When I started tretinoin, I applied it every night. After about a week, my skin was so irritated that even rinsing my face with water would sting 😂 So yes, definitely start slow.
It's been 8 months and I am using tret 0,05% 2x a week! I am very slow, but it's better to have a healthy skin barrier than to destroy it because the results will come either way!! 🙌🏽 It's actually recommended to use it once a week for a month, then twice for another month, and see how the skin reacts! and increase little by little! Not a lot of people can handle it 3x a week directly! Loved your video, it's very complete 🙌🏽♥️
I am using tretinoin 0.025% for over 3 years consistently and still get dryness and peeling... I have accepted that my skin can only tolerate it 3 times per week max...
With lots of caution I have worked up to 1% Tret everyday and use Lactic Acid 3 times a week in the same routine as my Tret. My skin has never been better.
Hi Kelly! I don’t tend too comment a lot but I’m fast approaching my 1 year anniversary using tretinoin. I starting using Curology last December and changed to Agency in March this year. My prescription has been increasing ever so slightly and I am about to receive and start my new bottle at 0,05%. I apply it every single night and my skin is so resilient but I also help it out with lots and lots of moisture. My loyal companion on my tret journey has been the liquid gold moisturizer. I have gone through 3 bottles in a year. I love that stuff. Also, my favorite night time moisturizer is La Roche Posay Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Body Moisturizing Cream. I adore it because is so thick! Protects my skin and deeply moisturizes! Thank you for all you do in this community! Love your content!
YAY! Congrats on 1 year with tret, I'm so glad to hear it's doing wonders for your skin! That Lipikar Cream is amazing when skin is really dry from tret!
@@KellyDriscoll thank you! Your videos helped me prepare so much to have a successful journey with Tretinoin! I hope you know that a lot of what you share with us in this space is priceless! Beyond thankful to have found your channel! I hope you’re having a great season!
My first Curology trial formula is due to be delivered tomorrow. I’m excited to start it & have been binge watching all your tret videos for tips & tricks. I’m starting super low (.009%) and am hoping for minimal to no irritation. Still planning to start off slow!!
I actually find aha (I’m planning on switching to pha) in moderation helps with the flaking which I struggle with because I end up picking at it and irritating my skin so much I have to temporarily stop tret. I also uses the sandwich method. Also as long as I use an adequate moisturizer, I tolerate alcohol in skincare pretty well and it helps dry down. Testosterone hrt has made my skin more oily so maybe that helped.
I use acids in alternate routines instead of at the same time as tret. I also sometimes use bha to take care of inflammation. Before this I didn’t use hydroxy acids for years because of past over exfoliation. People say tret is an exfoliant but itv impacts a different part of the skin cycle (cell differentiation and growth) than other exfoliations which regulate desquamation so while your skin is turning over quicker, it might not be shedding effectively especially if it’s dry.
I got lucky with my skin. I started using adapalene 0.1% daily and experienced no irritation. This past summer I switched to tretinoin 0.05% daily and experienced no irritation. I can also use the ordinary AHA BHA peel every once in a while with only a little tingling.
I just use Retinaldehyde and Retinol as my skin is too sensitive and dry for tret, so these tips are really useful. I only use cream cleansers and lots of hydrating and creamy products with how dry my skin is, plus cream face mists throughout the day.
I love agency! Ive been using my future formula with tret now for almost a month and i started out 2x a week using the buffer/sandwich method just started to try 3x a week so far so good. Don’t want to speak to soon though 😄 ❤
i just moved to a place w a much drier climate. it did a number on my skin barrier so i’m really nervous about starting tretinoin. i liked what you said about there being no “end goal” or need to work up to nightly tret application. tret or no, doing what’s best and gentlest for our skin is key!
I feel like most of this advice is geared towards people with dry/sensitive skin... I use BP in my morning routine, the occasional scrub, the Ordinary 7% glycolic acid or their red peel all the time with my tret and it's given me the best results so far, I don't even need a moisturiser, a sunscreen will do. Best thing that ever happened to my adult acne.
It made me smile when you suggested in beginning to use tret 3 times per week, and then move to every other night. Well... those are pretty same intervals if you consider there are 7 days per week :D Move up to every other day, is basically the same as applying it 3x per week Mon/Wed/Friday. :D My suggestions is to TRY to apply it 2x per week in beginning, for example Monday and Thursday. Keep 2 buffer nights in between (or more - during the first month or 2 you might need more buffer days, just to see how your skin reacts to it). Trust me, your skin will need those buffer days to recover. Aim for 2x per week for 1-3 months and then start to slowly aim for every other night. I thought myself well prepared to start using tret, because used retinal treatment before that and had no issues. But oh boy, the tret is so so much stronger. I did not have tret 0,025% in my country, so had to go right to 0,05%. I have at this point used it for 8 months. I use it every 2nd night. And I still get peeling and irritation occasionaly. And I consider my skin to be not sensitive at all. I have oily skin and I do not get irritation from actives usually. With tret, you really need to go slow though, or you will completely ruin your skin.
