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Repairing Retinoid Damage???

MemberMember
40
(@brokenporecelain)

Posted : 01/12/2017 1:56 pm

Has anyone here been damaged by retinoids and gotten their skin back to normal?

I am desperate for hope.

I don't mean normal irritation.

I'm talking orange peel skin, enlarged/suddenly visible pores,plasticky coating look, discoloration, thinning of skin, crepeiness, wrinkles, random indentations and lines, weak/fragile/lax skin etc etc

Im so done with what's happened with my own situation with a retinoid, it's going to be 5 months since I used it come the end of January and I can't take it anymore. My skin should be healed by now. I only used the stuff twice!! I'm going crazy here. I've spoken to countless others dealing with the same thing...it's just so ridiculous...this seems like something dermatologists should be aware of and able to assist with. I would thinkit would be easily resolved since it happened just as easily.

Im sick of sobbing and I'm tired. The retinoid is the only harsh or questionable thing I've ever done to my skin...there's no prior damage or reason it shouldn't be bouncing back and I still don't understand the orange peel look...I get such vastly different opinions on what and why it occurs even on previously "poreless" or near perfect looking skin...but I don't know what the truth is. And without knowing for sure, I can't choose the right solution. I can't risk experimentation.

Just please, if anyone has solid answers or experience with this, please please help if you can.

thank you

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MemberMember
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(@moomoocow)

Posted : 01/12/2017 3:42 pm

I'm talking orange peel skin, enlarged/suddenly visible pores,plasticky coating look, discoloration, thinning of skin, crepeiness, wrinkles, random indentations and lines, weak/fragile/lax skin etc etc

Most of them will heal up with time typically 6 months to 2 years according to burn surgeons. You might have to go on oral antibiotic and steroid cream ( very very short term). And no exfoliation. If there any flaking or heavy damaged skin buildup going on try Vanicream Zbar once the redness goes down. From my experience, my orange peel/ enlarged pores healed up about 90% after 1 year, could've been sooner if I had knew this beforehand.

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MemberMember
40
(@brokenporecelain)

Posted : 01/12/2017 4:28 pm

35 minutes ago, moomoocow said:
I'm talking orange peel skin, enlarged/suddenly visible pores,plasticky coating look, discoloration, thinning of skin, crepeiness, wrinkles, random indentations and lines, weak/fragile/lax skin etc etc

Most of them will heal up with time typically 6 months to 2 years according to burn surgeons. You might have to go on oral antibiotic and steroid cream ( very very short term). And no exfoliation. If there any flaking or heavy damaged skin buildup going on try Vanicream Zbar once the redness goes down. From my experience, my orange peel/ enlarged pores healed up about 90% after 1 year, could've been sooner if I had knew this beforehand.

That's interesting, because I actually went to a burn center and they told me there was nothing they could do for me.

yes I used the steroid cream for 7 days 3 weeks after this happened initially. Low percentage. All it did was break me out.

Then I got doxycycline, now I'm on cephalexin (Keflex). My issues is that I would think it would have showed SOME signs of improvement by now..4.5 months later of basically leaving it alone.

I will check out the zbar.

one derm gave me a moisturizer called hylatopic plus for healingbut I don't know whether it's good to clog my face with moisturizer right now...Its difficult to get off becaue my face is "sticky" and waxy and just weak even though it looks rough....I never know what the right thing to do is because my skin isn't responding to tell me one way or the other...it's not acting or looking like SKIN at all.

Thank you for replying,....any other advice??
What do you think about using honey?

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MemberMember
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(@moomoocow)

Posted : 01/13/2017 2:01 pm

i tried raw honey for few months but it left me somewhat irritated and red after washing it off.
As for moisturizers, you need to realize that during the healing process there will be a thick buildup of burnt/damaged skin cells. I would carefully apply them thinly or nothing at all. You don't want to risk getting bazillion clogged pores like myself.

