I love how you’re adding the time stamps in. It’s so helpful! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. It’s made my tretinoin journey so much easier
6 months agoI hadn’t put a moisturizer on my face in 45 years. When my 45th bday rolled around I decided it was time to take care of my skin and fell into theRU-vid rabbit hole. Done regret a minute of it and my skin looks amazing. Now I moisturize day and night
i came across this young woman with the most gorgeous, perfect, poreless glowing skin and i asked her what she used on it. nothing. no moisturizer, no sunscreen. what kind of cleanser? coast bar soap. lol. she’s the second woman with gorgeous skin i’ve met who uses nothing. the other woman who had strikingly gorgeous skin didn’t even generally wash her face! sometimes less is more. if i didn’t hyperpigment so easily i’d probably stop using sunscreen and stop washing my face too. ever since i minimized my routine and cut out all leave-on actives (wash thoroughly and moisturize at night, spot treat the occasional tiny whitehead or blackhead, sunscreen in morn) i can see that my acid mantle/skin barrier has been restored (water beads up on my face when i wash it, like it’s sitting on oil) and my skin is looking better than ever. the less you mess with your face and the stronger your barrier, i think the less you need honestly.
I'd like to know too, but usually her recommendations are too heavy for me. I do use Retin A every night and Blue Lizard Face SPF 30 every day. The SPF 50 in any brand is too heavy for me.
I do a moisturizing sandwich, so moisturizer before tretinoin and once it's dry, moisturizer on top. The climate I live in is extremely dry, especially in winter, and with good old menopause causing my skin to be drier on top of everything else, I find I need that extra protection. 🙄
Delighted to see you use Australias QV brand. The chemists at Queen Victoria hospital made their first hand cream for their nurses over 100 years ago! They have a new range of ceramide products too!
My oily acne prone skin has actually paid off for me in late middle age. I've used RetinA most my adult life and now I use adapeline. I use the thick CereVe on top of it and my skin is better than ever. Of course I don't smoke and have always used sunscreen. All these things help in the aging process.
@@lynnshasta3901 the thicker cream is a night time renew cream, made with shey butter. Here it’s purple and white where as the reg moisturizer is blue and white/label
Hi, are you still using the ceramic cream in the tub? I need something for skin barrier repair and protection and was considering this but I am not sure if this will suit my oily acne prone skin same as you. I live in a tropical weather country which is mostly hot or humid except the winters. I am intending to use it only at night. Would love hear your input on this.
My derm unfortunately NEVER told me about healthy skin barrier. I suffered with acne, peeling skin...and the viscous cycle of thinking “drying out” my skin would stop the acne, then over moisturizing to combat the dryness. I’ve since then been using only CeraVe morning and night after cleansing...retin a before bed. Of course sunscreen after cera ve in the morning. My skin has never been better! Thank you Dr. Dray for sharing your knowledge......free!❤️😀
@@DrDrayzday hi dr. Dray!!! I just received aveno 0.5 ratrinal cream. I am going to try to from tomorrow with cerave moisturizering cream...I just tried naturium plantbased ceramide cream and it leaves my face more oily and I think made me breakout...only used it two days..or could be wishtrend mandelic acid prep water.. I wanted to love it but either one of them causing me breakout.
@@DrDrayzday good morning my favourite dermatologist, please can I use both differin adapalene and neutrogena rapid wrinkle repair cream together in my night routine? Like I mean, I cleanse my face with my gentle cleanser, then follow up with my adapalene and then lastly my neutrogena rapid wrinkle repair cream? Is it okay like this?
I tried the vanicream facial moisturizer. It even says for sensitive skin, but it has added acids. It's a compound and it made my face sting. I switched to Cetaphil for cleanser and moisturizer. No sting. So gentle and my Trentinoin goes on after. Finally found what works for me.
That’s so weird because I’m the complete opposite. I swear by, and absolutely love vanicream cleansers and moisturizers. I have very sensitive,dry, and acne prone skin , and one of the only brands that doesn’t burn my skin,break me out, or leave my skin still dry is Vanicream. I’ve tried several cetaphil products and almost every one I’ve tried didn’t work for me. They either breaks me out,burn, or cause a lot of irritation on my face, mainly around my eyes. Their moisturizer weren’t bad, they just didn’t do enough for my skin. Their cleansers seem to be what irritates my skin the most, especially when used with retinol.
As far as the order of moisturizer / serum, are you referring specifically to the full force retinol or would you also apply, say, the Cerave Resurfacing Retinol serum after applying moisturizer and letting it absorb?