Great tips! I’ve started tretinoin about 2 wks ago. So far, my skin is not overly dry & flakey like previous times. I have been adding a layer of moisturizer on top after it dries to help with dryness. I also ordered the NIOD serum you mentioned.
Perfect video! I've definitely assumed I could use retinol with my BHA product.... cue my chin looking positively wind chapped, barrier destroyed, etc.. now that I'm all healed, I'm veeerrry carefully reintroducing the retinol lol
Even after three years I can only use it twice a week. If I try three times, my skin gets irritated and literally peels off :) So I just have to accept that's for me!!
Totally! I had been using x2/week forever and recently increased to x3 and did well for like 1 month and this week out of nowhere I peeled off as if I was a newbie ! Might’ve been the change in the weather !
my key learnings in the past 2 years on tret: - use a cleansing oil to gently buff off the dead skin cells - apply 4 pumps of Cosrx snail mucin as a serum which is hydrating and allow to semi dry down to create a barrier - then mix tret into Liquid Gold before applying - skin cycling routine consists of tret-rest/recover-salicylic acid & lactic acid-rest/recover-tret-rest/recover-retinal it’s a constant learning process and some new things i’m doing on my journey: - i can only handle 0.05% tret 2x a week. I’m slowly introducing Geek and Gorgeous A Game 10 (retinal) once a week to reap more benefits but gently - quite prone to dryness, irritation and scratching my face while sleeping. now before sleeping, I apply a mist and lock it in with an eczema cream with colloidal oatmeal to soothe the itch
@@mariacamilamoreno2621 The formulation and texture is beautiful and light weight. I’m only 2 weeks in so I can’t speak of the effect. It seems super gentle and I have no irritation the next day (no side effect for me compared to 0.05% tret)
I don’t it in sections and rub it on as I go otherwise I feel like it dries too fast if I do the 13 dots-this is only with the agency though not with tret in the tube that doesn’t dry out as fast
I’ve been thinking about starting tret and going through agency but I’m just really scared because it took forever for my skin to get used to differin but I really want this 😭
The nice thing about agency is they start you slow and always check in to see how your skin is handling it before any bumps up in percentages. They really help guide the process which is so helpful!
I've been using tretinoin for awhile now and only recently started Korean skincare, but I've noticed my skin is not dry anymore with the tret because the Korean products are so moisturizing! I'd recommend snail mucin by cosrx, anything by beauty of Joseon, I have the glow serum with niacinamide and propolis which are good for healing, and I use a rice toner by I'm From, but there are lots of toner options by all of those brands that do different things. Also, double cleansing!
I have been slowly introducing my agency .035 tret (going up from .025). I did it too quickly at first and had to kind of reset and try again after experiencing irritation. I did add in some bha to my off nights (I’m using it 3 nights a week and would eventually like to get to applying every other night) and am experiencing some peeling on my chin but thankfully no irritation yet. I’m going to back off the bha (it’s tempting to add in due to the purging). Does anyone have tips for what to do for peeling, other than moisturizing? I’m asking because I’m still producing some serious oil in parts of my face so heavy moisturizing isn’t terribly good looking or good feeling. I’m thinking of trying a moisturizing mask or something that could provide that moisturizing benefit without feeling like my skin is drowning 😅…
Tretinoin is more potent because it does not have to be converted to retinoic acid. It is readily available for your skin to absorb. That is why is more irritating.
Tretinoin (brand name Retin-A) started out as an acne treatment for teenagers dealing with acne by helping to unclog pores, it’s anti aging benefits were discovered in the 1980s by researchers, so it can be used for both, so absolutely you can, it’s for everyone who just wants healthier, glowier skin in general ☺️
I have heard that you can use adapalene and benzoyl peroxide together, true? Off subject: Also, have you heard anything about vitamin c and cica combo increasing collegen production? Heard this on some other skincare vlogs. ❤️
Not familiar with adapalene and BP, the general advice is not to mix them together but ofc everything is individual. My take is just be cautious, if it's something you can split into different routines, there is not reason to take the chance by combining. Centella has shown potential to stimulate collagen so if you combine with other collagen stimulators you might get more benefits, can't hurt to try!
I have been using Tretinoin 0.025% for 3 years, twice a week, sandwiching with moisturiser, and I am STILL peeling, Maybe it is just not for my sensitive skin. Any tips? :)
I've got a question maybe you are knowledgeable about....I have a couple friends who raved about the Revision Skincare Nectifirm ADVANCED, for their necks. And I also read good things, when I went to indecoder...or another such site, they said it was because of the inclusion of Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12. Described as "A six amino acid peptide that is claimed to improve firmness and skin tone".I've searched for other products with this peptide, and it's VERY hard to find in products. Even in peptide creams it does not show up. Is this a particularly expensive ingredient?...Do you know of any products that contain this. Thanks
Indidecoder has a function to search products by ingredients included, you can check it out here, there are quite a few pages of options: incidecoder.com/ingredients/palmitoyl-hexapeptide-12 Off the top of my head, I don't think I've had personal experience with this ingredient but there are so many novel peptides out there now with great potential!
