11 replies to this topic

[WishfulThinker93]

Hey all,

Before I talk about how Retin A is changing/affecting my face, I'd thought I'd give some quick background info

I have [and still have though less severe than before] oily/combination skin which suffers from mild - moderate pustular acne [am 19, so for 5 years now] which has left several red marks over my face, especially on my chin and forehead, chin is probably the worst, as it constantly feels clogged/congested and I tend to pick that area too much

I also have moderate bacne/chestacne for which I've tried epiduo as well as ACV but am now regularly toning after showers with Garnier's PureActive toner which I think is keeping it under control, I hope

I've tried different combinations of BP, doxycycline and epiduo for almost 4 years now, as well as numerous supermarket cleansers but after finally seeing a derm, I'm using only Retin A and minocycline and washing with a Cetaphil OIly Skin cleanser

I'm on my 2nd week of using Retin A and minocycline now and although I can defs say that there are parts of my face where the texture feels better, the skin looks smoother and it appears that the superficial red marks left over from picking/pimples are fading, I've found my chin to be breaking out horribly

I've gotten never before cyst type acne bumps, I don't know if they can be called 'cystic' as although theyre painful and feel well under the skin, they come to a head and if pressed/popped, pus comes out

I believe the minocycline was given to help reduce the severity of the so called IB but my chin has never felt this clogged and bumpy before

Also until now, the area around my mouth/cheeks hasn't had too much pustular acne, yet now it's appearing all over this area

If anyone has any IB breakout stories to share especially what their skin type is, the type of acne they got, and how long it took to treat/resolve, I'd love to know

Thanks heaps


P.S will update progress as time goes on, and if confident enough, upload some photos along the way as they'll best show any improvements [fingers crossed]

Good luck to all those on this product too !

---


Into week 3 now, my chin cyst has finally reared it's ugly [white] head, though this time I'm determined to not poke around it or try to force any of the contents out

My chin is still getting pustules [I reckon the amount I've gotten on my chin so far in 3 weeks are what I'd normally get within 1 - 2 months] 

My cheeks feel smoother though there seem to be pore plugs that fore [which hasnt happened before]. After a shower, I'm able to use tweezers and pull these 'plugs' out though they leave a visible red pore indent sorta mark

I keep thinking about epiduo since it's adapalene [a synthetic retinoid] AS WELL as BP, I'm not sure whether I should have suddenly stopped the BP, but I'm gonna put my trust in Retin A for at least 3 - 4 months.

But so far, I think it's doing everything it's supposed to  

---

Into week 4 now, finally got a BB cream that i ordered online so hoping it'll help with the redness, but all in all going okayish with the occasional pimple popping up 

Yday I decided to put epiduo on in the morning then retin a at night, but found that by midday my face was considerably red and looked like a tomato, so today I simply dabbed epiduo on the cyst and onto another new cyst that seems to haev appeared out of no where on my chin as well. Will skip retin A for tonight

Face defs looks smoother overall after I've washed it, just after moisturising and thanks to this summer weather, it ends up looking red, blotchy and my pimples/scars seem to get redder


---

Into week 6/7, just came back from holidaying in a really really sunny and humid place so yay uv light and retin A skin thinning. Atm forehead has small bumps and a pustule, chin has a pustule though the bumps are much less now as most seem to have surfaced quicker than normal thanks to the retin a, face still looks flushed and greasy and blotchy after a long day though when washed with cetaphil, seems to look actually normal for once, my moisturiser may be too oily i reckon, esp since its now summer here

I don't know if this is the true IB stage or whether I'm still experiencing it, but defs noticed more pimples all of a sudden emerging from nowhere, though I've been pretty slack with how consistently I've been taking minomycin on the trip, perhaps this played a roll

Otherwise, fingers crossed as always, and defs sticking with this cream until it finishes, i reckon got a good 2 - 3 months to go, scars defs seem faded after showering, but as said earlier, by the end of a long day, when my face is greasy and tired and non fresh looking, all those red marks suddenly seem to be so much more noticable :/

--

Into week 8 or so, broke out horribly in these white heady/pustular looking bumps on forehead though it may have been to me slacking off on the antibiotics [minomycin], theyre slowly clearing up. I've started reading into stuff about face mapping and acne, this site I found really interesting so thought to share

http://www.thelovevitamin.com/5335/where-your-acne-is-and-what-it-looks-like-can-tell-you-whats-causing-it/ 

, though I don't know how much science there is to back it up. Still doesnt hurt to eat healthier and try something new, so will also be drinking ACV/water each morning before eating anything, hopefully helps. 

