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I didnt realize I was able to post and comment here is my story,
June 2018 used a pea size amount of Retin A 0.025 pct. I used only on my forehead 4times and 2 times around my chin, a few days apart used sunscreen and avoid my cheeks because they were a bit more sensitive. I woke up a few days after my 4thapplicationand saw all these wrinkle lines around my eyes and my eyes were very sore and puffy. I literally used this stupid cream 4 times on my face and spaced it days apartand still have the damage. First came thewrinkles then I noticed 30 days later my lips swelling. Around that time even though I discontinued 30 days earlier pores started to open on my cheeks and lines started to connect them. Weird scars or something. I noticed 60 days latermy eyes lashes and eye brows were falling and then came the hair on my head.10 months later and I lost 35 40 pct of my hair and mostly at the front and my hairline has been pushed back about an inch. It continues to fall out. I have head aches and pressure on my brain. My face itches and I flush all the time. Emu oil seems to be the oil that works well for me and helps prevent me from breaking out. Time could heal, but my hair is in a shedding phase and dont know when it will stop. There is not much sign of regrowth. Ive been dizzy and nasucios. Most doctors tell me its hormones and that Im aging. Im 38 years old and never these wrinkles or skin like this before I used this cream. I been reading blogs online articles and you name it to get better. I believe that we I have suffered from a vitamin A toxicity and possible a chronic form of it due to my vegan lifestyle last year. I could have had way to much vitamin a in mysystem and that is my hair started falling as well. If anyone else has these smptoms would like to hear about any solutions. Right now, Im cutting 90 pct of vitamin A from my diet. The other problem is emu, I love it, but could have too much vitamin A in it. Urea makes me break out unfortunately.
NoSeRiki, have you seen slow signs of healing from dermarolling and using products like Urea or alpha lipoic acid afterward? How has your journey been going? It is so tough! Would be glad tohear what you've learned and experienced.I agree that there is hope. After posting this about two weeks ago, I've really decided to continue to focus on mental health as much as possible while I also look toward seeing the naturopathic doctor. I definitely believe to a certain degree that our minds are one of our most powerful agents of healing, which is no less intimating than any other solution, and of course involves a lot of time and patience, as do results from the proper skincare products. I think these two approaches have to go hand in hand. I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow, and will provide an update! Has anyone considered things like dermal fillers for upkeep of sorts while we figure out what's going on? Not sure if this would even work, or if it wouldbe detrimental in any way. I know fillers are incredibly expensive too, but I am at that point where I would give a good deal of money to feel confident about my looks again, and of course I already have to some degree when I consider all of the products I've tried to this date. Just wondered if there are any low-risk cosmetic procedures that folks have found beneficial (not sure if this is a controversial question). Anyway, I can't say that I do not have a life filled with love, support, and things to look forward to. For this I am lucky, and I'm trying to keep my focus where it is most productive.
Mo7, I'm sorry to hear about your story. My symptoms have also included weird head pressure and dizziness. I've had vision problems (went from perfect vision to progressive blurry vision in my right eye). My nose often feels like there's either pressure in it or its tingling across the top down to my cheeks. My face itches and burns, and I flush often. My face is sooooooo impossibly dry. No matter how many layers of moisture, it is dry within two hours, which is costing my face a lot of rapid aging signs.My hands and arms are also reactive and easily dried out. My scalp is often itchy and burns.Any type of makeup I try is so drying I look terrible and feel so tight-faced and uncomfortable. Of course I have to wear sunscreen when I go out, but any kind also makes me so dry.Two dermatologists have told me it's just rosacea, which I'm sure in part is true, but I believe it is of course a greater issue stemming from somewhere else that cannot be solved by steroid creams and antibiotics.I am interested in the theory about vitamin A. I've eaten a mostlyvegan diet for years and I've recently been considering the possibility of a big hormonal imbalance (especially because I also have endometriosis). Inflammation is always the trend here.I'm not sure why doctors would flippantly suggest that it's hormones and not care. Hormonal imbalances can be a really big deal (and no matter what the source of your struggles are, this is not normal). I've read about eating for your hormones and how beneficial the reintroduction of things like fatty fish or chicken can be. I'm not going on this path until I have more information, but I do think there is something about a vegan diet and how it's just not suitable for every person. Eggs can be incredibly beneficial for balancing hormones too. I'm so sorry to hear about your hair, that sounds incredibly difficult and I am sending you good thoughts of healing. I hope to hear that you've soon found something that works for you. I noticed my symptoms did get worse when I stopped acupuncture, so I'm making sure to keep up with it again. It's something you might think about trying for pain, inflammation etc. If you're lucky your area might have a community acupuncture center where you are able to just pay what you can. Or some insurances do cover 80% of the cost of individual care. Not for everyone, but I found it really helpful for symptom management. I used to have the head pressure very consistently and acupuncture has helped me reduce that by almost 100 percent. I initially started because of my endometriosis, but we are now working on problems with heat in the body and how it manifests as rosacea and such. Will gladly keep you posted on that progress.
