I've been using prescription retin-a for about 15 years with rosacea. Studies have shown that going up in strength from say a 0.05% to a 0.1% has negligible benefits but significant irritation. I was so happy with the results at .05% that I thought wow how great will it be at double the strength. I was very soon back to my dermatologist wanting the lower strength.
I’m also in Canada, with rosacea and I’ve been using the same tretinoin as you for about a year and a half. My transition from retinol to this went very smoothly. Like you, I started very slowly, once a week and over a comfort barrier (I used my moisturizer). Sometimes I still use moisturizer as a buffer and mix a bit of the two together. I maintain the same type of schedule as I did before tretinoin. I have two days of using actives in the evening (usually tretinoin and sometimes lactic acid or salicylic acid), followed by one night without actives. This way, I never reach the point of irritating my skin and having to stop all actives to give it time to repair itself. Before, I kept trying to extend my tolerance of actives beyond five consecutive days but I could never achieve it. Five was my maximum, then I would stop for several days, sometimes a couple of weeks, and start over. With everything going so well now, I’m interested in trying the next level of higher concentration of tretinoin.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience!! So happy it has been a nice transition for you. Let us know if you up the percentage (I will of course update too ;)) 💛
Congrats on your smooth introduction to tretinoin! I have a tube of 0.025% I bought in Mexico and so nervous to start. 😬 I want to finish some retinol products first.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with rosacea. Fellow Canadian here 🇨🇦 and am wondering if you could comment or try the Riversol line of skincare that has a special focus on rosacea prone skin. Riversol is Canadian made and it would be great for accessibility.
Heyy! I am glad to have found your video. Did you continue with the Azelaic acid? Could you give me more details about that? So far I am using Azelaic acid only and I am nervous to incorporate tret.
I have been using azelaic acid for over a year now, and it has become an absolute staple in my routine. When I started out, I used it 2x/day, and now use it once a day in the am paired with my vit c, and evening is reserved for tret or a peptide/hydration day :)
I have been using Stieva A 0.025% for approx 3-4 months for Melasma. It has been decreasing my brown spots quite a bit. However, today it was confirmed by my pharmacist (In Canada) that it has been discontinued. It's unfortunate because I have had great results thus far.
Is it where you normally have acne? If yes it can be purging but it it is all over it could be something else? Of course you can check with your medical professional
I used my metrogel in the AM and retinoid in the PM. So I would check with your med professional if they would recommend layering both together. I don’t think my skin would have tolerated it well - but of course everyone is different!
I only started on 0.01% tretinoin 18 days ago here in Oz 🇦🇺🦘 Prior to tretinoin I’ve been using retinol for 3 years building up to retinal on my sensitive dehydrated dry malasma hyperpigmented sun damaged skin & im 54 years young 😊 I started with the sandwich & short contact method for the 1st week starting with 20 mins 1st night then 40 minutes next then 60 mins & so on building up to 3 hrs and then still sandwich method to all nite. Like you I prioritise hydration and on my nights off I do lactic acid 1 nite & copper peptide other nights. I also started using 2 months before tretinoin 20% Azelaic acid OTC here in Oz. I waited for my skin to acclimate to AC before starting Tret. The results so far - absolutely amazing 🤩 and it’s only week 3!!! Now I get why tret is the GOAT with skincare goals. I also think layering with AC in the past week has added to the fabulous results. Ty so much for sharing your journey & im wishing you great success too ❤🙏🥰
THANK you so much for sharing all of your experience - I think it helps all of us to hear success stories & the best ways to incorporate into our routines 🩷🩷🩷
