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Fri Feb 22, 2013 5:08 pm  |
I have just purchased 0.05% Retin-A, but this is my first time using this product so I want to be very careful.
Firstly, should I only use it once or twice per week to start? or is every night normal for you all?
Do any of you use this around the 'under eye area', or is that area too delicate? I have a tiny bit of sun-pigmentation under one eye which I would like to target if possible.
Also, I take it I could apply a layer of plain moisturiser under the retin A to dilute it if necessary?
Thanks |
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Fri Feb 22, 2013 7:17 pm |
I would start with twice a week for a week or two, then maybe every second day after that, or 3x week if its still too much.The key is start slow and only a pea sized amount. Not too much product. I was at every second night for about 2-3 months before I could tolerate it nightly.
Use at night only.
Use Sunscreen during the day (your skin may be more sensitive to light)
Try not to use other harsh products or exfoliants when starting out.
Yes you can buff it a bit with a moisturiser. I would use it afterwards, but you can only try and see what feels better for you. Perhaps this will become more necessary when and if you feel your skin in need of it, or when you take the next step in frequency of use.
I use it under the eyes, but perhaps buff it with your moisturiser initially.
Eventually you may feel you no longer need moisturiser to buff it but its always better to work your way to that point.
Good luck |
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Sat Feb 23, 2013 4:29 pm |
| excellent advice by dionie.. I ll only add not to apply retin A at the corner of nose/nostrils and mouth, it really irritated my skin there and then I read on the leaflet of Retin A and it said the same thing... |
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Sun Feb 24, 2013 2:35 pm |
Perfect. Thank you to the both of you!!!  |
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Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:37 pm |
| I second the corner of the nose comment. And get some hemp oil, it's the only thing that made me presentable to go in public when I first started. |
_________________
Late 30's, fair skin, dark hair. Retin A, DIY potions. Missions completed- acne, acne scarring, 11's, redness, contact dermatitis. Working on maintenence and cellulite. |
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Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:04 pm |
I guess at the least this shows that it is potent and is having an effect.
Are any of you UK based because I would like to know where you buy your Retin A from. I bought from "in-house pharmacy", who were very quick, but the tube was a bit roughed up and the actual cream was 'off-white' or slightly yellow suggesting partial oxidation. Package say it expires Aug 2014. Produced by Johnson & Johnson in India.
If money were no object I would pay for a top brand product, but I think this is better than nothing for now. |
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Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:05 pm |
I think retin A is v slightly yellow/off white even without oxidation.... I get mine from all day chemist .com located in india.
if you exp date is 08/2014 then all should be good.. |
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Sun Mar 03, 2013 5:34 pm |
Don't be alarmed, tretinoin (the active ingredient in Retin-a) is in a yellow substance, it's normal for the product to be yellowish.
Retinol is same, and both retinol and tretinoin don't actually change color when they oxidize. At least I've never seen that happen to any of my products. |
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Fri Mar 08, 2013 2:54 pm |
Thank you both for reassuring me on the oxidation colour change.
Never ceases to amaze me of the breath of knowledge of users on this forum. |
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Sat Mar 09, 2013 12:27 am |
| I get mine prescribed from an NHS doctor. The doctor told me to begin using it every night. He said to use a pea size amount for each half of the face. Try and keep it on overnight. If it burns or is irritating try and keep it on for 10 minutes and then wash it off. Then repeat the same thing the next night until your skin builds up a tolerance and you can wear it all night. 0.05% is reasonably low though the one I have prescribed is 0.01%. I found that at this strength I was able to wear it all night from the beginning without any irritation. The big no no is when you start to get really keen with the stuff and put too much on. That gives me red raw flaky patches... |
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Sat Mar 09, 2013 6:12 am |
| I will not suggest that if you feel "burning" on your face that you will wash off after 10mins... This will be a waste of Retin-A... But I would suggest you use a pea-size amount of Retin-A and then mix with your favorite moisturizer. This will dilute the strength of Retin-A if you are just starting out.... Start slow, say, 2x a week, until your skin adapts to Retin-A. You can use it under the eye area too.... Use at night only. Sunscreen of at least 30 SPF (or more) daily to protect your skin... Hope this helps |
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Sun Mar 10, 2013 2:10 pm |
| Quote: |
| I will not suggest that if you feel "burning" on your face that you will wash off after 10mins... This will be a waste of Retin-A... But I would suggest you use a pea-size amount of Retin-A and then mix with your favorite moisturizer. This will dilute the strength of Retin-A if you are just starting out.... Start slow, say, 2x a week, until your skin adapts to Retin-A. |
Hmm I disagree Jade. Personally I think that it is better to "waste" pea sized amounts of Retin A rather than bombard the skin with more cosmetics. Indeed, as a general rule, it is better to avoid wearing moisturiser at night (whether using Retin A or not) as your skin needs time to breathe and you risk messing up it's natural moisturising capabilities. Besides whose to say that the Retin A is being wasted? 10 minutes may be enough to get some of the benefits. Just some thoughts. |
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Sun Mar 10, 2013 2:57 pm |
This is how my doctor told me to use it: start with one application at night every 4 days. When you can do that with no uncomfortable side effects, move up to every 3 days, then every 2 days, then every day, then you can increase dosage if that is advised by your doctor. He also said wait 20 minutes before applying anything over it.
I asked a pharmacist and he said most absorbtion takes place in the first 15 minutes after application.
