POSTED UNDER Retin-A Reviews
Needing Reassurance. Joplin, MO
ORIGINAL POST
Hi! I am 43, an ex-sun worshiper, and I used to...
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)
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
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
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, your story is very similar to mine. It's taken me 50 years to realise sun gives you wrinkles so I am also now an ex-sun worshiper! I started using Obagi Nu Derm 8 weeks ago. Like you, after a couple of days my skin was really red and irritated, and looked like it was sunburnt. I also found the Tretinoin Cream 0.05 increased the appearance of wrinkles especially under my eyes. But that soon diminished along with the redness and awful flakiness especially around my mouth, nose and chin, after about three weeks. I also used the Tretinoin cream every other night (never day)! mixing a pea sized amount with the Blender, then used the Hydrate moisturiser. Now my skin is amazing, so stick with it, it will definitely get better and will look glowing. Although it's only been 8 weeks, and applying several lotions day and night is quite a commitment, it really is a fantastic product, and so worth the effort. It is also the only thing I have used that's got rid of my melasma, which I've had for years, (can PM photos if you want). Would definitely echo other comments about wearing sunscreen, I use the factor 50 supplied. Good luck and you will see a huge improvement in your skin!
Thank you!
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.