Dr Dray. Your skin is gorgeous. I really appreciate these videos. It makes the process of understanding my skin and taking the best care of it that I can within my budget more doable 💜
Aside from being knowledgeable about skincare, what I like about Dr. Dray is her effort to save her viewers some money. Now, only if I could have her immaculately flawless complexion...that would be so nice 😏✌🇵🇭
Cerave, Squalane oil, and Vanicream rock for my sensitive skin that’s been made even more sensitive with retinoids and retinols. I also will throw on some Aquaphor or CeraVe healing ointment over my moisturizer at times for extra moisture while sleeping. 👍😉
@@nenabunenathat's right because it can cause it to penetrate deeper and cause further irritation and compromise the stability of the product. Especially during retinization period.
This video is so informative, Thank You Dr. Dray. I only use The Ordinary 2% but usually put my moisturizer on after. Thought the retinol should be put on directly because it is a mild formula. Good to know you can use it before. Going to try the Avene. Looks like a good product.
Me too! I use to shell out 60-70$ every other month at Sephora for moisturizers but the Aveeno one feels like a gel but hydrates and moisturizes like a cream! Its amazing.
@@Miechonlada I have the cleanser too. It's ok I think. Nothing special but it is very gentle. I have Curel's makeup cleansing gel coming today. It's very good. Then I use Avene's Xeracalm cleansing oil as my 2nd cleanse.
for me the best value ive been able to find for a facial routne is from walmart : 16oz cerave SA daily facial wash 16$ , cerave daily face lotion 16oz 16$ , advanced clinicals retinol lotion 16oz 16$ for night , and eucerin daily spf lotion 16oz 12$ for daytime
Cerave was my favorite, but since I started tretinoin, it also burns my skin. I tried using vanicream, and it burns less but it's still uncomfortable. The best thing I've found to moisturize my skin with tretinoin is jojoba oil and other oils.
This is perfect timing! I began Retin-A about 3 weeks ago. I didn’t experience purging like most people, but my skin is starting to feel a little more dry and tighter.
@@AzureKite191 Putting on moisturizer first and waiting for it to fully dry (20-30 mins) and then applying retin-a helpd the absorption in the skin and reduces irritation. Dr Dray has a few videos on retin-a/tretinoin in which she highlights this :)
I love the anti aging benefits I have seen with my 0.035 tret Rx but my skin has been arguing with it for nearly 2 years. I finally now put Vanicream on my face 20 minutes before the tretinoin and it's made a huge difference to my tolerance and very little irritation.
Currently I been using the Avene Retinal followed by a collagen cream moisturizer from Code of Harmony. Is it a mistake to be using these two at the same time. I am fairly new to skin care anda friend told me that using both together is the same benefit as just using one due to my skin being able to absorb only so much. any help?
Hi Dr. Dray, is there any gel based moisturizer(like Neutrogena hydro boost) we can use before retinol? It would be really helpful for people who have oily skin.
Aveeno Calm and Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer. You can get it at target, ulta and cvs. Dr. Dray recommends/talks about it in other videos. I haven’t used the gel moisturizer but I have been using the calm and restore serum and it works really well at reducing redness from acne/hyperpigmentation and moisturizing the skin.
@@canhandletruth9017 I Still believe that applying an occlusive moisturiser before tretinoin affects its penetration, even though, Dr Dray did mention it does not in a follow up video on Retinol.
The way i was looking for this exact topic on what moisturizers go with retinol, and just knew dr. dray probably has a video on it. The queen of skincare
I loved the CeraVe moisturizing cream but for some reason all of CeraVe's products burn my skin now, even after using them for years. Not sure if it's from using Differin.
I absolutely love using the la roche posay lipikar with retinol. It's so rich, but absorbs completely and leaves the skin so well moisturized. I typically apply Clinique Moisture Surge 100 hour underneath, and always apply my retinol first. This combo has proven ideal for me.
Do you use lipikar on your face? My derma gave me that one for my body. Thanks! 😁 i also like it, but I will try more to see if I can find something better.
@@paolandre no, I dont. It never occurred to me, because I have sooo much skincare. It's pretty strong, so if I did, I'd probably mix it and only do it once a week. That's probably all my skin could handle. I do use Good Elephant glycolic body lotion on my face, though, so maybe lipikar would be okay.
I was prescribed tretinoin 0.1% for my chest and back acne in November...it’s seriously done wonders I have no body acne anymore. Went back to the dermatologist a few days ago and she prescribed it again but for my face I’m really excited to see the results
Wow, I've been thinking about this for the past few days after watching a really confusing video. What would be the best cruelty free/vegan option? I'm using the Ordinary's moisturizer atm.
If it’s a known thing, can you address why adding moisturizers to damp skin can cause irritation/stinging? I’ve tried doing this with many moisturizers and I haven’t found one that doesn’t cause burning when applied to damp skin. I always have to wait until my face is dry. I haven’t found anything about online, unless the moisturizer is known to do so with sensitive skin (like you address with the CeraVe).
