Retin A creating open pores and bad texture
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Sat Sep 17, 2016 10:04 am

What they said above about waiting at least twenty minutes after a shower is also crucial. Applying to wet skin intensifies the irritation from the vitamin.

Sun Sep 18, 2016 9:20 am

Oh my god, I just started using my retinoid and I am so nervous now. Someone, HELP!!! I've only used it a total of 6 times, and I already have the orange peel texture, I'm so beyond scared that I've done lasting damage to my skin. Is this just the purging stage?? Am I not moisturizing enough?? It has been so good for my closed comedones,but it's opening my pores and I've never had pores on my forehead, and now they are giant!! If anyone has had any experience with this please PLEASE help me, I'm freaking out and my dermatologist is telling me it's all in my head and it will go away, but these horror stories have me freaking out!

free skin care · Sun Sep 18, 2016 12:30 pm

Listen to your Derm. If anything hurts or is bright red or unpleasant, let them know. Relax, you are probably going to love RA. Breathe and don't panic. Give it six months to do its thing. If you want to do something for the beginning stages, take some pics so you have something to compare it to every six months. Most people can tolerate RA, you just have to do it slowly and not increase too fast. Cool

free skin care · Mon Sep 19, 2016 3:49 am

Don't freak out. That will not help you at all. Check in with your derm. Orange peel texture is one of any combo of side effects and not everyone gets it. You have not created lasting damage, the skin renews itself regularly.

Sarahpops wrote:

Oh my god, I just started using my retinoid and I am so nervous now. Someone, HELP!!! I've only used it a total of 6 times, and I already have the orange peel texture, I'm so beyond scared that I've done lasting damage to my skin. Is this just the purging stage?? Am I not moisturizing enough?? It has been so good for my closed comedones,but it's opening my pores and I've never had pores on my forehead, and now they are giant!! If anyone has had any experience with this please PLEASE help me, I'm freaking out and my dermatologist is telling me it's all in my head and it will go away, but these horror stories have me freaking out!

Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:57 am

Alexya wrote:

Listen to your Derm. If anything hurts or is bright red or unpleasant, let them know. Relax, you are probably going to love RA. Breathe and don't panic. Give it six months to do its thing. If you want to do something for the beginning stages, take some pics so you have something to compare it to every six months. Most people can tolerate RA, you just have to do it slowly and not increase too fast. Cool

Okay, you're right. It's just that all of these people have been complaining about this same effect that is happening to me right now, and I'm so worried that it could be permanent :/ my skin is handling the retinoid fine, I have been listening to my dermatologist, but I really am horrified at these people's stories. Why does this happen with a retinoid?

Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:59 am

TheresaMary wrote:

Don't freak out. That will not help you at all. Check in with your derm. Orange peel texture is one of any combo of side effects and not everyone gets it. You have not created lasting damage, the skin renews itself regularly.

Sarahpops wrote:

Oh my god, I just started using my retinoid and I am so nervous now. Someone, HELP!!! I've only used it a total of 6 times, and I already have the orange peel texture, I'm so beyond scared that I've done lasting damage to my skin. Is this just the purging stage?? Am I not moisturizing enough?? It has been so good for my closed comedones,but it's opening my pores and I've never had pores on my forehead, and now they are giant!! If anyone has had any experience with this please PLEASE help me, I'm freaking out and my dermatologist is telling me it's all in my head and it will go away, but these horror stories have me freaking out!

How is it a side effect though?? My dermatologist did not tell me that this could happen, only that I may get dry and flaky, which I didn't. I just don't understand.

free skin care · Mon Sep 19, 2016 7:49 am

With using retinoids there are any number of side effects that you can get - and they don't all happen at once. I haven't got a scientific explanation of why or how this happens. For the majority of people they get dry and flaky but some people react differently to it.

Sarahpops wrote:

How is it a side effect though?? My dermatologist did not tell me that this could happen, only that I may get dry and flaky, which I didn't. I just don't understand.

