Will Retin-a/tretinoin tighten, firm, and maybe lift my face
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Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:21 pm

I have a huge problem with elasticity and firmness on my face, as I was doing facial massages for a while and I feel they ruined my face Sad

I've been using retin a .05% to fix the slight sagging I have now. This is my second month, and I think my skin feels a little tighter, but not by much. I want to tighten my jawline and lift around my cheekbone area. Will tretinoin give me these desired results? I'm still really young, so I don't want any fillers or dermatological treatments.

Mon Dec 15, 2014 11:59 pm

I've never used retin a for this purpose but, in theory, retin a increases collagen production, thus, should help with some tightening. Two months is not very long at all. Continue using it and watch for any improvements in elasticity.

Because you are still young, you'll be astonished how quickly your skin recovers. Smile

May I ask what kind of facial massage did you use?

All the best.

free skin care · Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:27 am

Okay how long were you doing the massages for, and which one was it? There are many different types out there, and so you may have just used one that wasn’t suitable for your face – but don’t write them all off just yet. It may be that you need a different one.

Now you say you are really young – can I ask how young are you? You see Retin A is a prescription medicine for a very good reason, and I’ve seen many youngsters self medicate and end up with disasterous results because they have done what they have read by others and it wasn’t suitable for their younger skins.

Tue Dec 16, 2014 4:50 am

Retin a is used widely, and successfully by many young adults for the treatment of acne, therefore the age of the skin plays no role; it's the misuse of it that causes problems, such as: excessive peeling, redness etc... etc...

Much like with every other method, following directions is the key.

free skin care · Tue Dec 16, 2014 5:28 am

Trishiapp I’m aware of the uses of Retin A, and I wasn’t suggesting that age of skin is the problem, simply that self medicating is a big No No. You can find many cases where people have read the directions that comes with the medication and not had good results.

Secondly excessive peeling, redness etc are not always caused by misuse and do not happen at the same time for everyone. Its quite common for people not to experience any peeling for at least 6 months into their routine. Having used it for over 30 plus years – I have seen all sorts of strange goings on but have always worked with a derm I trust.

Trishiapp wrote:

Retin a is used widely, and successfully by many young adults for the treatment of acne, therefore the age of the skin plays no role; it's the misuse of it that causes problems, such as: excessive peeling, redness etc... etc...

Much like with every other method, following directions is the key.

Tue Dec 16, 2014 6:45 am

Absolutely agree with you TheresaMary.

Retin A can be hit and miss. Over the years, I too have seen my skin react(at times) in some unpredictable ways. Having said that, most undesirable reactions are due to, either starting out too high and too much, or applying it onto a wet skin and not using sun protection. This excludes any serious allergic reactions which some people do experience.

I live in the UK, which means that, the NHS does not cover cosmetic needs. For a lot of people ( me included) this means self-medicating. I believe that, with a lot of careful research and common sense,one can achieve good and safe results. Of course, finances permitting, a visit to dermatologist is always preferable. Alas, not many can afford £200+ per visit.

But then again, I have read some horror stories about dermatologist causing irreversible damage to patient's skin ( lasers, IPL treatments.)

I'm sure you will agree that, individual skin care is a very personal thing,which is why, we must observe caution when trying out various methods. Like I said, common sense must prevail!

For that reason, this forum is an invaluable resource in educating one-self about benefits and dangers of, not only retin a, but also other methods.

All the best.

free skin care · Tue Dec 16, 2014 7:32 am

I am also UK based, and do not spend £200 on a visit to my derm. Although saying that I suppose if I had serious issues then that is something I would consider doing, but I completely disagree with you that self medicating is the only other possible alternative, especially when it comes to a prescription drug like Retin A. Even if you were extremely thorough in your research, you do not have the necessary qualifications or expertise to be able to solve issues when they arise. If people are serious then there are many other good alternatives out there that are just as effective like Vit C serums for example, which do not involve serious prescriptive medicines. Also I have too read about horror stories re derms, but derms are just like any professional – doctors etc are all different and unique despite having had similar training and qualification routes so to write them all off due to one horror story is not a good choice in my opinion.

Likewise with derms, there are many out here who do not charge £200 per visit, and many who will often discount and offer advice free of charge.

Tue Dec 16, 2014 9:12 am

TheresaMary.