Your supposed to apply moisturiser onto damp skin heck after wash don’t even towel dry your supposed to do some facial massage and pat 10-15 times and then u lather lotion and moisturiser on in fact I always drop 10-20 drops of water to my cerave cream and then palm rub it up and pat onto face. That’s the right way to apply moisturiser onto face. If you apply dry in couple hours your skin will feel irritated and itch.
I find The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors cream works best with my Tretinoin. I also find the Pyunang Yul Intensive Repair Cream works well though I find it slightly too occlusive.
I LOVE putting Vaseline over top of regular products, including a facial oil and moisturizer. It’s really cut down on the amount of peeling and irritation I was experiencing using tret (0.025%)
On the days off of your retinoids/retinol products it’s very helpful to help the sensitivity and dryness. Just don’t put Vaseline on after you’ve applied them - it’ll make them keel penetrating deeper and your skin will become very dry and sting a lot! I learned this the hard way and then saw a video advising to not to it a few days later 😅
Hi Dr. Dray. Just wanted to give a big thank you for all your hard work and FREE information you share with all your viewers. I personally see a dermatologist in my area but I feel as if you are also my personal Doc lol. You have the most informative videos of any that I watch (and I watch ALOT, skin care ENTHUSIAST would be a weak term lol). Keep up the hard work! With love from NC
Vanicream definitely didn't work for me the lotion left me dry and red surprisingly. AVEENO OAT GEL is definitely a millions times better for sensitive skin in my opinion ❤
Hey Dr. Dray love your videos. I have a question what if you use a moisturizer that has an occlusive in it which many do. The point of the inclusive is to create a physical barrier on the skin. It got me thinking would this keep the retinol out? Thanks.
I use Avène RetrinAL 0.1 nightly after washing my face. AFTER applying the retinaldehyde, I put on Burt's Bees Sensitive Calming Solutions night ceam, which is actually a combo of rice extract, aloe, and cotton. I find this works better than putting on moisturizer first. I also use the night cream on my eyes - it's gentle enough. Dr Dray's advice regarding retinaldehyde has been spot on - I gave up on tretinoin years ago because of the irritation, and now, the Avène has given me gorgeous skin, wrinkle free - at 64, Thank you Dr Dray!
My retinol definitely works a lot better when I apply it first and then I use a thick mineral oil based moisturizer after. The peeling stage was awful lol but so worth it now!
@Melissa. Same here. I apply retinol after cleansing. I realised i get better results this way. then i use clinique Hydroboost night moisturizer.. My skin has really improved.
That's really helpful, my jouney with adapalene was a... rocky start to say the least haha! But with your tips I can say that all is doing well now. Another ingredient that helps a lot with irritation : aloe vera. I use it like a serum, before i use a cream and it works wonder to soothe the irritation of the skin. :)
I have recently been mixing my cerave lotion with tretinoin cream in the palm of my hand before applying. Do you think it dilutes the percentage of tretinoin though?
@@heidizeiler1269 No. Less is more when using tretinoin and using it in excess, will not speed up the results. If you have any doubts, check with your Derm or a pharmacist.
@@constantinadedes8088 thank you I have used since may but now the the weather is colder and needing to wear a mask the peeling around my mouth has increased so mixing them together before applying has helped just heard if mixed the 0.1% tretinion cream decreases
@@heidizeiler1269 You mentioned that you are using a lotion. I would switch to something more richer such as a cream for all over the face(e.g. the Cerave moisturizing cream). For peeling around the mouth, try using a petrolatum based product such as Vaseline, Aquaphor, or the Cerave ointment. You must keep in mind, that the ratio of moisturizer to tretinion is not that great.
@@constantinadedes8088 thank you I have recently been mixing tretinoin cream with cerave lotion then 1 hour later applying cerave healing ointment. Which has helped. I really appreciate your advice. ❤
Where did you get your earrings?? And thank you so much for your infinite wisdom! I no longer go shopping for skincare without first checking your videos 😊
It's 2 dollars cheaper on Amazon than Ulta. It's cheaper still at Target, plus Target is a superior retailer is every way as far as I'm concerned. Though I refuse to shop at Amazon or Walmart.
I like it more than Cerave (for dry and very dry skin - cream). But both are very good for my sensitive skin and can apply both of them around the eyes.
I needed this video as i have been trying to figure out a reputable retinoid product and still moisturize well. Thank you for all you do. You’ve saved me money and educated me.
I didn't really pay attention to my skin until recently and thank you for educating us. I used to just put baby oil on my face. I'm sticking to CeraVe products and so far it's working well for me.
