Tretinoin/retin a JACKED UP my skin! Dehydrated, dry mess.
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Mon Apr 11, 2016 4:42 pm

Hey guys,

I joined this forum and this is my first post.
I am desperate. My fair, sensitive skin is a dried out, dehydrated mess. I have used tretinoin off and on the past 3 years just fine. I never even had much dryness or irritation from it (I used the lowest strength).

But now my skin is totally changed. And I haven't even used tretinoin the past few months.
My face feels dry and tight no matter what I do.
My moisturizer (cerave pm) no longer leaves me moisturized, and when I put on my zinc sunscreens (even moisturizing ones) they just dry me out further.

If I stretch my face (i.e. open mouth for flossing teeth etc.) when I rest it again, my nasolabial fold has a red mark that stays there for a couple minutes.

I've tried not washing my face, using natural oils like argan and rosehip, using vaseline, etc. but it still feels so tight.

I went to the free physicians assistant at my college, and she told me that my skin doesn't look dry. Well, it sure as heck feels dry. And tight. I'm also acne-prone too. All she did was give me a new prescription for tretinoin and told me to mix it with a night cream. She said that's what she does. But honestly her skin didn't look that great (dry and kinda wrinkly).

If anyone has any tips, believe me, I really appreciate it. I want my normal skin back. I'm only in my early 20's!

Mon Apr 11, 2016 4:49 pm

I think I do actually have kind of dry skin because every time I try liquid foundation it turns into a flaky mess. Also mineral powder foundation makes me feel dry. But my skin has blackheads/ large pores/ acne and doesn't look dry from a distance.

But now I have this dehydration and tightness issue too which makes things even worse.

Tue Apr 12, 2016 7:43 pm

It seems your skin is dehydrated rather than dry. Mind you dehydration means it lacks water, whereas dryness is the lack of oil -which you don't seem to have since you get blackheads and large pores. You have probably impaired your skin barrier through an excess of tretinoin or harsh cleansers. Look for moisturizers with ingredients such as sodium PCA, aminoacids (serine, taurine, etc.), phytosphingosine or hyaluronic acid, as all these help skin repair its surface and retain moisture more effectively.

Tue Apr 12, 2016 9:11 pm

Camouflage wrote:

It seems your skin is dehydrated rather than dry. Mind you dehydration means it lacks water, whereas dryness is the lack of oil -which you don't seem to have since you get blackheads and large pores. You have probably impaired your skin barrier through an excess of tretinoin or harsh cleansers. Look for moisturizers with ingredients such as sodium PCA, aminoacids (serine, taurine, etc.), phytosphingosine or hyaluronic acid, as all these help skin repair its surface and retain moisture more effectively.

Thanks for replying. Any product suggestions? The Cerave lotions have hyaluronic acid but no longer moisturizing enough. I also never use harsh cleansers. Just Cerave or other fragrance free stuff.

Tonight I actually just used extra virgin olive oil on my face to cleanse and moisturize & my skin feels moisturized and supple.

free skin care · Thu Apr 14, 2016 10:24 am

This sounds like an internal problem to me. Any time I start having problems like you describe, I take fish oil twice a day, put a tablespoon of olive oil on veggies once a day, and drink 3-4 liters of water per day. The problem is usually resolved within 2-3 days. Until then. Eucerin will help.

Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:18 am

Hi there,Even I face the problem of dry skin during winter.I have used each and every type of winter cream,moisturizer but all of them were not able to give a good result.I had them discovered Nyassa bath and body's lotion and oil.This product helped me in keeping my skin moisturized and hydrated.I think so this will be a remedy for your solution.Just visit the site and you will find a wide range of lotions and oil with great effect and fragrance

Fri Dec 29, 2017 4:50 pm

Make sure you are drinking at least two liters of filtered water daily. If the olive oil works for cleansing your skin then use it. Coconut oil also works well. Many OCM recipes call for castor oil. I would be careful with that one since your skin is so dry. It sounds like this problem came out of no where. In that case, I suggest you see a dermatologist. You could have an underlying skin condition rather than just dryness.

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