18 replies to this topic

[LoveTa2s]

Hello, this is my first time posting, but I've been following for a while now. I wanted to start by saying this site has helped me a lot more than i thought anything could. While nothing has cleared my skin or improved it yet, reading people's post and seeing I'm not the only one going through this has made it easier to deal with.

Now to my issue. I finally made it to a dermatologist today and was prescribed Retin A along with 2 other prescriptions. My Dr. office called in the prescriptions and for some reason they weren't in the pharmacy's computer and i can't remember the names of the other 2. I have read on here that Retin A causes a lot of dry skin and I was wondering if anyone knows of a good moisturizing/exfoliating method to combat this. I have cetaphil ultra hydrating Lotion and was planning to use this.
I was also curious as to what to expect from my skin with Retin A. Thanks in advance!

[LoveTa2s]

Day 3
Ok, well im going to go ahead and use the cetaphil lotion. And so far I'm not experiencing any excessive dryness/redness/itching etc. *knock on wood* The other two medications im taking are Clindamycin and Minocycline (solodyn). there hasn't been much change in my complexion yet either, it hasn't gotten better, but it hasn't gotten any worse, and I know it's too early for any results yet. But I'm hoping for the best, and I'm hoping that anyone going through the same treatment can find this useful. I'm at my breaking point, and im hoping this will work.

[Heartless]

I used Retin-A years ago and the only points I can pass along to you are:
1. Wait 20 minutes after washing your skin before applying Retin-A otherwise the skin will become almost burned. I didn't follow the doctor's advise and had an unpleasant experience.
2. The doctor advised to wait approximately 1 hour after applying the Retin-A before using a moisturizer and to only use a small quantity of moisturizer if you absolutely need it as it may make the medication less effective. Cetaphil moisturizer should be okay to use.

Good luck with your new regime.

[pinkstarlett]

I was on retin-a micro, clindamycin and solodyn for over a year....I'm on accutane now (unfortunatley they didnt really work for me) but I can give you some tips:

1.Retin-A is going to make you break out really bad in the next few weeks, especially if you've never been on a retinoid before. This is the initial breakout, basically you skin is puging all the gunk out from underneath. Don't give up if this happens, you should see results in about 3 months.

2. Retin-A will make you skin peel a lot. Cetephil is a good mositurizer. However sometimes I find it's too thick if I want to put make-up on afte. Other good moistuizers are DDF and I personally like the Clinique gel (although some people complain it breaks them out, I've never had an issue).

3. WEAR SUNSCREEN- your skin is ulta sensitive to buning no matter what your natual complexion is. I like Neutrogena dry touch.

4. If you don't see results in 3-4 months, defintley talk to your doctor about other options.

5. Don't take solodyn ove three months, long-term effects on the body are not clear after that. Also never take expired solodyn.

6. Take solodyn with a meal, it might make you feel nauseous.
Hope this list helps!

[LoveTa2s]

Thanks Heartless!
I tried to research as much as I could about Retin A. So far thankfully i haven't experienced much dry skin, but have been applying moisturizer 30 minutes after using Retin A. I may just skip moisturizing until the morning. I also read about how you should wait 30 minutes after washing your face, so thankfully I never had that experience either. I'm glad I looked these things up b/c my derm never mentioned them.

Thanks to you as well pinkstarlett
I will definitely take all of your tips into consideration. I have read a lot on here about how many medications cause the purging of the skin, and while i really wish it wouldn't get worse, if it's for the better, it's definitely worth it. I'm beyond ready for my skin to clear up. I did notice that Cetaphil doesn't really sink in very quickly, and makes my skin look oily, but it does work really well. I may save the Cetaphil for days im not going out anywhere, and try one of your recommendations. Since you were on the same routine, you may know. How long after using the clindamycin should i wait to apply the Retin A, or does it even matter? I have been allowing 30 minutes between everything i do with Retin A. I'm sorry it didn't work for you, hopefully I will have some luck with it. Good luck with your Accutane!

[cvd]

I think retin-a is a fantastic drug and it's worked miracles for me. What everyone has shared above is correct. I like the products below for use with retin-a. Just hang in there while using it because you will see amazing results especially after a year of use. Key though is to keep on using it even after you have clear skin. It's basically a drug to use for life and it also gets rid of wrinkles

[pinkstarlett]

Thanks Heartless!
I tried to research as much as I could about Retin A. So far thankfully i haven't experienced much dry skin, but have been applying moisturizer 30 minutes after using Retin A. I may just skip moisturizing until the morning. I also read about how you should wait 30 minutes after washing your face, so thankfully I never had that experience either. I'm glad I looked these things up b/c my derm never mentioned them.