Hope this helps. |
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Sun Mar 10, 2013 3:46 pm |
| On another forum, a doctor told a forum member to wet her face with water before putting on the Retin A. I do like doing it this way because the water adds extra slip and it's easier to move the Retin A around on my face. I just take a cosmetic pad, get it wet, squeeze out excess and whisk my face with it. Then apply the Retin A. |
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Sun Mar 10, 2013 7:49 pm |
| At one time I worked up to every night usage. I can't remember why but I backed off to 3 nights a week and saw more benefits that way. Different things work for different people. THis is a strong medication so I do not think more is necessarily better. I've seen doctors tell people some off the wall things about retin A. For instance, several people I know have been advised by a doctor to use the .1% micro gel twice daily. Of course they were hurting after a couple days of that. Now they think the stuff is the devil. |
_________________
35. Alpha Beta Peels once per month, OCM, C serum, HA serum with argiline, Retin A, |
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Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:10 am |
Moon, your situation maybe different from UKwithLove and when the doctor told you to use it "every night" probably this is to your best interest for some reason. My suggestion is not to waste usage of Retin-A and still is. I will not waste prescription Retin-A as it is not cheap to buy.... Been using 0.1% Retin-A for approx. 15years so I should know.... What I do recommend for UKwithLove is to use pea-size amount for the whole face and use it 2x a week to start for this 0.05% strength. If that pea-size (for the whole face) is still too much, try to dilute with a bit of regular moisturizer... If still too much, ask the doctor to prescribe a lower strength, say, 0.025% strength... The most important thing is to start slow with Retin-A as too much too soon will cause irritation, flakiness, redness and dryness to some degree.... Start slow is the most sensible way to go with this product.... Hope this helps UKwithLove and good luck!
| Moon wrote: |
| The doctor told me to begin using it every night. He said to use a pea size amount for each half of the face. Try and keep it on overnight. If it burns or is irritating try and keep it on for 10 minutes and then wash it off. |
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Mon Mar 11, 2013 3:17 pm |
Wow, I think between you all we have some amazing nuance! It's clearly a very powerful product and requires careful consideration.
My reason for starting on Retin A is to tackle very slight sun spots/damage. My hope is that if and when that disappears, I will get to stop using it as I don't like the idea of having to wear 30+spf everyday for the rest of my life. Rather I will be more careful about sun exposure and build a natural slow resilience to the sun and get a natural amount of vitamin D in the process. Contrary to received wisdom I don't believe in this idea that all sun tans equals damage. I feel that sudden bursts of intense sun to skin which has not adjusted to the sun will damage, and that can be avoided. |
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Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:55 pm |
| MaryClaire wrote: |
| On another forum, a doctor told a forum member to wet her face with water before putting on the Retin A. I do like doing it this way because the water adds extra slip and it's easier to move the Retin A around on my face. I just take a cosmetic pad, get it wet, squeeze out excess and whisk my face with it. Then apply the Retin A. |
The directions say to apply to a dry face and many derms recommend waiting at least 15-20 minutes after cleansing and toning. Water enhances penetration and can cause excess dryness and irritation. But that being said, I have also read that some experienced users also wet their face before application. My point is that a new user should probably not start with a damp face unless, perhaps, they are using 0.01%, which is already pretty weak.
From my own experience, if my skin is not completely dry, then I will get irritation. I use the highest strength 0.1%, half to a gram nightly and in cream form so it spreads easily. |
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Mon Mar 11, 2013 11:17 pm |
I certainly do agree that sun damage does rely on skin type, colour and longterm or intense sun exposure.
Most of us here would never go without our sunscreen as it's the a big one when it comes to photoaging. I wouldnt be surprised if just a few minutes of exposure each day over the years, without protection can cause noticeable changes to the skin.
I suppose as you age you think of this stuff. Maybe a younger person wouldn't feel the need for this (Are you younger than 25 perhaps?)as young skin repairs well. It's great for Vit D but you yourself complained of sun pigmentation under one eye?No? Just shows what the sun can do no matter how careful you think you are. If I could give one piece of advice to my younger self, it would be sunscreen or something with spf. Its all about UV, not just how intense the sun is. Sorry don't mean to preach but just worth you researching a bit more about it before you give up totally on sun protection |
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Tue Mar 12, 2013 2:45 am |
| I agree with you dionie... If I knew what I know now, the only advice that I can give to anyone (who wants to take good care of their skin) is always wear a sunscreen.... |
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ashleymary
New Member
 
Joined: 12 Mar 2013
Posts: 1
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Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:09 am |
| Retin A is protect against acne but also contains anti aging properties which can also be helpful and effective treatments for wrinkles. One of retinoid is tretinoin which used for treateing acne. |
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Wed Mar 13, 2013 2:13 pm |
| UKwithLove wrote: |
I have just purchased 0.05% Retin-A, but this is my first time using this product so I want to be very careful.
Firstly, should I only use it once or twice per week to start? or is every night normal for you all?
Do any of you use this around the 'under eye area', or is that area too delicate? I have a tiny bit of sun-pigmentation under one eye which I would like to target if possible.
Also, I take it I could apply a layer of plain moisturiser under the retin A to dilute it if necessary?
Thanks |
Wash your face, tone, then let your face dry for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze out a pea size amount of RA and dab on to forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. Spread out and rub in then wait 20-30 minutes and apply moisturizer or serums.
You can use every other day and get the same effect as using every day with less irritation. |
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Fri Mar 15, 2013 5:55 am |
| It’s best to use Retin-A at night before bed. Start using it about 3x/week and work your way up, using no more than once per day. Don’t use a cleanser with any harsh chemicals or scrub your face too hard. Use a mild cleanser like Cetaphil or CeraVe. Once your face is completely dry, use just a pea size amount to cover your entire face. Any more than that can lead to irritation and won’t make the product work any better. |
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Fri Mar 15, 2013 6:06 am |
2-3 times per week is sufficient. Use only Retin A Cream around eyes, gel may make your eyes red.
No moisturizer before or after, it reduces its efficiency. |
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Fri Mar 15, 2013 6:13 am |
| Don't forget sunscreen whatever you do! |
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