POSTED UNDER Retin-A REVIEWS
Hoping She Takes Me Back - Houston, TX
ORIGINAL POST
So this is my second go at Retin-a micro .04...
$100
So this is my second go at Retin-a micro .04 strength. I started to get minor acne at the tender age of 13. My mother, being just as vain as me , promptly shuttled me off to the dermatologist and got me hooked on retin-a micro. I started to have really dry skin and flakiness and all that jazz because I was a 13 year old who had barely just started actually washing her face regularly (I know, wonder why I had acne?) Anyway, I used it until I was 21 years old and never felt like I ever had 'perfect' skin that entire time. I have combination skin, so if I slacked on my beauty regiment, the one I had been following for 8 long 'facially mundane' years , I would break out a tiny bit and be dry at the exact same time. I used the plain unscented neutrogena bar soap twice daily and cetaphil SPF moisturizer twice daily, and make up daily (duh). Well one day I decided these tiny breakouts after a night on the town and sleeping in my makeup were just too uncalled for. I never thought I'd look back at my photos and wish it looked as good ( I was that girl with awesome skin!) I think since I started retin-a so young I kind of dodged all those horrible hormonal 'acne' moments. Anyway, I decided to go to a very different kind of dermatologist who talked me into giving up retin-a micro and opting for proactiv. Since then, I am 24 now, I have had acne. I waited so long to try getting back on retin-a because it is quite expensive for me ($100) and supporting myself in graduate school means I've got to really make every dollar count. So here I am, hoping my long lost love retin-a will take me back without too much struggle. I know she worked wonders on my teen skin, now to see if she'll work wonders on my adult skin. This will be my little story of a rekindled childhood love affair, about a girl who let go of something she never knew she had.
Hopefully we'll live happily ever after.
So this is day one, just like I used to: wash face, retin-a, moisturizer. Except I forgot to buy a new facial cleanser and only have proactiv... I also forgot to wait 20 minutes (probably no more than 5!) before applying my retin-a. Oh and the regular pea size amount tonight was more like a corn size amount. So I'm nervous. That first dry flaky itchy red tear-my-face-off kind of feeling I felt those first few weeks 11 years ago still resonates with me.
My current (future) regiment:
Morning: biore cleanser (until I can get cetaphil cleanser this Friday), cetaphil moisturizer 10 minutes later, murad resurgence eye cream, and aquaphor on local dry spots.
Night: same cleanser with revlon pro brush (to remove all my makeup), 20 minutes later add a pea size retin-a, another 20-30 minutes add cetaphil moisturizer.
Has anyone tried coconut oil for moisturizer during retin-a micro? I've heard some good things. I'm also thinking about trying the cerave moisturizer.
Hopefully we'll live happily ever after.
So this is day one, just like I used to: wash face, retin-a, moisturizer. Except I forgot to buy a new facial cleanser and only have proactiv... I also forgot to wait 20 minutes (probably no more than 5!) before applying my retin-a. Oh and the regular pea size amount tonight was more like a corn size amount. So I'm nervous. That first dry flaky itchy red tear-my-face-off kind of feeling I felt those first few weeks 11 years ago still resonates with me.
My current (future) regiment:
Morning: biore cleanser (until I can get cetaphil cleanser this Friday), cetaphil moisturizer 10 minutes later, murad resurgence eye cream, and aquaphor on local dry spots.
Night: same cleanser with revlon pro brush (to remove all my makeup), 20 minutes later add a pea size retin-a, another 20-30 minutes add cetaphil moisturizer.
Has anyone tried coconut oil for moisturizer during retin-a micro? I've heard some good things. I'm also thinking about trying the cerave moisturizer.
Replies (11)
October 10, 2013
Am I the only one that buys retina-a from overseas? $5 per tube. I tried US pharmacies also and bought generic retina-a for $75. I mean, they all work, brand name or not. Look around, you really don't need to spend $100.
October 13, 2013
Can I buy Retin A from overseas on-line? And what link/or company would I choose?
October 31, 2013
When you buy from overseas you have no guarantee that you're not putting poison on your face. This is not what you should skimp on...if you care enough about your skin to use Retin-A, care enough to make sure it's the real thing.
October 31, 2013
I don't know if I can put the website name here but I'll try. *********I've been buying for years. Sorry, cannot afford to pay $100 tube, even with my crappy insurance. I know it was mentioned that buying overseas has risks but this particular company has been in business for years and has many positive reviews. Also, many of the rx medications we use here in the US are imported from India. For example, I just received a Dymista nasal spray sample. When looking at the manufacturer information, it was labeled Cipla and manufactured in India. The same medication and manufacturer through the online pharmacy that I use costs $9.06. In the US, with their repackaged branding, costs over $50.
October 31, 2013
With all due respect, I wouldn't use it if I didn't think it was safe. Many medications we purchase here in the US are manufactured in other countries. I won't go into a long debate but I have solid proof as I work in a medical office. We receive many samples and I always look at the manufacturer information. Not surprisingly, many of them are manufactured in other countries and then sold here under a different brand name.
October 31, 2013
Okay here's a quick link to my example. ****************deal There here's the overseas version, different name, same med. If you scroll down to the bottom, you will see the same ******************html
March 1, 2014
Something I just learned about is that you can get coupons for prescription drugs. I got one from goodrx.com (also a good site to compare prices at different pharmacies) but printed it for the wrong strength. The pharmacist said, "no problem, let me try my prescription drug card". It brought the price down from $109 to $58.
April 13, 2014
Coconut oil can clog your pores. I use straight argan oil with great success. The brand is Poppy Austin and it's sold on Amazon with stellar reviews. Don't but just any argan oil because many are refined with chemicals and fillers. I have cervave PM but honestly it isn't heavy enough for my skin when I'm using retin-a. It's a good moisturizer, but the Poppy Austin Argan Oil has been great. Plus they're fair trade and woman owned if you're into that sorta thing.
Thanks for your review! Sounds like you are off to a great start!