Thu Sep 22, 2016 4:15 pm

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd reach out on this forum as I, too, have experienced some horrific side effects of tretinoin use.

Here's my story:
Last December I started dealing with moderate to severe cystic acne. After putting every potion on my face that I could, I finally went to a dermatologist in March and was prescribed an oral antibiotic (doxycycline), Aczone and Biacna (Ziana in the States). Biacna has clindamycin and tretinoin in it. My entire life, even during the acne, I have had dry skin - sometimes extremely dry skin. However, almost immediately after starting the acne regime prescribed by my doctor my face got EXTREMELY oily. I started with using the Biacna 3 times a week and wasn't noticing any peeling/redness/irritation, so I quickly went to every night (my first mistake, I think). My second mistake was, even though I thought I was putting on a pea-size amount, looking back maybe it was more than that? I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I used too much, too quickly.

Fast forward almost three months and I began to notice GIANT pores covering my cheeks, nose and forehead. I had been lucky most of my life, smooth, very small pores. I always had a few noticeable ones on my nose, but that was about it. Throw on top of that the crazy oily skin and I looked quite horrific. My face had a shiny/orange peel texture to it. Even after I had washed and dried my skin, it was still shiny. Also, my CeraVe moisturizer refused to sink in - it would just sit on top of my skin. I had a slight burning sensation after putting on the moisturizer, too. My face looked sunken and dull, haggard and waaaaay older than my 26 years. It was pretty damn depressing.

I phoned my derm and we agreed to stop the Biacna (after much pushing from me). He wanted to try an even stronger retinoid because he thought I had become immune to the first. It's been about two and a half months since I stopped using the tretinoin and that shiny/waxy look has gone away (yay!), however, I'm still dealing with massive pores/uneven texture and OIL, lots of oil.

I'm still using the Aczone/oral antibiotic to keep my acne in check, and keeping my regimen super simple: CeraVe face wash for oily skin in the a.m. followed by Neutrogena SPF 60 sunscreen (this is only sunscreen my face seems to tolerate - I'd love to use a mineral sunscreen vs. chemical but my face quickly turns into an oil patch). In the evening I wash with CeraVe again, put a little Aczone on my face, a thin amount of CeraVe PM for oily skin and pop an antibiotic.

This has caused me a lot of stress - like crazy amounts of stress, which I know doesn't help the situation. I've decided to not mess with anything topically, but have added some supplements/herbs to my regimen. I'm currently taking NeoCell Super Collagen + C and Nature's Way Hydroplenish HA after seeing some positive results from a few posters on this forum. I've also consulted with a herbal medicine practitioner who has made up a tincture for me with lots of helpful skin herbs.

Sometimes I think my skin is actually crazy dehydrated and that's why it's so oily...it's overcompensating because I've been assaulting it with various products for 9 months now. So I'm keeping it simple. I have days where I think its getting a little better and days where I'm back to square one. It's tough. My face doesn't look like my face anymore. But I'm trying to stay positive. It looks like with time other's have healed, and I have noticed some improvements - no more shiny/waxiness, my face looks a little less haggard. If only these damn pores would go away - I could deal with the oil. The pores are my biggest issue right now.

Have any of the previous posters experienced continual healing? Any positive messages really lift my spirits!

Thanks for reading this loooooong post. I'll keep everyone updated with my progress, but I think the only thing that's gonna solve this is time. Lots of time.

Fri Oct 21, 2016 10:20 pm

Hello, I'm going through the same exact thing.
I posted on acne.org and IPL and laser damage support forum. Under the same name I have here.
I'm too exhausted to repost my story all over again..makes me sick. I must've been through every forum, post, website, etc searching about this phenomenon. I want to rip my face off.

I actually posted a bunch on skin care talk forum asking previous posters if they ever got relief as well and got banned for some reason..after just a few days.."spamming"...wth..now I'll never know if any of those people answered me. Hours of searching and asking for nothing.
I am also desperate for someone to give me some genuine hope based on their own happy ending to this nightmare.

