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Help, I Put On Too Mcuh Retin A And My Skin Looks Burned

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(@duendeni)

Posted : 03/19/2012 4:53 pm

Okay, I am in a major panic!

 

Basically, I have been using retin A generic 0.5% twice daily application for a while now and my skin seemed to tolerate it very well. I started off with only a little every other night , then only at night but more recently I thought what the hell I can put it on twice a day...

 

So I have been using quite a lot and my skin looked ok...a bit shiny but relatively healthy...

then yesterday, doom struck, I noticed that I had this mild graze on my face and that my skin was super sensetive and sore ( there is only a mild redness, I have to state, when compared with BP use)

 

I have a couple of grazes now and my face hasn't even been scratched. Its like the top layer of skin is coming off an my face is one giant chemical burn (as I said, it's red but not that red and has a sort of shiny burn appearance).

 

What have I done? What should I do? Will this scar?

 

Please help, I'm going slightly insane.

 

Thanks

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(@cvd)

Posted : 03/19/2012 5:45 pm

Can you talk with whoever prescribed the retin-a? Sounds like you have done a chemical peel on yourself. Stop using the retin-a until your skin heals. Wash with a very gentle cleanser (not an acne cleanser), rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry. Put on a very gentle lotion like DML or Cetaphil. Do not use any acne medication or toners until your skin heals. Your doctor may want you to put on a special lotion depending on the severity of the chemical burn.

 

I did the same thing to myself years ago. I ignored the directions on how to use and thought more would be better. My skin was a mess! Red, welty, oozy and it peeled like crazy for a couple of weeks. My skin was raw. It was terrible but I survived. Swore I'd never do retin-a again. Got talked into doing it again a few years ago but this time I have followed the directions perfectly and it works great. I haven't had any problems except for some dry skin here and there.

 

I use less than a pea size amount (I use tretinoin cream - a type of retin-a) and put dot on each cheek, chin, nose and forehead and then blend in gently. I am always careful to wait a full 30 minutes after cleansing before applying the tretinoin cream. And I only use it once a day at night. The reason it is usually prescribed for just nighttime is because it makes your skin very sun sensitive. Plus once a day is eneough.

 

Retin-a is great stuff but it is powerful. Following the directions is a must. Hope your skin heals very soon!

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(@roxanol)

Posted : 03/19/2012 6:15 pm

2 times a day Retin-A (I assume you meant 0.05%) is pretty taxing on your skin; even if you don't see the effects immediately, such frequent application of a relatively potent medication can easily produce unwanted side effects.

 

Like cvd said, discontinue use of Retin-A for the next week or two (at least), rinse gently with a mild cleanser, moisturize liberally and regularly with a generous cream (Cetaphil, CeraVe, and Olay all have good ones for a modest price), and, if possible, apply an aloe vera gel. Depending on how convenient it is (and how severe the irritation on your face is), see if you can schedule an appointment with your doctor. He/she may put you on antibiotics to prevent infection of the affected area (assuming you do, as a matter of fact, have a chemical burn).

 

Though your treatment (of acne, that is) will no doubt suffer from the lack of medication over a few weeks, the potential for permanent damage here outweighs the temporary (and treatable) relapse of acne lesions.

 

I hope that everything works out!

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(@frackgirl33)

Posted : 03/19/2012 6:44 pm

I had a funky reaction to too much Retin-A because I kept slathering it on my chin because of a bad breakout. It was red like yours, but also bumpy and REALLY REALLY dry so I think mine was more of a rash... I continued use of Retin-A on the rest of my face but was very careful to avoid the irritated area until it healed. I rotated using aloe vera gel, hydrocortisone cream, triple antibiotic ointment, and cetaphil moisturizing cream (or vaseline). Yeah, I used a lot of different things lol, but I didn't know what would work best! It went away within 2 or 3 weeks. And you can't tell that it was ever there rolleyes.gif But to be on the safe side, I'd just contact your doc, because your reaction sounds a little different than mine. Good luck!

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(@duendeni)

Posted : 03/19/2012 8:27 pm

Thanks so much for all the responses and apologies for all the spelling mistakes and bad grammar...when I wrote the initial post I felt as if my face was melting off like the wicked witch of the west (did her face melt off?) and additionally that I was having some kind of aneurysm (dramatic, I know.) I did indeed mean 0.05% Retin A. I never experienced much in the way of dry skin apart from the initial period of starting Retin A...my skin largely felt soft and smooth...so I guess I got carried away. Foolish me, foolish! The annoying thing is I don't even have that much in the way of active acne right now.

I have taken some pictures of my skin on my phone so maybe someone would be kind enough to assess the damage? Am I overreacting or is my skin burnt badly? Bearing in mind it is a little difficult to see the weird skin texture because these are iphone pictures at low resolution. Also, as I mentioned, my skin has a couple of really shallow "grazes" but I get the feeling that if I were to rub my skin more of it would come off.....

