170 replies to this topic

[eddy_if]

yazgirl : it's cool to read your progress. I read you only apply retin-a 3 times a a week. SO in the night, when you dont apply retin-a, what do you apply ? nothing ?

Now iam using retin-a 0.025 % too but every night. I found every 2 weeks my face peeled so aggresive. and i found my face iritation every 2 weeks when peeled. And when peeled, I cant apply any cream that i usually apply in the morning regimen like clindamycin. because my skin is being so sensitive. And apply that clindamycin makes my face have red spot everywhere. When read your thread, i interest to follow your regimen to switch my retin-a from every night being 3 times a week.

[yazgirl]

Hi Eddy,

My skin is pretty sensitive so I initially used it only 3x a week (for the first 12 weeks) but now that my face is more used to it (less peeling and less redness), I am using it every other night. My skin is pretty clear so I don't need to use it everyday. On nights that I don't use retin-a, I just moisturize (I HIGHLY recommend MD Forte Replenish hydrating cream). I don't need to use any other acne stuff other than the retin-a. In the beginning, I used duac but I didn't need it anymore after I hit the 12 week mark. I had the same experience.. when I used duac in the morning, it would make my face sting all day so I stopped using it during the day and used it only for spot treatment at night.

Maybe instead of using it every night.. use it every other night? That might help.. How long have you been using retin-a? If you're just beginning, you really should start slowly.

yazgirl : it's cool to read your progress. I read you only apply retin-a 3 times a a week. SO in the night, when you dont apply retin-a, what do you apply ? nothing ?

Now iam using retin-a 0.025 % too but every night. I found every 2 weeks my face peeled so aggresive. and i found my face iritation every 2 weeks when peeled. And when peeled, I cant apply any cream that i usually apply in the morning regimen like clindamycin. because my skin is being so sensitive. And apply that clindamycin makes my face have red spot everywhere. When read your thread, i interest to follow your regimen to switch my retin-a from every night being 3 times a week.

[eddy_if]

thx Yazgirl... yeah I have a plan want to use it every other night ..
Firstly, maybe 4-5 months ago my derm gives me tretinoin cream 0.01% and I use it for 2 months. I am very happy for the result. it gives me improvement.

In the next consult with my derm, she gives me another stronger tretinoin 0.025%. And for all the time I use 0.025%... I cant get the improvement like in 0.01%.. Every two weeks peeling , drying, irritation. But Iam not getting redness, just too much peeling in my sensitive skin. That's why I am not comfort in this %.

I am confused, do I have to decrease the percentage into 0.01% again, or use 0.025% in the separetely night ?

[yazgirl]

Week 14 update:

Nothing much to report. My skin is 100% clear right now. I can use a bit more than a pea size of retin-a these days and not peel much, which definitely means that my skin has acclimated. I can even put it on the sensitive parts (corners of nose, mouth, etc.) and not experience too much peeling like in the summer when I first started. Just trying to maintain the results and making sure to moisturize well with the windier/chillier days that are brutal to the skin!

[The King of all Media]

Wow can't believe I never saw your log. 100% clear, that's friggin AWESOME!!! I really need to see a derm but I just can't get myself to do it. I gotta suck it up and finally go. I have pretty mild acne but red marks that just won't go away! Didn't retin-a also help with your red marks and is retin a one of those things where ur face gets worse before it gets better?

[Superfish]

'Eya. I just saw a derm for the first time yesterday and she suggested Retin-A for my mild acne. I was a little leary after hearing BAD things in the way of adverse reactions, but I like the results shown in your photos, so I might tell her at my next appointment (Nov 24) I'll try it afterall. Seems like the trick to not having all kinds of crazy reactions is just to use it sparingly, yeah?

[yazgirl]

Yeah. I'm at week 15 of using retin-a. After the 12 week mark, I'm alternating between weeks of 100% clear to 95% (maybe 2-3 really small pimples that go away in like 2-3 days without leaving a significant red mark, which is huge because I used to get those big cysts that would leave red marks that lasted for months). I think the red marks are more pronounced when you first start retin-a (maybe 1st 6 weeks) because you're skin is more red in general from sensitivity but after the initial weeks, the redness fades and so do the red marks. It has definitely helped with my old red marks, that's for sure. It does take a while though, so be patient! I would say my red marks (I had mostly on my chin and cheeks) have faded at least 50% I would say. I figure in 6 months, it would be more close to 80 to 90%.

Wow can't believe I never saw your log. 100% clear, that's friggin AWESOME!!! I really need to see a derm but I just can't get myself to do it. I gotta suck it up and finally go. I have pretty mild acne but red marks that just won't go away! Didn't retin-a also help with your red marks and is retin a one of those things where ur face gets worse before it gets better?

[pb101]

I got .001% retin-a. My derm didn't tell me how to put it on but I'm guess you apply a small pea size on the finger and make small dots all around and then smooth it on?