I see electricboom posted here..I've tried to contact her on other sites as many have told me that she recovered in full..it took a long time tho..I think over a year. I still have to hear it from the horse's mouth tho..hope to see actual pics of someone who has healed too!!!
0_0
maybe even almost 2 years it took EB actually..I can't recall..lots of info going around...crazy..I have emailed her along with messaging others I have found from the websites (not skin care talk) so I will come back here if I have any news.

This is making me want to do something I shouldn't.

Sat Dec 17, 2016 11:06 am

Anyone still around to update?

I'm still VERY bad off.

Tue Jan 10, 2017 7:00 pm

BrokenPorEcelain wrote:

Anyone still around to update?

I'm still VERY bad off.

I too used this crap and it damaged my skin very badly it happened last year in september 2016. it caused open pores all over my face with connecting lines. i did the manuka honey and emu oil and didnt see any results. it made it a lil better but then it would result back to the old ugly look in a couple of hours Sad so i decided to switch it up after doing some research on a damaged skin barrier.I literally healed my skin in three days! what i did was put the manuka honey on my face for an hour in the morning and for an hour at night after washing it off with a warm washcloth i would take a fresh avocado and smoosh it up then i would add a tiny drop of olive oil to the avocado and i would put it on my face for 30 mins. as soon as you put this on your face you will literally begin to feel your face tightening.after rinsing it off you can barely see the fine lines and open pores. I was so happy i had finally found something that worked. my skin is improving and getting better each day. its been a week now since doing this and i look so much younger. i also added something else. research castor oil! i ordered 100% real organic castor oil and i put it on my face at night before i go to bed and wow i look amazing. castor oil is known for removing wrinkles and scares.hopes this is helpful for you

Tue Jan 10, 2017 7:06 pm

BrokenPorEcelain wrote:

Anyone still around to update?

I'm still VERY bad off.

i fixed it and i have proof and pics Smile

this can be fixed and im shouting it to the world being that i suffered for close to 18 months. i searched and searched and didnt find any real answers so i know how you feel

Tue Feb 07, 2017 7:43 pm

Aiko, I'm very glad to hear that you have healed your skin!

Could you pm me and I can give you my email address for pictures??

Fri Feb 10, 2017 8:28 pm

Someone contacted me about my original post to see if my skin remained healed, and wow, it was a bummer to recall living with the retin-a trauma. After the damage not budging for so long, I truly thought I had made an irreversible mistake.

But the short answer is: yes. My routine did permanently heal my skin! I also wanted to update folks on a couple of things I learned along the way:

Nuetrogena ultra shield is better than the other sunblock for mixing with the psoria gold and shark sauce. You will have to experiment w/ mixing, I can't recall, but I think if you mix all three you will get a weird film, but if you mix shark sauce and the sunblock and then layer on the psoria, or something like that, all 3 will absorb better. If you are pale, psoria gold will make you look a little orangey, but don't use "white curcumin" compounds instead, they are not as good.

I really do think sunlight helped. The days where I used my mixture and let sunlight be on my face, my skin looked amazing by the end of day. I have no idea why sunlight seemed to help so much. I know basking your face in the sun is blasphemy for all the retin-a users, but remember I had sunblock on. Also, niacinamide in Shark Sauce and tumeric compounds in Psoria gold (which I credit for a lot of heavy lifting in healing my skin) don't make you sun sensitive AFAIK. Both will lighten your skin though (so if you have a beauty mole or something that you like don't put niaciminide on it, it will fade it).

Do some research on niacinamide vs retin-a. Retin-a users sacrifice their stratum corneum for great skin. Niacinamide keeps your skin barrier healthy and it gets as rid of nearly as many wrinkles as retin-a does. Now, some like the "baby" skin look that you get when you have a weak stratum corneum. The "shark sauce" stuff I use also gives you a great dewy skin look, which to me is just as nice. Niaciminide, like retin-a, is an active compound, which means it communicates with your cells and tells them to behave differently. To compare retin-a with niacinimide for wrinkle reduction, read the research; it's really cool.

