choklitvomit

Replies (2)

August 13, 2014
Its nice to see the result of Retin A. How much Retin A tubes do you use in those 7 months and what is the density of the tube in %?
August 13, 2014
Im still on third tube. They were all 20grams, 0.1 % strength
August 16, 2014
Did i ask you one question please.... From where did you get the cream and at what price?
August 16, 2014
Its all in my update
August 24, 2014
Who is your ebay seller? I don't see it in any of the updates. There are many on ebay and a recommendation would help. Thank you.
August 24, 2014
I don't actually remember the first one but I bought from a different one last time so I really just buy from the cheapest and closest I can find
August 24, 2014
I will check my emails and see
August 24, 2014
One of the sellers on ebay I bought from was called "popugai" (UK seller) and they still have some for £9.00 , but im trying to see if that was my first seller or second one, because the first was the best (lid and tube didn't break like they did with the last two)
August 25, 2014
August 25, 2014
Thank you! You guys are great!