 

Edited by WishfulThinker93, 10 February 2013 - 03:35 AM.

[gforce89]

I'm on my third month of Retin-A. I seem to go through cycles. One week I may be completely broken out and the next, my entire face is clear.

[asianacne44]

im on doxycycline and generic trention cream. (.1)

so far im still breaking out. its been weeks. I think about 3 or 4. it kind of sucks.

this is the ingredients of my cream: Decyl oleate, isopropyl myristrate, glyceryl monostearate, acetyl lanolin alcohol, ceteareth-30, cetyl alcohol, proline, monostearate of polyethylene glycol 400, urea, collagen, methylparaben, propylparaben, lactic acid, sodium citrate, sodium hydroxide, vitamin E, aroma, and water.

[WishfulThinker93]

im on doxycycline and generic trention cream. (.1)

so far im still breaking out. its been weeks. I think about 3 or 4. it kind of sucks.

this is the ingredients of my cream: Decyl oleate, isopropyl myristrate, glyceryl monostearate, acetyl lanolin alcohol, ceteareth-30, cetyl alcohol, proline, monostearate of polyethylene glycol 400, urea, collagen, methylparaben, propylparaben, lactic acid, sodium citrate, sodium hydroxide, vitamin E, aroma, and water.

Sigh yeah I don't think I've actually gotten the so called IB truly yet since I'm so early into it, though I feel like it's looming, and same with you on the generic cream version, though from what I've read on this site, some say that the isopropyl myristrate in the cream version can actually block pores ? Though the cream is defs more moisturising than the gel one

Also, when you say breaking out, is it like different to what you normally get ? Or same same ? I've found mine are cyst like, which is very new for me and scares me since it's these that scar worse than normal pimples :/

Thanks

I'm on my third month of Retin-A. I seem to go through cycles. One week I may be completely broken out and the next, my entire face is clear.

Though you say cycles, do you notice any overall improvement in your skin ? Are the breakouts same location, same pimple type ? Or do you see theyre different ?

Sorry for asking so many questions, just interested to find out as much as I can, since I've read some people use this cream for years and still breakout badly, so considering switching back to epiduo :/

Thanks

[asianacne44]

i , like you, got my first cyst on retin a, along with frequent whiteheads. ill keep u updated on my progress, right now its bad

[WishfulThinker93]

Into week 3 now, my chin cyst has finally reared it's ugly [white] head, though this time I'm determined to not poke around it or try to force any of the contents out

My chin is still getting pustules [I reckon the amount I've gotten on my chin so far in 3 weeks are what I'd normally get within 1 - 2 months]

My cheeks feel smoother though there seem to be pore plugs that fore [which hasnt happened before]. After a shower, I'm able to use tweezers and pull these 'plugs' out though they leave a visible red pore indent sorta mark

I keep thinking about epiduo since it's adapalene [a synthetic retinoid] AS WELL as BP, I'm not sure whether I should have suddenly stopped the BP, but I'm gonna put my trust in Retin A for at least 3 - 4 months.

But so far, I think it's doing everything it's supposed to

[WishfulThinker93]

Into week 4 now, finally got a BB cream that i ordered online so hoping it'll help with the redness, but all in all going okayish with the occasional pimple popping up

Yday I decided to put epiduo on in the morning then retin a at night, but found that by midday my face was considerably red and looked like a tomato, so today I simply dabbed epiduo on the cyst and onto another new cyst that seems to haev appeared out of no where on my chin as well. Will skip retin A for tonight

Face defs looks smoother overall after I've washed it, just after moisturising and thanks to this summer weather, it ends up looking red, blotchy and my pimples/scars seem to get redder

[gxtirby]

I just started with tretinoin 0.01% (not 0.1%!) cream this week. I'm nervous about the cream version making my clogged pores even worse though. What strength cream do you have? Are you still having the inital breakout?