Arg.

I have an appointment with my doctor on Thursday...should I wait until them and just put nothing on my face bar moisturiser ect in the mean time (I only use cetpahil moistuiser and cleanser in any case)?

Thanks again for your so helpful and comforting replies!

[Edited out image]

There is also this one. [Edited out image]

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(@cvd)

Posted : 03/20/2012 12:04 pm

Yeah - your skin is just raw right now but it'll heal. Treat it gently. However you should see your doc just to make sure you're doing everything right so your skin heals quickly and without scarring. As I shared above, you basically did a chemical peel on yourself blush.png

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(@bebold)

Posted : 01/12/2015 6:31 pm

This just happened to me too!! I've been using 0.1% of tretinoin (generic Retin-A). My forehead is itchy with oily flaky dehydrated patches. My face feels like sandpaper! If it's not one thing, it's another! :-( I've been using cetaphil and neosporin on my forehead. My skin can't tolerate anything else right now.

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(@kimber607)

Posted : 01/12/2015 6:45 pm

I would stop retin-a all together until irritation goes away

I would, going forward, use retin-a .05% nightly only

Never heard of using retin-a 2x a day

I would use an aha or glycolic am and rtein-a pm

good luck

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(@luckykitkat)

Posted : 01/13/2015 9:01 am

Don't use it twice a day. Use it nightly instead. Stop retin a and give your face a break. Just moisturize constantly. Find a moisturizer that's rich in texture to keep it constantly moisturized and also one that won't burn you. Once your face is back to normal use retain a again.

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(@legomom)

Posted : 01/13/2015 6:51 pm

I've never heard of using it twice daily either. Was it really prescribed to you that way?

The usual instructions are to apply a pea size amount to face nightly to clean skin. But to wait 30 minutes after washing your face to let it dry completely.

Otherwise, it will pull the medicine too deeply.

If you get irritation, you're supposed to wait until it heals, then start again using every other day.

Even if they want you to use more, they give you a higher strength, not double the times you apply.

Hmmmm.

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(@kanish)

Posted : 02/11/2015 11:42 pm

Hey #duendini , my skin condition now is same u faced , and really scared of since i had seminar to deem in couple of days .. And not really with this witch like face .. How d u cured ur skin ... Please help me its really urgent

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(@kitu)

Posted : 04/18/2015 1:44 am

Hi

I used a cream Melamet with hydrocortico+ Mesometesone furate + tretoin

I used it for 1 v small scar on forehead. Used it overnight only once. Next morning, got a patch shining ! Stopped cream but while Facee washing, this got spread. Now I have as good as a map of India on my forehead!!! It resembles Google img of skin thinning. I.e. atrophy. Next day it was reddish. I did ice pack application. 3 Times/day. Day after, I woke up with a patch feeling like a peel-off-face pack!! Like a sticker stamped on my forehead! Bro touched & said, hey it will peel off!! It's just hard as dry peel off face pack! :(

 

Visited dr. Skin(MD) he said, it's like a glycolic peeling! Skin is burnt CZ of tretoin & allergy of hydrocortisone. He said, let the nature heal. Outer layer will peel off, hv to see how much inner layers are affected. It's not much serious clinically as it's not having pus means free from any infection.

 

But spread of medicine did horrible things !!! So, I made a timely consultation with MD. Sharing this case & photos to help everyone using these ingredients. It can really make hawock & min 2-3 weeks needed for Rx.

 

Please do share

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(@jenjen77)

Posted : 09/14/2016 3:32 pm

I used Retinol .5 every night for 2 weeks. During that time, my skin got red, turned super dry & shiny, then finally peeled off BUT I kept breaking out in cysts.
I'm 4 days off of it right now. I think I need at least another week to heal

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(@changchang)

Posted : 09/17/2016 3:09 pm

On 9/15/2016 at 3:32 AM, Jenjen77 said:

I used Retinol .5 every night for 2 weeks. During that time, my skin got red, turned super dry & shiny, then finally peeled off BUT I kept breaking out in cysts.
I'm 4 days off of it right now. I think I need at least another week to heal

what kind of retinol, and what brand please

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(@manicn)

Posted : 01/16/2019 1:04 am

I have used Retin a (tretinoin cream) .025% for 3 days and have chemical burns under my eyes. I used a pea sized amount, directly focusing in on my cheeks and chin (where I get acne) what was put under my eyes could be considered residue it was so little. My dermatologist told me to just stop using it, but she hasn't seen what my skin actually looks like with the burns. Exactly as my Dr told me to. It burns so bad when I wash my face or use lotion of any kind, it feels like a raw sunburn. No I haven't seen any sun and I wear high SPF in my makeup. Any advice? Or does anyone know if they will scar? 

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