Sicastro, I just looked at your pic again and I feel like weve got the exact same condition. I really think you need to stop using any products and especially stop putting water on your face. Just use emu oil, urea products, cactus oil, anything like that. And I highly recommend the dermarolling. I have to say yesterday I was so distraught because I realized, even though its surely getting better, I did so much fucking damage that it may take several more years to completely heal. But today I have to admit I saw great signs of improvement so I know Im on the right path. Its just going to take such a long time for the skin to really heal. At this point Im absolutely positive that I basically stripped the uppermost layer of my skin off by overusingtopicals and cleansers for so long. Thats why were seeing this texture, its like the surface has been worn away and this is whats beneath.but your skin doesnt want to be like that . It wants to be normal and it just needs to rebuild. On my forehead, the sides where I didnt really wash or use products are perfect, and I can see a delineating line where the damage begins, exactly the edge of where the products and washing occurred. This line has slowly started to get less and less defined, as if the damaged skin is beginning to resemble the non damaged skin. But I can tell, for it to be fully healed, it will take a lot more time. But this is encouraging. The dermaroller, for me, is the answer to speeding up the process. It really breaks down the collagen and helps the products, urea, emu oil,etc, seepin and really work. The .75 roller is painful, and I can only use it once a week. Its tough because the first few days afterwards my skin is really red, but then around the 4th day, I can see the improvement. The skin is getting thicker. Theres still so much oil and shininess and redness, because again, the top layer has been stripped away. But goddamnit, it is getting better. And one day it will be much much better. And that will be amazing. But Ive got a long way to go. Stop washing your face with water!!!! That is essential. Just the products and some sunscreen/moisturizer.
NoSeRiki, I am glad to hear that although it's been a slow and difficult process, you're seeingpositive results! I really feel you on the days that it just gets you so down and overwhelmed when you get perspective on the level of damage that's been caused and therefore haveto be realistic about how much time this will actually take to heal. I feel a lot of guilt and regret about it on and off. But it's definitely a call to take better care of our bodies/skin, and if/when I heal from this you better believe I will be living my best life!It sounds like you've been incredibly committed to your skin's healing, and it's paying off. So you haven't washed your face at all in a very long time? I've been told that once a day is necessary especially with rosacea (on my end) as bacteria buildup may be an issue. But that may not be true at all. Also, is itnot necessary to wash off sunscreen?I was under the impression that this was a must. I do seem to struggle to find the right one that doesn't dry me outor cause acne, which is a pain, but living in southern California with the intense amount of sun and pollution sunscreen is obviously a necessity.I am curious about using a dermaroller as you suggest. I may just give this a try moving forward! I haven't tried urea yet either, but it seems incredibly beneficial for our type of skin, so I'll be ordering some for sure. Thanks for your comments.
No washing with water or really anything for that matter. You need to let the skin rebuild.Any sunscreen or other products you let just dissolve into your skin. Do not use water. I think this is crucial to healing from this condition. The most water that touches my face each day is just little sprays from when Im in the shower. But thats it. Again, no water or washing.
I think everything is finally really working for me. I can see massive changes everyday. The biggest thing is that my skin is starting to like smooth out in a way Ive never seen before. The texture is starting to resemble normal skin. Its incredible. All the pores and little holes and lines are starting to fade away. Its really healing, I am positive! For anyone that is hopeless that this condition will never heal, I am telling you it can!!! There is hope. The dermarolling is helping immensely, like really, that is whats really doing the trick. And then the products can really get into your skin. Also, I started using a product from Avene called Cicalfatethis seems to be doing wonders as well.
but I really think the reason that so many people think this condition is un-repairableis because they keep washing their face with water. Once you do this, I feel like you erase any progress your skin made that day. And people just cant accept that not putting at least some water on their face at the end of the day is actually beneficial, but for this condition, it is!!!! Its like this barrier, this top layer has been destroyed, and water just continues to weaken it. I know its hard to consider not washing, not just splashing some water on your face, but I really think this is a huge kiey to solving this problem. The urea and emu oil and other products will cleanse the skin in the way it needs to be cleansed. And dermarolling will help with sortof cleansing the surface as well. But no water and no cleanser! No washing! Just let it be and apply the emu oil, or urea, or cactus oil, or this new Cicalfate product, or alpha lipoic acidapply them one after another, thats what Ive been doing. And then try dermarolling with at least a .5 roller at least once a week. There is hope. It will continue to take time for my skin to fully heal. But I tell you, today I saw a real difference. That natural texture is returning!!!!