Finally, be careful re the oils that people say will heal your skin from retin-a damage. It depends on the compounds within the type of oil involved -- linoleic versus oleic acid. One type of these compounds will actually weaken the stratum corneum, which is the same thing that retin-a does.

Also, when people claim things heal the skin, check the particle size. Stuff >500 daltons (500 dalton rule) will not penetrate your skin. This helped me avoid a lot of potential "cures" for my skin.

Last, trust yourself. I see people on this board say that you weren't moisturizing enough, didn't follow your doctor's instructions, etc -- and that's why you got retin-a damage. Maybe for some people that was their problem, but there's some of us who do everything right and retin-a (even low dose) is still hell for our skin. And there are some people who can use retin-a for 45 years like my MIL and never have a problem.

If you think you might be one of those people for whom retin-a is a nightmare, trust yourself, and maybe try an alternative approach to better skin.

Disclaimer: my cure may not be yours, but I'm sharing with folks just in case it will help Smile

free skin care · Sat Feb 11, 2017 11:49 am

I just ordered some, now I am having second thoughts. I did use retin A several years ago and I can't remember specifically but I never had good skin, always large clogged pores but my skin is better now. Much smaller clearer pores without Retin A. So this may be a sign.

Sun Feb 12, 2017 8:52 am

Glamcat wrote:

Occasionally some people report this occurence but I think it will resolve itself. Pores appearing large and open are caused by a loss of collagen -- now Retin-a actually boosts collagen but obviously not overnight so I think your skin is probably in the repairing/recovering stages and will continue to improve.

Me, I had the opposite thing going on - very enlarged pores/orange peel looking skin caused by botched laser and I've been using Retin-a and it has improved it greatly. Like before it was so bad I felt very self-conscious about going ANYWHERE - and now I have the confidence to go out again Wink

I am sorry to hear that you were experiencing redness, peeling and some discomfort from using retin-a. The dosages for retin' (tretinoin) come in 0.025%, 0.05%, and 0.1%. Because it is so concentrated it's important not to overuse or start on high doses. It's recommended to start with a pea sized amount for the entire face every 3-3 days, gradually increasing to every 2 days and then to daily once your skin can tolerate itm. When building up to the higher strengths again very gradually do so. Start with once every 3-4 days (still the pea sized amount) then gradually increase to every 2 to 3 days, then daily as skin tolerates.
If more than a pea sized amount is used, users can expect redness, peeling and flaking, and itchiness. To soothe this apply some hydrocortisone to the face.
The key with retin' is that less is best but consistency is key with the product.
I also had mild peeling at begging but I was deliberately overusing and also using a derma roller so that the Retinol could seep deeper into pores easier and take effect faster. Currently I am on 0.1% (the strongest available) on a daily basis and overuse the recommended amount (pea sized) for entire face. Instead I am using about a quarter size each night. I have zero imflammation or flaking peeling from gradually having built up to that.its an incredible difference.

Please ensure that you don't give up. Use healing Aloe and hydrocortisone to get you through until your there is no more irritation. Once you start again go slow and be consistent. It really works on getting rid of acne, acne scars, fine lines, deeper lines including ice pick scars (when filling in with the retin-a daily, neck skin sag, lines around the mouth and so many other conditions such as exzema, age spots, hyperpigmentation, scar removal etc. I had very deep ice pick scars and went for full ablasion laser treatmentm it was soo horrific and painful but did devrease their depth by half. The other half that i continue to work on is almost fully closed and smoothened, but it takes consistency and in the process i have stopped the generic Retin-a I've been using tretinoin 1%. It is used of my lines and wrinkles on my face and continue to put in on ice pick scars. So it does work, just use less rather than more and use consistently.i wish you a smooth treatment ahead after you recover from what you had experienced.best regards kate

Tue Mar 14, 2017 1:52 am

aiko13 wrote:

BrokenPorEcelain wrote:

Anyone still around to update?