Thanks to you as well pinkstarlett
I will definitely take all of your tips into consideration. I have read a lot on here about how many medications cause the purging of the skin, and while i really wish it wouldn't get worse, if it's for the better, it's definitely worth it. I'm beyond ready for my skin to clear up. I did notice that Cetaphil doesn't really sink in very quickly, and makes my skin look oily, but it does work really well. I may save the Cetaphil for days im not going out anywhere, and try one of your recommendations. Since you were on the same routine, you may know. How long after using the clindamycin should i wait to apply the Retin A, or does it even matter? I have been allowing 30 minutes between everything i do with Retin A. I'm sorry it didn't work for you, hopefully I will have some luck with it. Good luck with your Accutane!

Thanks! Well when I was on them, my derm perscribed clindamycin to be applied in the morning and retin-a at night. I'm not even actually sue if you should be putting them on at the same time. I would check with your derm next time you go.

[LoveTa2s]

That's great to hear CVD, thanks so much! It is very frustrating to see my skin start to clear and heal, and then start having new bumps pop up throughout the day. I'm hoping this will do it for me!!
@Pinkstarlett My derm told me to put the clindamycin on once in the morning and once at night, and to put the retin a on at night. Maybe I will give her a call in the morning and get some clarification on that.

I can already tell a major difference in how my skin feels, it's so much softer. And that is giving me so much hope! I'm still getting a few new bumps, but they seem to be going away rather quickly. The acne that was there before i started the regimen is taking a little while to go away, but they were deep cysts. crossing my fingers that I am on the way to clear skin.

[LoveTa2s]

Day 8
Well, so much for smooth sailing. I woke up this morning and my skin was a flakey mess!! I had no new pimples, so that is a plus. I tried using vitamin E oil and massaging it on my face prior to washing it this morning. It seemed to help get a lot of dead skin off without irritating. So hopefully that is something i can stick with. Anyone heard anything negative about vitamin E oil? I've read that it is really good for acne prone skin, and i had been using it before and it never broke me out. I have switched my regimen up a bit, and I'm hoping my skin will be happy.

2x a day
massage vitamin e oil on my face for a few minutes
wash with cetaphil face wash
use clindamycin (AM) Retin A Micro (PM)
cetaphil moisturizer

I can't wait for all of this to pass, I have been dealing with acne since i was 13 years old! Trying to stay positive, and hope clear skin is coming my way!

[LoveTa2s]

Day 26

It has been quite a while since my last post, so I figured it was time for an update.
The dry skin has gotten a lot better. I still have a small dry patch on each of my cheeks close to my nose (the dry patches somewhat resemble a healing scab if that makes sense), but not the awful peeling burning red dry skin. I am still getting pimples, but I am VERY happy to say I haven't had any cysts develop! Number one thing i try to remember is not to pick at the pimples. I have noticed that the ones i pick at, stick around a lot longer than the ones I don't. I am still using the same routine minus the Vitamin E oil. My skin feels so smooth and it's quite a relief. I haven't experienced any negative side effects (aside from the dry skin). I hope the improvement continues.

[sammcgizzy]

Day 3
Ok, well im going to go ahead and use the cetaphil lotion. And so far I'm not experiencing any excessive dryness/redness/itching etc. *knock on wood* The other two medications im taking are Clindamycin and Minocycline (solodyn). there hasn't been much change in my complexion yet either, it hasn't gotten better, but it hasn't gotten any worse, and I know it's too early for any results yet. But I'm hoping for the best, and I'm hoping that anyone going through the same treatment can find this useful. I'm at my breaking point, and im hoping this will work.

Hi there,
I'm 28, male, with mild acne. I have been on your EXACT prescription for 3 months now.

Here's my background: Pimples as a teen, nothing serious, no scarring. Starting in my early 20s I started getting cystic acne on the cheeks and now in my late 20s the cystic acnes was every week, painful and also smaller whiteheads around areas where I shave on my face and neck and forehead.

I got fed up and went to the dermatologist in January 2011.

The combo of these 3 treatments cleared the cystic acne 100% in 6 weeks and is clearing the red marks old breakouts left behind. YES! The doc was surprised how well it worked.

The minocycline started giving me headaches after 4 weeks and I was still getting the whiteheads and bumps on the forehead and under the chin. So I stopped the pills and have been using the only two topicals, even where I'm clear, as a preventative measure.

The forehead is clearing, but slowly. Every day is better, but a this rate, I think another 3 months will pass before I'm clear all over.

