POSTED UNDER Retin-A REVIEWS
Needing Reassurance. Joplin, MO
ORIGINAL POST
Hi! I am 43, an ex-sun worshiper, and I used to...
ejones73February 12, 2016
Hi! I am 43, an ex-sun worshiper, and I used to work at a tanning salon...needless to say I have skin issues! Even with all the tanning in my younger years ( I quit at around 32 or 33.) I have always looked younger than my age, but since I turned 40 I'm really starting to notice the sun spots, fine lines, and wrinkles, especially around my mouth. I just started using Retin-a this week and wow, I only thought I looked old and terrible before, now I have deep set wrinkles under my eyes, redness, my skin is so flakey, and it feels like I have a sunburn. I bought the Obagi skin care to go with the retin-a, I'm hoping to avoid laser treatment.
On Monday when I got the Retin-a the doctors office I bought it from showed me how to use it all in the office, so I wore it all day and then used it that night. So by Tuesday night my face was really red and irritated looking so I didn't use it Tuesday or Wednesday and then used it again last night. From what I've read so far, your skin looks way worse when you first start using it , and then it looks better, is this correct ? So my questions are; 1. Will the deeper looking wrinkles under my eyes eventually peel and show younger looking, prettier skin? 2. How long does your face stay red and Peel?
On Monday when I got the Retin-a the doctors office I bought it from showed me how to use it all in the office, so I wore it all day and then used it that night. So by Tuesday night my face was really red and irritated looking so I didn't use it Tuesday or Wednesday and then used it again last night. From what I've read so far, your skin looks way worse when you first start using it , and then it looks better, is this correct ? So my questions are; 1. Will the deeper looking wrinkles under my eyes eventually peel and show younger looking, prettier skin? 2. How long does your face stay red and Peel?
Replies (61)
February 12, 2016
it definitely gets worse before it gets better, but you shouldn't be wearing it during the day!! this could be causing even more irritation
February 13, 2016
Remember you should use only a small amount the size of a pea further make sure you wear sunscreen during the day because if you don't it will cause you to burn
February 13, 2016
Retin A is a keratolytic agent that sloughs off and exfoliates all the old, dead, sun damaged skin and it's not a pretty process, but well worth it. You might peel for two or three weeks, but once your skin has adjusted to the Retin A, that will stop. Hang in there...the end results are definitely worth a few weeks of ugly: smooth, fresh, dewy skin with noticeably fewer wrinkles. Retin A remains the Gold Standard for topical wrinkle reduction for good reason.
Hi there, I am also using Retin-A and your experience is much the way mine started out. What strength of Retin-A are you using? Are you allowing your face to dry for 30 min. before applying the Retin-A?
When I started with the .025% (you can check out my review here) my face was ok after the first application, it wasn't until the evening of the 2nd night that my skin started to feel like it was sunburnt and red — then by the end of day 3 the redness, tight sore sunburn-like effects kicked in, so I took a break.
It's really important to use a good moisturizer at night and during the day, be sure you day cream has sunscreen.
I did notice that my wrinkles looked more pronounced at the start, and I even thought I got a new one under the eye, it turned out to be a scratch or irritation and went away.
I have now increased to .05% and use it 2-3 times a week and I still get flaky red skin, but it's much more tolerable, I can't use it everyday. My skin is really soft and has a nice glow.
I wish you much success, please keep us posted.
I gently scrub when I wash.