I'm still VERY bad off.

i fixed it and i have proof and pics Smile

this can be fixed and im shouting it to the world being that i suffered for close to 18 months. i searched and searched and didnt find any real answers so i know how you feel

Hi Aiko13, I read your post and thought I've got nothing to lose by trying this too. So you did this for 3 days and your skin improved is that right? How is your skin now? Do you continue to use the manuka and avocado? Thanks for sharing

Mon Mar 27, 2017 3:24 pm

i did tons of research on this crazy skin condition but unfortunately all the research i did was horrifying because no one seemed to be able to fix the problem. reading other people's forums let me know that these dermatologist could not be trusted. most people ended up worse off with more damage. allot of people think this texture is due to inflamed skin, personally i think it's dehydrated, damaged skin that has now become loose due to the damage.I know that mine came from retin a damage and going out into the sun like a dummy. i didn't follow the directions & didn't even bother to read the package. I had broken caps all over my face and large pores all over, with lines that connected to the holes that looked like enlarged pores. My face felt like it was on fire and my cheeks looked red all the time. kind of like a bad case of rosacea with squiggly lines all over the place.I read that some people had fixed theirs with emu oil and manuka honey.i tried that for months and it didn't work,it did however make a slight difference.i tried rosehip oil and it didn't work, i tried DML lotion and it didn't work.so i did some research on broken caps, sun damaged skin, foods to eat to heal aging wrinkled skin and how to tighten skin, derma rolling etc. after 2 years of trying different things this is what worked for me. what ever you do, do not! i repeat do not use a derma rollers,over the counter skin products, do not use any cosmetic products on ya face what so ever! all you need to cure this is the right diet and natural oils and veggies that's it. it is super cheap. buying products that have all these ingredients in with these big words that most don't even know what the heck they are.i was starting to see progress and then i used a dermaroller and my skin got even worse it took me 6 months to recover from the damage. I found that manuka honey dried my skin out even more! okay so here is how i fixed it,,,, step 1. cut caffeine, sugar & alcohol out of ya diet asap!you have recently had major damage done to ya skin so you need all the moisture, vitamins and minerals you can to help restore and repair the damage from the inside out. when i say drink water i mean drink allot of it! i would drink a gallon a day with sliced cucumber and lemon in it. your body needs water to heal itself, we are 70% water. as soon as i wake up before i eat i would have a glass of warm lemon water then i would use some of the leftover lemon juice to wash my face. lemon is a natural cleanser and it helps heal wrinkles. let it sit on ya skin no longer then 30 sec then rinse off with cold water. do not use wash clothes just use ya hand and be gentle, always pat dry skin and don't pull or rub on your skin. after that i would use a slice of cucumber to tighten the loose skin, take a slice and rub it all over ya face this will help cool ya face and tighten the loose skin. u will feel the skin tightening and the pores closing. dont be alarmed if u look in the mirror and ya skin is so tight that it has lines this will go away after a couple times of doing this. it's just from your skin tightening and healing and since ya skin is loose its going to take some time to heal. after u do this moisturize yous skin with emu oil. i used the emu oil once every hour and i used the montana brand . i am a firm believer in speaking things into existence. so every time im doing this to my face i would say... my skin is restoring itself my skin is healing i am beautiful. visualize and believe your skin is getting better. im on day three and my skin looks amazing, my skin has a glow to it the pores and creepy lines are gone. i still have sun spots from the damage, but hey it's only been three days and i know that the sunspots will take some time to go away. i changed my diet during this time as well i cut out sugar, coffee and wine i ate lots of veggies, fruit and added flax seed to my fruit smoothies with tons of water. i ate lots of avocados and nuts like coconuts & almonds because your body needs healthy fats to help the skin heal. berries are really good for healing skin too. To get rid of the broken caps on my face... at night i would mix fresh avocado and grapeseed oil together and put it on my face. its super easy just mash up an avocado and add a tiny bit of grapeseed oil to it. leave it on for 15 min then wash it off. then i would add emu oil on my face throughout the night. mother nature provides us with everything we need to heal ourselves. dont use man made products on ya skin its full of chemicals. look up the benefits of lemon on the skin, avocado and grape seed oil. all these things are natural and gentle on the skin. i have before and after pics but this site dont have any way for me to upload them so if you want to see what i look like now just inbox me and i will send you the pics to ya email. hope this was helpful good luck to you all. i suffered from this for two years. i didn't give up i refused to believe i would have to live like this for the rest of my life. I kept searching and educating myself on skin and the health benefits of certain fruits and veggies.I have always been a firm believer of doing things the natural route. i will never ever again in life put anything made in a lab that is unnatural on my face, that's what got me in this predicament in the 1st place. you cant trust what's in these products. they dont care about you they only care about making money.