[WishfulThinker93]

I just started with tretinoin 0.01% (not 0.1%!) cream this week. I'm nervous about the cream version making my clogged pores even worse though. What strength cream do you have? Are you still having the inital breakout?

hey hey, my cream is 0.05% actually, don't know whether the increased conc. means its better though i reckon defs would mean more irritation/redness

i'm still getting pimples in like a fashion where say the amount of pimples i'd normally get in one month are appearing in one week, they seem to be fast tracked almost and i dont know if this is good since yet clears up faster, but leaves nasty red marks behind, im hoping that the cream kinda counteracts this since its supposed to help red marks fade quicker

i've started using a SA based facial cleanser in the morning, but at night before applying the cream, i use only cetaphil, i think the SA helps with the whole clogged pores thing that retin a may cause

let us know how you go too, fingers crossed !

[ADreamer]

I am in my second week of Retin-A and I've been breaking out mildly but constantly from the second day. Since it's a low concentration - 0.025% - i expect the breakouts to be persistent but not as horrible(by horrible I mean the number of spots on face at the same time) as if they were with using 0.1%.

[gxtirby]

I just started with tretinoin 0.01% (not 0.1%!) cream this week. I'm nervous about the cream version making my clogged pores even worse though. What strength cream do you have? Are you still having the inital breakout?

hey hey, my cream is 0.05% actually, don't know whether the increased conc. means its better though i reckon defs would mean more irritation/redness

i'm still getting pimples in like a fashion where say the amount of pimples i'd normally get in one month are appearing in one week, they seem to be fast tracked almost and i dont know if this is good since yet clears up faster, but leaves nasty red marks behind, im hoping that the cream kinda counteracts this since its supposed to help red marks fade quicker

i've started using a SA based facial cleanser in the morning, but at night before applying the cream, i use only cetaphil, i think the SA helps with the whole clogged pores thing that retin a may cause

let us know how you go too, fingers crossed !

 

I'm mid-way through week 3 so far and not seeing any major breakouts, but I do have a fair amount of peeling along my jawline and on my nose.  I'm guessing the inital breakout will also come a little later for me because I really eased into the cream (only used it every two days for the first two weeks).  I would like to switch to the gel when I finally get to see a dermatologist- I find that I wake up with an incredibly oily face when I apply the cream. 

 

SA has worked slightly for me before but I'm not too sure if it's advisable to use any other medicated products with the tretinoin, and definitely not until my face is more accustomed to it. 

 

Hope you're beginning to see at least some improvements! 

[WishfulThinker93]

I'm mid-way through week 3 so far and not seeing any major breakouts, but I do have a fair amount of peeling along my jawline and on my nose.  I'm guessing the inital breakout will also come a little later for me because I really eased into the cream (only used it every two days for the first two weeks).  I would like to switch to the gel when I finally get to see a dermatologist- I find that I wake up with an incredibly oily face when I apply the cream. 

 

SA has worked slightly for me before but I'm not too sure if it's advisable to use any other medicated products with the tretinoin, and definitely not until my face is more accustomed to it. 

 

Hope you're beginning to see at least some improvements! 

I surprisingly didn't have any peeling whatsoever though I think thats because I was on Epiduo [BP + adalpalene] for like 2 years and I specifically remembering having peeling when I started that, esp around my nostrils and on my chin, I think my skins sorta become tolerant to it all, so I think defs stay off any medicated cleansers until you feel your skin will be able to handle it, and staaaaaaaay away from AHA's, I learnt the hard way SA i found bit more tolerable, though before Retin A, I use only cetaphil, and so far skin looks smoother though still red/oily/blotchy at the end of the day, so perhaps may look into gel too

Let us know how you go too