Starting Retin-A - Troy, MI
BACKGROUND: I am 27. When I was a teenager, I...
BACKGROUND:
I am 27. When I was a teenager, I had the occasional pimple but nothing too bad. I started on birth control and then stopped when I was 20. This is about the time that I started getting bad skin, mostly hormonal acne. I also drank and smoked a lot, so that certainly didn't help. I went back on birth control when I was 23 and stayed on it for two years, then went off again when I was 25. During those two years I was on it, my skin did improve a bit but my bad habit of picking kept the acne around.
Over the past year, I began exercising more (Bikram yoga), eating healthier, and drinking lots of water. I haven't smoked in years and don't drink alcohol a lot (1-2 drinks per week). Despite the lifestyle changes, I hadn't noticed consistent improvement in my skin. In October 2012, I finally decided to see a dermatologist. I had just started back up on the birth control, so my doctor agreed that it would help clear up my skin after a few months. She gave me a prescription for Trentinoin (Retin-A 0.05%) to be used every other night along with daily Doxycycline (100mg). I was also instructed to use Benzyclin every other night on problem areas. I was too nervous to start the regimin in October because I had a few events coming up and I didn't want to have to deal with the initial breakout during that time. I just started the regimen in February 2013 so I thought I would document my experience...
WEEK ONE:
Skin is looking pretty decent before starting the treatment. No cystic acne, a few clogged pores, but overall not too bad. Existing red marks from past breakouts, but definitely healing. When I decided to start the Retin-A, I used it once every two nights (two nights off, one night on). On a night that I use it, I wash my face with Cetaphil, apply a thin layer of moisturizer (Pond's), then wait 20-30 minutes before applying a pea-sized amount of 0.05% Retin-A. I also am taking a women's multivitamin and fish oil pills which are supposed to help with the inflammation of hormonal acne. Also trying very hard to resist the urge to pick!!!
WEEK TWO:
Noticing a little peeling, but no redness or irritation. Minor breakouts, but nothing out of the ordinary.
WEEK THREE:
I decide to begin using Retin-A every other night since I have not had very bad peeling or irritation. Here is where it begins! Noticible peeling has started, but no redness or irritation which is good. I have about 4-5 small/medium active pimples/cysts which I have been treating with the benzyclin. Last night I made the mistake of putting on benzyclin then applying Retin-A, and today I feel like I am sunburnt. However, no peeling this morning which made my make-up application a lot easier! I also tried using olive oil as a moisturizer one night, which made my skin feel really nice. Has anyone tried this?
I'll try to update more each week to share my experience.
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WEEK FOUR: Well, the olive oil last week was a...
Well, the olive oil last week was a bad idea! By the end of the next day, I had 4-5 angry pimples that had developed! Plus my skin was peeling and I was having a tough time keeping my make-up in check. I bought some Aquaphor Healing Ointment (similar to Vaseline) and put that on my face in the morning, dabbed the excess off with a dry towel, and put my makeup on over it. It kept my skin from peeling during the day which I was super happy about. Bonus: it also helped some eczema I had on my legs! I have still been doing the Retin-A every other night and it's been going well. Aside from the olive oil breakout last week (and the red marks that resulted...), I haven't really had any new ones pop up. I have been getting a lot of advice from www.skinacea.com (check it out!) and the site's author recommended Paula's Choice 2% BHA Liquid to help exfoliate the cells. I ordered some online and began using it on Monday. I just put a little on my face with a cotton ball and in the morning my skin seriously felt smoother and my pores looked smaller. I was *so* impressed! It is now Wednesday and I really like the way it makes my skin feel, so I'm going to continue using it in conjunction with the Retin-A (use BHA every AM, and alternate PM's with that and the Retin-A). This week I have been super happy with my skin, but I know that Retin-A takes some time to see full results so I am expecting to break out again in the next few weeks. I should also mention that I had my period this week, which is when I normally get some cystic/hormonal acne flare-ups... and I got NONE this week. But, that could be a combination of the doxycycline antibiotic, the fish oil, and topicals that are going on my skin.
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WEEK FIVE: Still using the Retin-A every other...
Still using the Retin-A every other night and doing well! I have a little peeling here and there plus a few non-inflamed pimples but for the most part it is under control. At the end of this week, I'm going to increase my usage to every night and see how that goes (maybe I'll try two nights on, one night off). I'm really just basing it on how my skin reacts - if my skin feels irritated, I'll skip the Retin-A; if not, I'll continue on. The BHA I started using has really helped and I feel the texture and tone of my skin improving from that plus the Retin-A. I picked at my face last week (bad, I know!) and have a big red mark as a result but it seems to be healing well. I'm still taking the doxycycline along with fish oil and a multivitamin. I recently read an article in Women's Health that talks about the pH level of your skin and how certain products/foods can increase your skin's acidity thus causing more acne. I feel like the more I am becoming educated about product ingredients and how they affect your skin, the betterI will be able to control my acne. I am feeling really positive about my skin lately and hope that it will continue to improve with this treatment. I'm a little unsure of how the rest of the treatment will go because I haven't had a really bad initial breakout (nothing worse than a typical bad acne day) and I am wondering if it will come or not.
This is a great review of your experience so far! I can definitely sympathize with going through the adjustment phase with any new acne treatment. Hopefully things will stay minor for you, then show more improvement. Trying to not pick at the existing blemishes can be sooo tough - I can definitely understand that! Its good that you are trying to stop yourself, at least you are aware and making an effort. :)