Tue Apr 25, 2017 6:55 pm

Did anyone find that this changed not only the way the very surface of their skin looks but also their whole face in general?

Also, @aiko, how are you doing? Still well?

I'm about 8 months post stopping my retinoid...no ounce of improvement..I don't even look a bit like myself. Also have severe phayical dicomfort of my face as well as the mental discomfort of looking this way.
Not sure how much longer I can make it.
This whole ordeal is so ****ing ridiculous.
Literally just want to laugh at how a cream can do this to a person sometimes!
God damn.

Tue Aug 29, 2017 11:24 pm

I've been watching this thread for a few months as I've unfortunately been dealing with the same damage, in my case from Body Merry Retinol that I bought off Amazon as well as further damage from a comedone extractor and deep pore strips. My skin was pretty much perfect before using that crap, now it's a nightmare. That being said, I do think it's slowly improving. I've tried pretty much everything suggested in this thread and I wanted to share what I've learned so far for anyone else looking for help.

1. DO NOT DERMASTAMP.

I saw a user in this thread rave about the derma stamp healing them so I gave it a go hoping it would close up my pores and heal the new scars I got from the cystic acne retinol caused. It was actually working pretty well on one pretty deep scar but I noticed it began causing weird texture in the areas I was stamping, similar to a burn scar. Fortunately I caught it soon enough to where it's not really noticeable, but in the area I stamped the most it's visibly raised a bit. And yes, I did wait weeks between stamping. I only did it maybe 3 times total. Hopefully the damage it caused is not permanent and will go back to normal in time.

2. Shark Sauce/Psoria Gold.

This regimen healed someone else so I gave it a go. I bought the regular psoria gold at first but found it made my face really red and smelled strongly of alcohol, so I swapped it out for the Sensitive Plus, which I feel is much better. That being said, I've been using it morning and night for about 3 months and haven't noticed any difference good or bad. Same goes for the shark sauce, which I used an entire bottle of. If they were doing any healing it was so slow as to be imperceptible. I didn't expect a miracle and know healing takes time, but I literally looked identical to when I started, if not worse. I've given it a break for the time being.

3. Skin Naturals Hyaluronic Acid + Collagen + DMAE + Cerave PM.

This is the regimen that healed SkinDeep from the first two pages of the thread. I actually only started this regimen fairly recently so the jury is still out, but I think it may actually be working. I've gone through one bottle of the collagen supplements and one bottle of hyaluronic acid. I then swapped out the collagen for the DMAE supplement and bought another bottle of the acid. A week or two after working on those, which is a couple days ago, I bought Cerave PM at the local CVS and started using that. As with all supplements it's going to take a few months/bottles to see if it's actually doing anything, but already it seems like some of the indented pores on my nose have become a little less deep. As for the lotion, it definitely feels great on my skin and I haven't noticed any negative effects yet, but obviously I won't know if it's doing any healing for a while.