Be aware that people who have taken oral antibiotics or used topical antibiotics (such as Duac)on their skin are now likely to have fungal outbreaks, which look like acne, but are not acne. The diagnostic features for fungal outbreaks , other than odd looking "acne", are a white tongue/red rash/headaches/tiredness (indicative of candida) and/or dandruff/flaking skin/seborrheic dematitis (indicative of malasezzia). Skin candida and malasezzia can usually be controlled with the correct topical antifungal cream (different for the two conditions), keeping skin dry, and helped by not eating inflammatory foods, such as gluten, etc.
Thanks for the comments, NoSeRiki. Your experience makes me hopeful! Do you apply your products before and also after dermarolling? I'll be sure to update with any progress/changes in the future! Hope you'll do the same. Very happy to hear that you're coming sucha long way with your skin.
Your killing your skin. You dont want to thin out your skin. The derma stamp clinical trials weren't that impressive. Theres something new out i heard of that has help moderate to sever acne without drying the skin. I forgot the name of the company but the compound is called Mdt5
Hello I just wanted to post as I went through all the mental health problems dealing with this from March 2018, and now May 2019 I can finally say I have recovered. I just wanted to post because when I was going through it and searching online I rarely saw updates and healed victims so I want to encourage everyone to be patient and that it will go eventually. For me I hadtried so so many things so I cant give an exact regimen that changed everythingbut I think being gentle with your skin, using sunscreen constantlyyyy I mean never ever let the sun get your skin bare because it will always set you back, and using a gentle moisturiserare basics to helping fix this. From my process of healing I have seen that I had stripped my skin very deeply and exposed deep pores, and the skin had to grow back but it takes a very very long time to get there and many things can unintentionally set you back if you are not careful. It was on my nose and my cheeks from under my eyes to my laugh lines, but now I have almost no visible pores except a few on my laugh lines that I had stripped the deepest but now they are almost fully gone and I am confident in the next few months they will be gone.Also I know a lot of people do not like dermarolling but every time I did it with a 0.5mm dermaroller I saw a massive jump in improvement that I think would have taken me much longer to reach without. But I did it rarely like once every two months, because our skin is very fragile now and should not be over inflamed. And I wouldn't advise you to start rolling until all the pain and stinging is gone, I believe this means the internal structure is still too inflamed.I will attach pictures later. I am 22 years old if that helps, the problem started when I was 21 after using 0.1% tretinoin with poor sun protection.
Before, you can see the deep pores and peeled skin layers very obviously in the transition from my under eye to my cheek and then below my laugh line:
Now, pores are not visible even up close and skin is even from under eye to mouth:
Hope this helps someone to remain hopeful, that was probably the hardest part of all this.
On 5/6/2019 at 11:31 AM, Texturehelp said:Before, you can see the deep pores and peeled skin layers very obviously in the transition from my under eye to my cheek and then below my laugh line:
Now, pores are not visible even up close and skin is even from under eye to mouth:
Hope this helps someone to remain hopeful, that was probably the hardest part of all this.
That's great that you are seeing improvement! Could you give us a step by step skin care regime of what you think is working and how you've been doing the derma rolling?