[yazgirl]

Week 16 Early Update:

My skin is tolerant enough now so I have decided to try putting retin-a two consecutive nights in a row. I've been using it every other night but still getting maybe 1 or 2 zits a week (I know.. this is so petty considering the big zits I used to get) but I barely peel anymore and wondering if I should just start slowly trying to use it every night or maybe at least 5x a week. Right now, I just have two very small spots on my nose. Otherwise the rest of my face is clear.

Anyway.. I got bored so I decided to take photos at week 16. All the photos are without any makeup at all. Just bare naturale! It's pretty obvious the difference when you look at the photos side by the side. I updated an old post (post#20) with the new pictures. See the link below:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Success-R...t&p=2413670

[pb101]

Week 16 Early Update:

My skin is tolerant enough now so I have decided to try putting retin-a two consecutive nights in a row. I've been using it every other night but still getting maybe 1 or 2 zits a week (I know.. this is so petty considering the big zits I used to get) but I barely peel anymore and wondering if I should just start slowly trying to use it every night or maybe at least 5x a week. Right now, I just have two very small spots on my nose. Otherwise the rest of my face is clear.

Anyway.. I got bored so I decided to take photos at week 16. All the photos are without any makeup at all. Just bare naturale! It's pretty obvious the difference when you look at the photos side by the side. I updated an old post (post#20) with the new pictures. See the link below:

http://www.acne.org/messageboard/Success-R...t&p=2413670

That's phenominal. Awesome!

What do you ladies recommend washing with while on retin-a every other night?

[fletch1978]

amazing yaz your photos are definitely like an advertisement for retin-a. i am at week 11, so i'm trailing you by about 5 weeks, but the results seem to be consistent with yours. i NEVER thought tretinoin could work this well! but you are definitely testament to the fact that topical retinoids can and do work. wish you the best with continued success

[pb101]

I'm just started retin-a .01 today. I'm gonna go every other night to start off with. Damn, that MD Forte stuff is expensive!

[mala_moja]

Yaz, I'm glad to hear of your success with retin-a. It gives me hope that someday it will start working for me. I'm on week 6 and I'm still on the IB! You got lucky it started working for you quickly. My skin is more stubborn I guess. I'm on Duac too (erthromycin version) but it's only been a few days. That was my downfall I think, not using duac from the beginning, but I don't have a dermatologist so I didn't know. I did talk to a derm though who was a friend of a friend yesterday and she said use apple cider vinegar and aloe vera and chamomile on the skin so I'm going to look into that. Anyone heard of using chamomile? Anyway, the only thing that my skin has done in the past few days is that it's becoming more smooth. Maybe it's the beginning of something better

[yazgirl]

Week 18 Update:

Forgot to post, been busy with work and life. My skin is pretty much the same but I got some breakouts on my chin only (I think due to several factors), a place where I haven't had a major breakout since I started retin-a, so I pretty much know what caused it. Anyway, I started using retin-a every night and my chin took 2 weeks to clear up but it has cleared up very nicely. I also finally bought a 12% glycolic cleanser from dermadoctor. It's called Wrinkle Revenge 1. It's pretty good and very mild. I was expecting it to sting or something since I'm using retin-a every night now but it's actually a very good cleanser to go with the retin-a. I was expecting my face to peel like crazy but I guess my skin is very used to retin-a now.

[eddy_if]

yazgirl : what brand of Retin-A do you use ? Jansen Cilag ?

[yazgirl]

Huh? What's Jensen? I get a prescription from my derm - generic tretonoin cream .025%

[yazgirl]

Week 20 Update:

I got a big zit on the same spot on my chin where I got a big zit about a week or two ago. Weird. I guess it wasn't done. At least it's on the same spot so that I'm not getting a new red mark or something. But retin-a pretty much makes it so that zits go away fast and fade away marks quickly. Other than that.. I've been tolerating retin-a every night and in higher amounts so I decided to shorten my waiting time after showering/washing my face to 10-15 minutes. It worked.. it absorbs better so I went back to my regular pea size. My goal is to use it basically at least 5 times a week or more.

I noticed lately that I never get blackheads anymore (all the pores on my nose vanished) but I still get a random hormonal zit on my chin every now and then. Women in their late twenties/early thirties and the pesky breakouts on chin! Grr. I read somewhere that even Kate Winslet (that girl from Titanic) is dealing with breakouts on her chin.

It's been about 4.5 months. I have to say that your skin definitely does get used to the retin-a after a while and less peeling occurs. Just to give some hope to the people just starting. But it's not a miracle cure.. you will still get a zit or two once in a while but so does everyone. That's life.

[sweetxmemory]

I'm using Duac and Retin A too
but after about 2 days of using it, I got this dry patch of skin on my lower left chin, it peels and when I rub off the excss skin it becomes red(and then slightly pink after a couple hours), it also stings when I do anything to it
I stoped using Duac for one day and applied Retin A to all areas except the dry area today, and it's still pretty dry and red
I'm not sure if this is a common side effect, it doesn't really seem like this "dry patch of skin" is going to go away, everytime I finish washing away the dry skin it gets dry again within seconds
should I continue to use Retin A and Duac , wait a another day, or wait until my skin get's back to normal before I use it again?