I found that when using tretinoin, I need to put another layer of cream on my creases of the sides of my nose to avoid the itchy irritation that it gets
@@stephaniesmith4114 you put a bit of vaseline on the interested area and when it is almost entirely absorbed you put the tretinoin. You just have to be careful not to put it on the vaseline when its still in a spreadable state, as it will mix with the tretinoin and lead to patchy application.
Dr , I've been using the neutrogena retinol for the past 2 months. My face didn't get red nor started purging. Should I use something stronger like Differin? Or should I be more patient 🙂?
You'll likely be able to handle differin/adapalene. Just make sure to layer it over your moisturizer especially at first. I would highly recommend it only 2/3 times a week at first. (I'm an aesthetician)
Hi Dr. Dray.... what do you think about the Olay 24 retinol? L’Oréal has a new one too.... are these fairly new drugstore retinols better than the Numero Uno Neutrogena Rapid repair?
Dr dray you are the best!! I’ve just started tretinoin and was hoping to find a video by you on this, so this video is perfectly timed, thank you!! ❤️❤️
really helpful video. Thank you Dr. Dray. Would you consider doing a video on which facial spa treatments you would and would not recommend to the general public and why? For example, do you think going for regular chemical peels at a spa would help people with acne scarring, hyperpigmentation, etc.?
Hi Dr Dray, I had to come and post to say, thank you! I have been having problem skin and breakouts for a while, so I changed my skincare routine and added a retinol (CeraVe resurfacing serum.) I was having nice results as far as skin resurfacing, but breakouts were in fact getting worse. In this video you mentioned how salicylic acid can sometimes cause problems with retinol. A lightbulb went off for me. I was using a salicylic acid face cleaner! After watching your video I cut it out of my routine and in only a few days I have noticed my breakouts are already clearing up and im having less new ones. Thank you so much for the posting this! It has been a very frustrating situation, so this information was truly helpful and much appreciated!
Thanks to your recommendations I love using Vanicream cleanser and moisturizer. I love the CeraVe skin renewal nightcream. I have had minimal flaking with Tretinoin.
@@Jsimpkins35 I am 61 years old with rosacea. I put the CeraVe skin renewal nightcream on after my shower on wet skin. I wait for my skin to dry then apply Tretinoin. Then I put Vanicream cream on top of that. I need alot of moisterizer.
Another great choice is Curel fragrance free lotion. It’s thick and occlusive but is not greasy at all. Leaves the skin so comforted and is a semi matte finish. Also has ceramides. I’ve been a die hard Cerave cream in the tub user, and I’ve been reaching for the Curel. The Curel sinks in immediately too. Bonus - it’s $7 for a huge bottle!
Which moisturizer or creams would be the least likely to cause burning? I’ve found that every moisturizer I’m using right now is stinging/burning. The least burning I’ve had so far is with the Cetaphil deep hydration daily cream but my skin feels tight after applying even a lot of it
I used to use tretinoin without moisturizer when I was younger, but now at 44 I can’t tolerate it without putting moisturizer on first. I never knew to do that, love you Dr. Dray!
I am quite impressed and happy with your product recommendations regarding my roceaca . Huge improvement and smoother, even toned skin. Kudos to you Doc!
Happy Monday, Dr Dray! Even though I don't use any type of retinol, I appreciate the moisturizer recommendations. Thank you! Hope you have a cozy evening!! 💖
Doc, I have super dry skin. Recently I was prescribed Tretinoin cream to help w the butterfly rash across my face. I have been using Elf Water droplet balm after my shower. It is vegan, cruelty free and non irritating. Seems to work for me👍🏼 HugsFromNYC 🍎
Thanks for another informational video Dr. Dray :) Is all this recommended for dry skin? I feel like my skin is combo to dry. I just started the differin btw.
For me I use cetaphil moisturizer pump for face and body. That for me personally was the only thing that I have found that did not break me out as my skin is extremely acne prone. I also switched everything to fragrance free an avoid oils. The face wash I am using is neutrogena hydro boost gel and it works great for me too!
@@m.younis9849 it’s probably the fatty alcohols in cerave. It gave me the worst breakout of my life at age 27. I finally went to the dermatologist after that. What works for me now is tretinoin, gentle cleanser, and Neutrogena hydro boost gel cream. I’m now experimenting with only rinsing my face in the morning without a face wash to see if that helps with oil production.
Ive taken a break from RU-vid over the past year and found your channel again. I appreciate your calm confident energy, I always learn so much from you. Thank you
I'm pretty sure you should use serums before moisturizer. I use my lactic acid serum right after I cleanse, let it dry for a couple minutes and then moisturize. Lactic acid acts as a humectant, so you don't have to worry about your skin drying out!