On 4/11/2019 at 8:09 PM, NoSeRiki said:Sicastro, I just looked at your pic again and I feel like we™ve got the exact same condition. I really think you need to stop using any products and especially stop putting water on your face. Just use emu oil, urea products, cactus oil, anything like that. And I highly recommend the dermarolling. I have to say yesterday I was so distraught because I realized, even though it™s surely getting better, I did so much fucking damage that it may take several more years to completely heal. But today I have to admit I saw great signs of improvement so I know I™m on the right path. It™s just going to take such a long time for the skin to really heal. At this point I™m absolutely positive that I basically stripped the uppermost layer of my skin off by overusing topicals and cleansers for so long. That™s why we™re seeing this texture, it™s like the surface has been worn away and this is what™s beneath.but your skin doesn™t want to be like that . It wants to be normal and it just needs to rebuild. On my forehead, the sides where I didn™t really wash or use products are perfect, and I can see a delineating line where the damage begins, exactly the edge of where the products and washing occurred. This line has slowly started to get less and less defined, as if the damaged skin is beginning to resemble the non damaged skin. But I can tell, for it to be fully healed, it will take a lot more time. But this is encouraging. The dermaroller, for me, is the answer to speeding up the process. It really breaks down the collagen and helps the products, urea, emu oil,etc, seep in and really work. The .75 roller is painful, and I can only use it once a week. It™s tough because the first few days afterwards my skin is really red, but then around the 4th day, I can see the improvement. The skin is getting thicker. There™s still so much oil and shininess and redness, because again, the top layer has been stripped away. But goddamnit, it is getting better. And one day it will be much much better. And that will be amazing. But I™ve got a long way to go. Stop washing your face with water!!!! That is essential. Just the products and some sunscreen/moisturizer.
This idea of not washing your face is fascinating. I have all these problems and more! Retin A damage, orange peel skin, super oily skin that is clogged with sebum, spider veins, rosacea and now sebaceous hyperplasia! Could you tell us more about your skincare regime? What about wearing sunscreen? If you have to, how would you get that off without water? What about super oily skin? Just blot with blotting papers? Also, are you doing the derma rolling yourself? If so, what do you recommend? How often and how do you prep the skin and then what goes on afterwards? Thanks for the advice
Do not wipe sunscreen off. Do not wipe oil off. Do not wash with water. Basically do not wash in any way. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but given our condition, we just need to let the skin rebuild and heal on its own terms. The skin knows how to repair and protect itself naturally. That™s what™s at the root of my approach. All this skin care crap about cleansing and using topicals is a lie. The skin can take care of itself. It will be difficult to get used to, but then you won™t even think about it. The only water that touches my face and semi cleaning that happens is during my morning shower when some droplets touch my face and then I lightly dab with a towel. That™s it! Otherwise, no washing or removing anything. Trust me. The oil is a symptom of this condition and you must simply tolerate it until it begins to fade on its own. My oiliness is just starting to really go down, so trust me, address the condition and the oil will subside on its own. Dermarolling is KEY, especially if there™s a great deal of damage done. I started with a .25 mm which is basically useless. Then a .5 which is a little better. The .75 will definitely help with allowing product to enter the skin. And today I just started with a 1 mm roller because I™m just ready to end this thing now and I will do whatever I have to. How often you roll depends on you. At first, with a .5 maybe 3 times a week. But now that my skin is used to it, I™m thinking about using the 1 mm every other day. The stuff you read on the internet about needing to space out anything over .5 by 4 weeks is absolute bullshit in my opinion. I mean if your skin is reacting badly, then maybe you need to slow down. But for me, each time I roll there is such a profound improvement that I feel the more the better. The redness is annoying, but I also know that a lot of my redness comes from the condition itself. So I might as well be red while also fighting the condition at the same time. I think when you go into 1.5 mm territory, that™s where you need to be much more cautious. As far as products go, my go to thing is emu oil. I prep my skin with it before rolling and I basically just always have some on my face when at home alone because it creates such a great moisture rich environment for the skin. Products containing Urea are great. Eucerin makes some good ones with 5 and 10% urea. I just started primarily using a product from Avene called Cicalfate which is incredible. Alpha lipoic acid is good, cactus oil, squalene. I™m also about to try hyaluronic acid again. All these products contain the properties needed to help rebuild the skin, so I basically just slather them on multiple times, one after another after each rolling session. And I always follow it up with some emu oil just because of that kick of moisture. Never put water on your face! This is a long fucking process. The progress is so goddamn slow, but it works. Ask away with any more questions. I want to help anybody I can enduring this nightmare because it has so majorly fucked up my life. But there is a light 
On 1/19/2017 at 6:56 AM, H4nnz said:This is my skin. (See pictures) I'm 17 years old, female, and I have been dealing with acne since I was 12, but it properly started when I was 14.
A brief background to my skin: I used Duac when I was about 15. It helped with my acne, but caused my skin texture to react leaving me with an orange peel-like texture, large pores. I think it is also due to over-exfoliation.
I was prescribed differin later on, honestly didn't really do much at all. Just made my skin dry, the pore size stayed the same.(Ive tried DML lotion too. Applied it thickly like 6 times a day and it did nothing.)
