2 replies to this topic

[megaaaanb]

I've been on retin-a for just over 7 weeks now. It took my seven weeks just to be able to tolerate using retin-a every OTHER night without extreme peeling. Since I wasn't having problems I used it two nights in a row, bad idea. The next morning my face was peeling horribly so I exfoliated twice to get rid of all the flaky skin and now my face is SO red/blotchy and sore. I feel like I have a bad sunburn or windburn. I've taken two nights off from retin-a and been applying moisturizer but my face is still really uncomfortable. Is there a moisturizer that will help? Will aloe vera help or make it worse?

Also any recomendations for a gentle/mild exfoliator?

[Wynne]

Aquaphor or vaseline in a light amount will help your poor ravaged skin recover and feel less painful. Cool water and cool compresses will help, too. Just wet a washcloth and let it rest on your face. You can even lightly freeze a wet washcloth and rest it on your face and that will help soothe, too.

As you note irritation problems with retin A, be sure to moisturize (er, don't remember whether it's BEFORE or AFTER applying Retin A).

Also it's VERY important to wait at least half an hour after washing BEFORE applying retin a; having even the slightest bit of moisture from water on your skin or even the slightest bit of pH upset from washing will increase irritation and peeling significantly.

Emu oil and jojoba oil are two terrific gentle moisturizers. Emu oil does not break me out. I also like Dan's moisturizer and Cetaphil daily facial moisturizing lotion with SPF 15. It's light gentle and soothing.

I would not do any exfoliation until your skin is used to the Retin A. The peeling you're experiencing is exfoliation enough. Seriously! You could hurt your skin by trying to exfoliate more right now. Just treat your skin gently. That Aquaphor or Vaseline petrolatum jelly will greatly help. A thin light coating will be sufficient and will feel nice. You can even gently massage it in.

[AsiaXiah]

I've had similar side effects due to Retin-A; the best thing to do is to be extremely gentle to your skin.

I know it gets really tempting to exfoliate all those flakes off, but at most, you should only be gently massaging your face when you're taking a shower (definitely stay away from exfoliating sponges -- if you use Buff Puff, you'll get smooth but extremely red skin).

Also, the thing that helps me a lot is moisturizing with Cetaphile lotion in the morning, right after washing the face (while there's a bit of moisture left on the skin).

As far as applying moisturizer at night, it's actually best not to use a moisture when you apply Retin-A. If you absolutely have to, you should apply Retin-A first, leave your skin alone for about 20 minutes, and then applying Cetaphile lotion.

Tazorac says to moisturize before applying the cream, but Retin-A's actually different. I've tried a few weeks of lotion and then Retin-A, and that just seemed to render the effects of Retin-A ineffective.

Good luck!