Those are the major "cures" that have been posted in this thread. If I see any progress from the cerave and supplements or discover anything else of note I'll definitely be back. Either way, hang in there guys! We'll all heal in time. Smile

Tue Sep 05, 2017 12:20 am

1 year has past and I'm as bad off as ever

Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:59 am

wondering what you dd to heal your skin i cnt find your original post thanks .

Fri Feb 23, 2018 10:53 am

Hey,

I am doing an update. I had deflated dehydrated skin after I guess using retin-a too much. I woke up the other day and everything looks normal again. My face looks lifted and plump instead of saggy, and it feels normal. So happy. Very Happy

The night before I ate raw almonds and dark chocolate. Also took glucomannon. And omega 3 (fish oil & flax oil complex) and vitamin E along with other ones I was already taking such as vitamin c, coq10, multivitamin, sometimes msm, collagen, etc.

Skin wise I was using Cerave cream mixed with Cerave healing ointment and water to wash or Simple cleansing oil if needed. If you want good advice on how to fix dehydrated skin then go to FACEONOMICS blog. She has a great post on how to fix dehydrated skin. That's where I learned the Cerave mixed with ointment trick.
Smile

But the night before I hadn't washed my face. So sometimes leaving the skin completely alone can help too.

Also RELAX as much as possible. I've been relaxing way more and limiting screen time (computer, cellphone, TV) and instead taking more naps and winding down before bed with a good relaxing book. And spend time with God. God is good. God healed my skin & I'm so happy. Very Happy

Good luck guys. You are beautiful even if you feel ugly right now. Avoid standing very close to the mirror and examining your skin and pores close up.

Sat Sep 22, 2018 12:58 am

Man, this thread was so spooky I had to make my own account for it.

I think the same thing happened to me. Like, my skin used to be smooth and not waxy/shiny/paper-like before, but last year or so, I used retinol. A very, very innocent retinol--The Ordinary's 2%. I recall one day my skin had the most gigantic freakout, and that I must have been exposing my skin to the sun as well (I was wearing sunscreen but my make-up was always flaking). Just, a total mess. Never saw it get so bad. God, I was clueless.

I think my skin is smoother now with little pore issues for reference...however, the scarring lasts forever, and...yeah. I can tell, there's been damage to the stores of fat in my face compared to before I started the tret. I lost weight before starting tret so I actually blamed that, but then I found some pictures and realized, nope, it was around the tret time.

I pretty much can't look in one of those starkly lit mirrors because it looks like my skin has been chewed up--it's somehow very thin, yet still manages to resemble a zoomed-in orange peel minus the pores. It's not that rough micro-wise, but for whatever reason it comes off as...rough? Waxy is again a perfect way of describing it too. My nasolabial and eye area is just horribly sunken. I'm only 24. Again something I noticed in the pictures I took right before starting tret. Damn, is it crazy.

Briefly though I do feel like it improved, but basically...let's just say that guys have passionately thought me beautiful in a group of girls, ignoring them all but me before when the lighting was a bit dim (able to see my features). Then...the same group of guys thought I was ugly in normal lighting, while the other girls, attractive. Time and time again this has panned out; it's just my skin and contours look sooo baad, that my alright features are nearly just cancelled out by how my skin looks.

It's sad, but a part of me is confident that maybe someday the issue will resolve itself.
Gonna focus on urea and niacinamide, I suppose. And it's a shame that the person who said either oleic or linoleic acid damages the corneum-thing never actually specified what oils would help and which ones would hurt. Tbqh, some oils like squalane or avocado have burned my skin. F***. Even rose water! Wow!

I also hear a lot about people with the shiny/tight/dry issue. Makes me wonder how much of them were affected by retinol.

Anyways IDK why I had to post here. I guess I was just so flabberghasted to find other people that went through what I did.

Sun Sep 23, 2018 4:38 pm

Any old posters care have any updates?

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