3 replies to this topic

[samjr]

hi guys,

i thought I'd make a post to see if anyone has had a similar experience to me, as I have not met anyone else with my skin issue!

I'm a 23 year old guy and I used retin-A Micro about 2 years ago to combat an excessive amount of blocked pores (not blackheads, more like grains of sebum plugs in every pore).

My skin peeled and was raw a lot of the time, which wasn't really worth having clean pores for. Anyway, I stopped using it after only a few weeks. However, 2 years on, the skin on my nose has not recovered. I should mention that I do pick the congested pores a lot, as my nose feels like sandpaper otherwise, and there is a good chance I may have scarred pores.

My problem now is that the skin on my nose first gets really, really dry. It then turns quite shiny. When I scrunch my nose up, lots of creases show up (almost like dot-to-dot between every pore). This makes my nose look like it has loads of wrinkles, which isn't normal for a young guy.

The skin doesn't get to the point where it peels by itself. When it has been shiny and dry for around a week or longer, I use tweezers to peel off large sections of the dry skin. I always make sure I wait long enough so I know the skin underneath will not be red and raw. It always appear slightly pink but always really smooth (even though pores are still enlarged). But sure enough, after 3-4 days, the skin starts to get dry and form the creases again.

Has anyone had any similar experiences?

[jseward]

This is a tough problem. Perhaps you could consider trying tazorac. I use it as an alternative to Retin A in my acne patients at my clinic. It is more aggressive than Retin A but if you apply just a little bit of Cetaphil or CeraVe lotion on prior to applying it, it might take the "edge" off. I hope that helps. Have you ever consider a salicylic peel or microdermabrasion as another option??

[luckycat]

I think pictures would be helpful.

[samjr]

Its actually just peeled off again today, so the skin looks relatively normal apart from the massive pores. I know a lot of people are really bothered by pores, but I think I'd be okay with mine if it weren't for the awful dry skin on top.

I'll try to get some pics when it starts to dry out again.

Jseward- yes I've tried some salicylic peels which didn't really help. I also had a set of three microdermabrasion sessions which had good results for around a month, and then the dryness and peeling came back. That's partly why I'd be hesitant to try any more topicals- because the skin just seems to be stuck in this peeling cycle.