Hope this helps.

[LoveTa2s]

That is wonderful! I'm very glad it has worked for you. My progress seems to be going on the same path yours did. I don't get any cystic acne anymore. My skin has been fairly clear (compared to what it was) I still get some clogged pores and blackheads quite frequently, but it is much better than what I was going through. My dry skin is completely gone now as well. Hopefully we are both on our way to clear skin! Thanks for the post, it definitely did help to know the same regimen is helping you!

[cvd]

Wow - sound like things are really going well for you! Re: flakey skin --- I found it really helps to make sure I wait at least 20 minutes after washing before applying retin-a (tretinoin cream). Also I wash very gently hardly touching my skin to a count of 10 and rinse with lukewarm water (like Dan's video). I've found that being extremely gentle with the skin cuts down on the flakiness.

My derm had to coach me to stick with retin-a in the first year because of my frustration over continuing to have all these pores expelling plugs and minor breakouts. She said it was part of the treatment as retin-a normalized the pores and pushed out deep plugs. Now my skin is looking really great and only occasionally do I get a plugged pore (not a pimple...) that slowly expresses a hard plug. I try to be careful and not pick at these things but let them be and let the skin take care of it naturally. I'm finally realizing after decades of cystic acne what normal skin is like. Amazing! Wish I had done this years ago...

[LoveTa2s]

Wow - sound like things are really going well for you! Re: flakey skin --- I found it really helps to make sure I wait at least 20 minutes after washing before applying retin-a (tretinoin cream). Also I wash very gently hardly touching my skin to a count of 10 and rinse with lukewarm water (like Dan's video). I've found that being extremely gentle with the skin cuts down on the flakiness.

My derm had to coach me to stick with retin-a in the first year because of my frustration over continuing to have all these pores expelling plugs and minor breakouts. She said it was part of the treatment as retin-a normalized the pores and pushed out deep plugs. Now my skin is looking really great and only occasionally do I get a plugged pore (not a pimple...) that slowly expresses a hard plug. I try to be careful and not pick at these things but let them be and let the skin take care of it naturally. I'm finally realizing after decades of cystic acne what normal skin is like. Amazing! Wish I had done this years ago...

My skin is starting to dry out really bad again, so I will definitely have to try your suggestions. I usually wash my face for 30secons or longer. So maybe that could be an issue. I always wait at least 30 minutes to appy the retin a and i usually wait 2 hours after that to apply moisturizer. Still no new pimples really, just the clogged pores and even those are becoming fewer and fewer. I am just ecstatic to not have cystic acne at this point! I too wish I hadn't waited so long to go back to a derm! Thanks for your reply! I appreciate it!

[LoveTa2s]

Well, I figured I would post some pictures of my progress so people can see what my regimen has done for me so far. My start picture was taken on a good day, at a point when my skin was reasonably clear compared to what it had been like. Everyday I was waking up with a new cyst. So to me this is a major improvement!

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[LoveTa2s]

Well I know it has been a while since I updated, but there really hasn't been much change to report. I'm still following the same regimen. My skin will be insanely oily for a few days, then one morning I will wake up and it's so dry and peeling and flaking. Then once that finally heals, back to the oily skin again. I don't really understand why my skin is doing that.
As of right now I have about 6 noticeable pimples with a few clogged pores and tiny bumps. Still a major improvement from day one.

[lilahv26]

Wow thanks for posting your results! Your skin is looking much better. I appreciate you posting this, its encouraging to those of us just starting retinoids who are scared by all the negative reviews and fearing the initial breakout. Speaking of, did you have an initial breakout?

[LoveTa2s]

Wow thanks for posting your results! Your skin is looking much better. I appreciate you posting this, its encouraging to those of us just starting retinoids who are scared by all the negative reviews and fearing the initial breakout. Speaking of, did you have an initial breakout?

I'm glad it is encouraging to you! I did get an initial breakout, it wasn't too horrible for me, but I did get horribly dry skin. I'm still fighting the dry skin now, but I think a lot of that has to do with me being out in the sun too much. I'm still having breakouts, but not nearly as bad. I have maybe 3 bumps, none cystic and a few clogged pores. Your skin will get worse before it starts to get better, but the results are worth it. So hang in there!

[LoveTa2s]

Apologies on not having updated in a while. I have had so much going on. But I am incredibly happy to report my skin is clear!! I have a few patches of dry skin under my eyes, but other than that my skin is looking great! I have had maybe 3 or 4 pimples pop up in the last month, but they were really small, and usually were gone by the next day! Hopefully my skin will continue to remain clear!!