Wash Off Retin-A After 30 Mins?

[Thomas Ahn 0]

I've heard some people leave Retin-A on their faces for a certain amount of time then wash it off before they go to bed to reduce irritation. Any thoughts on this?

[serendipity_ 0]

i would think it wouldnt be nearly as effective

[ImOily 0]

One should apply it at bedtime after washing and wash face again when waking up.

[willow569 7]

I've heard some people leave Retin-A on their faces for a certain amount of time then wash it off before they go to bed to reduce irritation. Any thoughts on this?

I think some people use this as a way to get their skin used to the product - it may help reduce irritation as your skin adapts to the retin-A. The idea would be to try to work up to leaving it on all night. Taz users sometimes use this type of short term application and never work up to leaving it on all night (because Taz is pretty strong). This approach makes sense to me - My esthetician (who specializes in treating acne) also uses this method to get people's skin used to stronger benzoyl peroxide products. If you think your skin might be reactive or sensitive to the retin-A you might try the gradual application approach. You could leave it on 30 min for the first several days, if no irritation, then bump it up to an hour. If you take a few weeks to work up to nightly use, it might be less irritating for your skin.

[klvoe 1]

Willow left a great answer, but if you still have questions, try googling: "short contact" "retin a"

and you'll find more information