I have been dealing with this condition for 2 years now. I had poreless skin at about age 14. I am certain it is not to do with genetics either, both my family and parents don't have large pores.
I will be going to try Paula's Choice 10% niacinamide from an FAQ that suggested it on here. Reviews are relatively good regarding the pore size, many saying their skin texture returns back to normal.
But please anything you know is appreciated!! I am stuck. What's out there that I can use so my skin can return to normal? I am honestly so desperate. I have read all the forums there is out there.
Has any doctor suggested your problem could be Rosacea? Enlarged pores are a possible symptom. If so, low-dose Doxycycline could be added to your treatment(s), especially since the topicals don't seem to be helping enough. I'm much, much older than you but nonetheless seemed to have developed that skin disease just within the last 1 1/2 years. Lately the other symptoms (redness) have not been that bad but I've started seeing changes in my pores. Even at my age, it's very upsetting. Doctors seem to have difficulty diagnosing Rosacea as it mimics other conditions. The enlarged pores, as I understand it, are related to skin thickening, another potential Rosacea symptom. (For awhile, the changes actually looked good & I thought it was due my skin regimen.) Good luck & don't think that you will have to endure the condition forever. Whatever its cause, there are treatments (laser etc...you can Google these) that eventually you can receive.
hello did anyone tried red light therapy for our problem!
do you think it can help?
i just read this "
Red light therapy is considered safe and painless. However, there have beenreportsof burns and blistering from using RLT units. A few people developed burns after falling asleep with the unit in place, while others experienced burns due to broken wires or device corrosion."
So i guess i should avoid it cause i already have a sunburn!
Hey guys, checking in with some thoughts.
progress is going great. Continuing to dermaroll and apply that Cicalfate stuff, along with emu oil, urea, and Ive just added hyaluronic acid as well. In the past couple days, the texture has improved DRAMATICALLY. Before I always felt like theareas that were affected were OPEN in some way, you know what I mean? But now theyre starting to feel CLOSED. Like the texture is normalizing, flattening out, becoming normal skin. Its a wonderful feeling. All the suffering but now, itsfinally getting better. This will happen to you too. Just stay strong. Its been 1 year since I first started using emu oil and dermarolling. Almost 3 years since I basically went caveman. No water touches my face, no cleansing, no wiping anything off. And nearly 15 yearssince I first started fucking with my skin. It takes that long.
ill keep checking in with updates cuz I come upon so many threads about this topic and you never know what ultimately happened to people because they stop posting. Maybe because they healed and posting on an acne message board is the farthest thing from their minds.
another quick observation. Do you ever notice how the problem areas were where we concentrated most when washing or applying topical? Its like we developed a problem area and so washed it harder or put more topical there and then, because of that, it started getting worse. But we just thought that was a really problematicarea NATURALLY on our face and we had to pay more attention to it. But by doing so, we keptmaking it worse. And its just this cycle that keeps going on.
Yes definite improvement happening everyday. But as Ive said before, its just taking a very long time!
Sorry guys for not posting in a while. I got a bit discouraged. As Ive said, theres progress happening but Ive just done so much damage. Really exacerbated by sun exposure Ive realized. And I just started thinking my skin will never be fully healed. And if it ever is, natural aging will have damaged it anyway. It occurs to me that thats what Ive donebasically aged my skin like 30 years! Thats what happens to your skin as it ages, the moisture barrier weakens. So weve just basically sped up that process. If you look at an older persons skin, youll see that it resembles yours. Discoloration, redness, thin skin, big pores. By eroding away the moisture barrier youre basically hyper-aging your skin.
but some good news: found two new products that are really doing wonders. 1)Snail cream and 2)flaxseed oil. I just got mizons multi function all in one snail repair cream. And thenwhatever flaxseed oil you wantI use the earth source brand. Introduce these into your regimen. I say replace the emu oil with the flaxseed. Good luck!
and dont get me wrong, there is great progress happening and you can reverse this condition. Im sure most of you have not done as much damage as me, so it will likely be much quicker for you. But for me, Ive still got some time. The thing isits really not that bad anymore. I actually saw a dermatologist the other day who looked at me like I was crazy, saying I have a natural glowandjust need to be using sunscreen. The thing that really bothers me now is the redness and extreme sensitivity. That likely wont go away until the moisture barrier is fully restored and thats gonna take a longer.But Im confident that ONE day, it will!