[yazgirl]

Week 24 Update:

Wow. I haven't posted in almost a month. Time flies by. I have some major updates to report but wanted to address sweetxmemory's question first. I suggest laying off the retin a and duac on the dry patch if it's painful or irritated. Instead, apply a really gentle moisturizer or skin repairing lotion for sensitive/damaged skin and it should go away in a few days.

My skin is still pretty decent, definitely better than this summer when I had an explosion of little zits everywhere on my face and I never get blackheads anymore. My pores are pretty much invisible but I never really had big pores to begin with. My skin isn't as sensitive as when I first started retin a but I realized that I still have to be careful because I accidently cut myself on my face while sleeping with my nails. I probably scratched myself in my sleep and not realizing the pressure. Anyway, my skin is okay but the hormonal zits that were appearing on my chin have continued instead of stopping so it's pretty annoying to have fairly decent skin except for my chin! In addition, I started using retina every night and waiting only 10 minutes after washing to apply. I never or rarely peel anymore. Basically, the .025% wasn't enough anymore and I decided to visit my derm this week to get a stronger retinoid prescription.

My derm said that my persistent chin acne is definitely hormonal and she is prescribing spironolactone for a month to see how my skin responds but that it would probably take about 2 months for it to work. I was pretty surprised that my derm was up to date with the research and suggested this medicine to me since I thought most doctors were traditional. Anyway, I had to take a blood test to make sure my potassium levels were normal and I'll be taking another blood test in one month to see how I do on spiro. My derm said that if my 2nd blood test is good, she will continue to prescribe spiro for me. I am taking 50mg daily in the morning. I have been on birth control Yaz since April, which has a progestin in it that is equivalent to about 25mg spiro so the extra 50mg should add to the benefits. Spiro is supposed to block the male hormones that cause the chin acne. Anyway, I remember when I first took Yaz, I got mild dizziness and thirsty at times but it went away after 3 months. The 50mg spiro I will be taking might bring some of those side effects back but they are supposed to go away.

Also, I got a stronger retinoid prescription, .05% tazorac cream, which was a bitch to get my insurance to approve, but worth it because it ended up costing me only $15 in copay. Thank goodness because the full price is over $100.

I just got these prescriptions filled today so starting week 25, I will be on 50mg spiro and .05% tazorac. I'm excited because even if spiro doesn't clear my mild but persistent chin acne, I am totally stoked about its oil reducing properties! My skin isn't ridiculously oily or anything like that but it is pretty darn annoying to have to wipe off oil in my tzone every 3 hours. I have combination skin that is only oily in the tzone. In fact, one of my coworkers once asked me why I was shiny on my nose (I had forgotten to blot my nose that day since I was busy) and that made me pretty self conscious. My forehead and chin aren't as oily, it's mainly my nose and sometimes I can feel the grease on my nose and it's itchy sometimes.

I have been on generic retin a for the past 6 months so I think this is the perfect time to start a new regimen of spiro and tazorac for the next 6 months and the new year basically.

[yazgirl]

Week 25 (Spiro 50mg & Tazorac .05% Cream):

So I've been on Spiro about 5-6 days and the Tazorac about 3-4 days. I lost count. Anyway, I was freaking out because the Tazorac cream was really greasy/shiny/oily after I put it on and I felt like it was probably too mild since I didn't feel anything other than oiliness the first day or two. Eek, I was wrong. It is definitely stronger than the retin a .025% cream that I've been using the past 5 months. I'm peeling already and my skin is a bit redder. AND the Tazorac brought up an initial breakout- I ended up getting 2 big zits on my forehead, 2 on my left cheek, and 2 on my lower chin. YIKES. Haven't had this many zits all over my face in months. But, on the flip side, it is quickly drying these up already.

Also, my chin has been a mess for the past 2 months with clogged pores, zits, etc. It has dried up a lot of those already, which I plucked with a tweezer (they became weird dried up plugs, like a blackhead that is sticking out, except it's not a blackhead, it's more of a whitehead?). I dunno, I don't have any pores that are black at all, I rarely get blackheads. So I'm actually happy that I'm peeling and I guess my derm was right to give me the cream (I can only imagine how irritating the gel would be). I do blot the greasiness of the cream after an hour because I don't want the crap to rub off on my pillow. The only thing I like about the cream is it really soothes my skin and gets rid of dry patches when I get out of the shower (I usually wait 20-30 minutes before applying the tazorac). I figure once I get used to the tazorac, I can switch to the gel version, especially once summer comes.

Not much changes with the spiro. I had to pee more on the 1st day and my stomach got flatter and I lost a bit of weight (mostly water weight). I do love that I don't feel bloated. The side effects are extremely mild. I haven't noticed if my skin got less oily yet and whether it's from the tazorac or the spiro. My derm says the spiro takes 1-2 months to kick in. I think because I am on Yaz, I'm not as affected by the spiro now. I haven't experienced any dizziness this time.