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MemberMember
40
(@brokenporecelain)

Posted : 01/23/2017 6:45 pm

On 1/13/2017 at 2:01 PM, moomoocow said:

i tried raw honey for few months but it left me somewhat irritated and red after washing it off.
As for moisturizers, you need to realize that during the healing process there will be a thick buildup of burnt/damaged skin cells. I would carefully apply them thinly or nothing at all. You don't want to risk getting bazillion clogged pores like myself.

Yea I'm going to probably nix the honey . Thank you..I'm wondering if you had what seems like thin and fragile skin..almost plasticky/gel like also??  sometimes if I pull up the skin, (it moves across my face with the lightest touch D:)  it looks more normal and when I let it go, it crepes and ripples back up and makes the pores and everything look 10x worse. Makes my temples look like they have comb lines (included pic). It's so fragile like the thinnest plastic wrap ever or something. 
I wonder if this now thinned skin is actually why it looks reddish/mottled and why the pores are so noticeable ....like its so thin that it's falling into the pores and I can see the irritation through it, (yet it's not peeling) and also perhaps thats why my eyelids/forehead/nose and inner cheeks feel numb and "foreign" sometimes, like I can feel the skin sag...it's just bizarre, I've never seen my skin like this, it affects the whole way my face looks.

I want to exercise too to get some blood flow up to my face but I don't know if that will make things worse, I've pretty much stopped moving around after this happened.

i just never know what the right thing to do is...I feel like there IS a perfect combination of things I can do to get my skin back but if I do one thing wrong im screwed forever :/

i included a pic of my skin before too of the same area 

 

[pics removed/please private message to request]

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MemberMember
0
(@alyleiii)

Posted : 01/24/2017 4:24 pm

Were you on Accutane before?

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MemberMember
40
(@brokenporecelain)

Posted : 01/24/2017 8:12 pm

3 hours ago, cloudydreamer said:

Were you on Accutane before?

Yes 4 years ago

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MemberMember
0
(@alyleiii)

Posted : 01/25/2017 2:37 pm

18 hours ago, BrokenPorEcelain said:
22 hours ago, cloudydreamer said:

Were you on Accutane before?

Yes 4 years ago

I'm sorry you're still going through this. I'm pretty sure we talked a few months ago and you were very upset. I've also still been struggling with my skin, but I've found that Minocycline is helping for now until I figured out what triggered the initial breakout...but I'm 100% sure it's hormonal and made worse by birth control unfortunately. So I feel you, it's very upsetting when the traditional treatments fail, when the doctors keep making you worse with more symptoms you didn't even have to begin with. That's been my nightmare since November.

Anyway, I've been reading a lot about Accutane and some users say that post-course, their skin is permanently more sensitive, dry, etc. I would recommend as a result not doing any more weird treatments to your face since it seems like Accutane can make your skin thinner and more prone to scarring. Maybe that is why Tazorac was way too strong for you and caused this reaction to begin with. Hyaluronic acid is good for restoring collagen and repairing scarring without irritating the skin. A gentle vitamin C serum could also help. VaniCream is a good cleanser without any irritants for rosacea and sensitive skin and doesn't contain SLES/SLS.

Also, as simplistic as this sounds...I think not obsessing over your skin will also make you heal faster. Being constantly anxious, crying and upset over your face will affect your entire being, and could even trigger breakouts or delay the healing process by causing inflammation. I'm a believer in the mind-body connection. Even eating a lot of omega 3s and collagen building foods could potentially help you. But not stressing is #1. It's really depressing, I get you, but unfortunately it will not change your situation to obsess over it. Think of it this way...worse case scenario, your skin remains the way it is right now for several months to a few years until it heals, but in the mean time you can still enjoy life, appreciate the people you love, have amazing experiences, travel the world, and be a great person. Your skin doesn't define the quality of your life, who you are or what kinds of experiences you have. People get acne, wrinkles, pock marks, and sometimes even worse scarring yet still lead fulfilling, happy lives, get married, have children, manage companies, party, and have fun. We all notice our own flaws more than other people ever do, or even care about.

