Okay so I'm 14 and I have pretty bad acne for my age. I just started a generic version of retin-a. I've just past the 1 week mark and I had been using it every 3 nights and now I bump it up to every 2 nights then every other night and if i dont have too much irratation im supposed to use it every night. I'm taking one a day womens multivitamin too becuase it has vitamins and minerals that are supposed to help with acne. my derm just gave me the perscription and didn't really tell me much info besides when to use it. I read online that you cants us BP with it but SA is supposed to work good with it. Should I use SA in the mornings? (I have a moisterizer that has SA in it) Also I know you are supposed to use a gentle face wash with it and the only face washes I have are ones with BP so should I use just plain olive oil like in the OCM?
You can use the SA in the mornings and the retin a in the evenings. Just don't use them at the same time. And I would suggest trying it slowly to see how you'll react.
I can't say about the oil method as I don't use it. There are a few gentle face cleansers that people seem to like on here like Cetaphil and Cerave which I see the most reccommended. I have not used either. I'm currently using Neutrogena Ultra Gentle daily cleanser. (I am not using retin a or any retinoid)
I just started using Retin-A Micro Gel two weeks ago. I have had no drying or irritation whatsoever but I feel that it's due to my skin being accustomed to BP as I've been using it heavily for the past couple of years. Also I have oily skin so that may also be why my skin hasn't been dry and irritated. So far I have had no initial breakout, just a lot of clearing. I know it's supposed to take about 3 months to notice the effects, but I'm already seeing a lot of improvement in my scarring and skin texture. I did recently get a small pimple on the side of my cheek but I extracted it and it's already starting to disappear. I think the Retin-A is causing it not to get inflamed and just start healing right away. YMMV.
I'm also using topical Clindamycin in the mornings (very liberally) and at night an hour after applying Retin-A micro (only in problem areas and a very light coating so I don't remove the Retin-A). I also still use BP at times in the morning when I have a gut feeling an area on my face will break out. I hate using BP in the morning/daytime due to the risk of ruining my clothes so I tend to only apply it on my forehead and cheeks.
If you have problems with dry skin, I suggest buying a cheap Clarisonic online (Amazon?) to use with a gentle cleanser. I've found that it helps remove a lot of the dead skin cells on my face reducing the likelihood of them clogging my pores and also making any topical medication I put on more effective.
I also use Retin-A (o.o25%) and i've been using it every night from the very beginning. I use only Bioderma as a makeup remover and clenaser and then a good moisturizer.
I've been using Bioderma long enough(two months) to say this is excellent for very sensitive skin. For my eye makeup (if I have any) I will use olive oil just like you said.
It's good to take vitamins. It would be better to eat food that contains them though. Because food has all the things in it besides vitamins that helps them work.
Most of all, try to eat a lot of proteins since rna translation can't happen without aminoacids. The best thing you could do is eat some protein with vitamin C(fish with a bit of lemon) before sleep and your skin will feel so supple and renewed in the morning. Why? Because It will be literally renewed. Your skin can't be nice if you don't give it materials it needs to renew, to repair itself.