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MemberMember
40
(@brokenporecelain)

Posted : 01/26/2017 12:14 am

9 hours ago, cloudydreamer said:
I'm sorry you're still going through this. I'm pretty sure we talked a few months ago and you were very upset. I've also still been struggling with my skin, but I've found that Minocycline is helping for now until I figured out what triggered the initial breakout...but I'm 100% sure it's hormonal and made worse by birth control unfortunately. So I feel you, it's very upsetting when the traditional treatments fail, when the doctors keep making you worse with more symptoms you didn't even have to begin with. That's been my nightmare since November.

Anyway, I've been reading a lot about Accutane and some users say that post-course, their skin is permanently more sensitive, dry, etc. I would recommend as a result not doing any more weird treatments to your face since it seems like Accutane can make your skin thinner and more prone to scarring. Maybe that is why Tazorac was way too strong for you and caused this reaction to begin with. Hyaluronic acid is good for restoring collagen and repairing scarring without irritating the skin. A gentle vitamin C serum could also help. VaniCream is a good cleanser without any irritants for rosacea and sensitive skin and doesn't contain SLES/SLS.

Also, as simplistic as this sounds...I think not obsessing over your skin will also make you heal faster. Being constantly anxious, crying and upset over your face will affect your entire being, and could even trigger breakouts or delay the healing process by causing inflammation. I'm a believer in the mind-body connection. Even eating a lot of omega 3s and collagen building foods could potentially help you. But not stressing is #1. It's really depressing, I get you, but unfortunately it will not change your situation to obsess over it. Think of it this way...worse case scenario, your skin remains the way it is right now for several months to a few years until it heals, but in the mean time you can still enjoy life, appreciate the people you love, have amazing experiences, travel the world, and be a great person. Your skin doesn't define the quality of your life, who you are or what kinds of experiences you have. People get acne, wrinkles, pock marks, and sometimes even worse scarring yet still lead fulfilling, happy lives, get married, have children, manage companies, party, and have fun. We all notice our own flaws more than other people ever do, or even care about.

Yes we did. Are you the one who thought it may have been an allergic reaction?? I remember your name coming up a lot trying to help me.

I wish it had been that easy.
Ahh yes, actually birth control is what caused my cystic acne that I had to go on accutane for...so I definitely believe that one. So sorry about that :////
Yea..my skin was somewhat temperamental on the last months of accutane and post but it went away. Nothing worth mentioning. And I had no major issues. My skin seemed no different than before I ever got acne in the first place..even better because my new diet.
It was really strong and healthy. It's always been on the thin side as in "thin/pale/ can kinda see your veins" type but never crepey or wrinkly whatsoever.
In the last year and a half my skin had been handling topical stuff better than ever..I've never been able to use moisturizer or anything like that much but got my skin to be able to use it without breaking out or Reacting too badly. So I really think that any effects of accutane were long gone after nearly 4 years. Since I'm always looking at my skin in a magnifying mirror along with the regular one...I think I would have noticed even the slightest issue. Ever since accutane and acne, I've been hyper vigilant...mainly because of "PTSD" from worrying about scarring.
But if it really does somehow have something to do with this...that would not be good. I've spoken to a lot of other people going through the same thing tho who have never taken accutane so im pretty positive it's just the retinoid and perhaps my genetically delicate, "fine" textured skin...I read somewhere after this occurred, that retinoids should NEVER be prescribed (or given out) to people with my skin type...NEWS TO ME. And obviously not every derm follows that "rule".
Also I just watched a YouTube video of some woman putting retin a on...wtf..she only patted it on like it was dust between her finger tips...um well I literally massaged mine in..granted I only used the tiny amount...she was only on .025 and acting THAT cautiously,..I used .05 and tazorac is the strongest retinoid there is...so damn.
I feel like using the small amount is the only right thing I did.
I kinda worry about hyaluronic acid tho ya know? Because when the air is dry, doesn't it take the moisture out of your skin instead? And I can't wear occlusives because they won't come off my skin now without scrubbing and stripping products.
(Hyaluronic seems to be in everything tho..it's in my cleanser and it's in the hylatopic plus moisturizer my old derm gave me)
Vitamin c is a no go for me..I tried something with vitamin c in it about a year or so ago..and it hurt like hell..like lemon juice on the skin...since its absorbic acid..i don't think my skin can handle any more acid if it can barely handle even water right now. A lot of others who had this happen have warned me against it also so I would be way to scared of it burning my face off.
I did have some vanicream moisturizer, maybe I will check out the cleanser. Thank you. Do you know how it compares to cerave hydrating?
I just never know what to do..sometimes I wonder if I should I just not add anymore factors into the mix but then I wonder if Doing nothing will be the nail in my coffin.
I just don't know...everything is a dangerous experiment now.
Yes i do eat an incredible diet and wild caught fish almost every day. But not worrying..not thinking about this..impossible. Gosh, I can't even exercise because I'm afraid of the heat it will bring to my face and the sweat burning me. And exercise was always my main distraction and destressor. I literally have a treadmill in my bedroom. I stopped moving pretty much altogether after this happened. I'm a mess.
Ahh I appreciate that but I definitely cannot enjoy life honestly right now. This is just not one of those things that i can handle, being the type of person I am. Id handle my whole family being murdered better than I can handle my face being messed up..especially my Best/favorite feature. Maybe I'm just not a good person for saying that tho...so I can't be a great person either lol. This is so beyond unfunny tho..im not kidding unfortunately however...I can handle a lot of things most people couldn't and can't handle this type of thing that maybe someone else could.
That's just the fiber of my being.
I will not even leave my house or see anyone like this besides my mother and doctors.
And if this is permanent, I don't want anyone to ever see me again. Dead or alive, I want them to remember me with my nice skin at least. I feel like a dying old person "don't let them see me...this will not be a happy last memory"...its ridiculous and I hate it.
....Also, as I stated before, I have another issue going on that has plagued me for years, unrelated to this skin issue, one which a lot of people on this site would never have to deal with in their entire lives...so I have lost a lot of my youth to THAT and I'm not prepared to loose even more waiting extra years for THIS to go away with no guarantee that it will. It's impossible for me to go on living normally with the very real and seemingly likelypossibility of permanence hanging over my head. I don't think I have the ability to even love anyone right now.
I can't love anyone when I disgust myself. (Not who I am but my face right now). Not relatives or anyone. all my emotions are sucked up with my own issues right now.
And the truth is, even if I was the last person on earth, I'd still be devastated by this. My skin unfortunately does define a huge part of me. Whenever something else would bother me I'd alwaysbe like "at leastI have beautiful skin".It's amazing how much good skin can change a person's appearance and how bad skin can wreck it.
It really ISlike a lion having their mane ripped off.
Just not okay..will never be okay.
And looks matter, let's be real, they matter a damn lot. Especially to the individual. They shouldn't but they do. And usually when they're lost, it is a gradual process...or even preventable to a certain point. I've done everything right and to have it all undone in a matter of days is not a slap, but a steel-booted kick to the face. Literally.
I've never wanted to get married, have children, run a company, party, etc...have fun sure...butnone of that will make me happy and Infact would make me more miserable if I had to go through with those types of things after having my skin messed up. I'm not nor will I ever be prepared to forever lose one of the only things I had going for me. Appearance wise, that was my thing.
I know you mean well by saying all that though, thank you..Sorry if I seemed a little rude..im just so broken...and I'm a goner if my skin doesn't revert back, period, that's it as far as that's concerned.
It may seem dramatic to some but I think only people with the exact same issue can fully understand. Even having cystic acne was better and morehopeful than this. Right now I have no real options but wishfor a miracle.
(Sorry for length..I'm always doing that)

I really hope your own issues resolve fully as well. This is honestly the worst, I don't wish a lick of it or anything like it on anyone.

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