I have not said that self-medicating with retin a is the only possible alternative to visiting dermatologist. I too, use vit c with great success. Nor am I discouraged by reading one horror story of clinical mis-judgement; there are many such stories. Also, in almost 38 years, I have not come across ONE dermatologist who would offer free, or even reduced price in their private practice; I have some facial scarring from skin cancer I've had in my teenage years. In my quest to reduce the scarring, I enquired many times about the cost of consultation, and each time, I was quoted £200+. This was not the price of actual treatment; this was the cost of initial consultation!
I think we will just have to agree to disagree on this one.

The fact is, I know my skin better than anyone else. I know what works and what doesn't. I know how to treat, not only my skin, but also my whole body. I am an expert on myself, and no amount of qualifications can supersede this knowledge. Also, it would be naive to think that, only dermatologist knows what is best for one's skin. This has been proven, over and over again, by millions of women world-wide using retin a ( successfully) without dermatologist's supervision. Surely, all those women cannot be wrong. Having said all of that, ultimately, we all have the freedom to make informed choices, and make the best decisions based on what we feel is best for us.

All the best.

Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:15 pm

Thank you all for replying. TheresaMary, in response to your question, I'm only 16. I'm not self-medicating, as I was prescribed retin-a by my dermatologist for my acne. My skin is mostly clear, but I did the Tanaka massage for about 2 1/2 months. I deeply regret it, so I was wondering if retin-a would help restore my previous skin? It's rather loose now, especially compared to how tight it was before.

Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:18 pm

Trishiapp, did you see any tightening on your retin-a regime?

Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:00 pm

Gosh, you are only 16!

Because of your age, I have absolutely no doubt that, with time, your skin will eventually recover. It is very hard to say whether I have noticed any tightening of my skin since I didn't have any slackness to begin with (and still don't.) Yet again, it's difficult to decipher whether, indeed, this is due to retin a.

Since you are under the care of a dermatologist, I suggest you have an honest and open conversation about your concerns. No doubt, he/she will be able to support you through it.

I wish you speedy recovery!

All the best.

Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:03 pm

Also, I don't know anything about Tanaka massage, so not sure whether that alone would cause such adverse skin reaction.

Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:59 pm

Thanks Trishiapp! So, theresamary, do odor think retin-a would help?

Tue Dec 16, 2014 6:08 pm

taconinja987 wrote:

Thanks Trishiapp! So, theresamary, do odor think retin-a would help?

Odor=you
Autocorrect Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:38 am

Okay great, and good that you are working with a derm. I would actually have a conversation with your derm about your concerns. Tanaka has given some strange results, and I can't help but think that maybe doing it so young was probably not the best idea. However, I think there are more than just Tanaka out there, and you may want to do something else. One thing that's coming up in my mind is that you are mentioning your skin is loose and that makes me think that Retin A isn’t going to be something that’s going to help you hear and you need to look at alternative things here to help tighten the skin.

I know on another forum there is a moderator who speaks about diet and loose skin. I can’t remember the exact recommendations, but there was something about taking a multivitamin or something and that should help tighten the skin (but I could be wrong, will see if I can find it later on today).

taconinja987 wrote:

Thank you all for replying. TheresaMary, in response to your question, I'm only 16. I'm not self-medicating, as I was prescribed retin-a by my dermatologist for my acne. My skin is mostly clear, but I did the Tanaka massage for about 2 1/2 months. I deeply regret it, so I was wondering if retin-a would help restore my previous skin? It's rather loose now, especially compared to how tight it was before.

free skin care · Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:49 am

With Retin-A if a person has not got a prescription (and working with a derm or doctor) then they are self medicating. This is where I personally have read so many issues crop up for people because they do that and that is why I asked the original poster about this. I have used retin-A for over 30 plus years, but have worked with a derm in London that entire time and do not pay £200 for each visit nor have I ever done - however I did not go to a dermatologist for scarring, and so suspect that might be why you are getting such high quotes.

Now you may know your skin better than anyone else – not arguing that, but you or anyone else who goes to use a prescriptive medicine on the skin is not always in the best position to judge what will work and what won’t because of lack of training and lack of knowledge of the drug itself. Sorry but you are twisting my words here, and the original point I was making was in relation to using a prescriptive medicine on a person’s own accord.

As to the millions of women who use it on their own accord worldwide – I will take your word for that, but don’t know any!

Trishiapp wrote:

TheresaMary.

I have not said that self-medicating with retin a is the only possible alternative to visiting dermatologist. I too, use vit c with great success. Nor am I discouraged by reading one horror story of clinical mis-judgement; there are many such stories. Also, in almost 38 years, I have not come across ONE dermatologist who would offer free, or even reduced price in their private practice; I have some facial scarring from skin cancer I've had in my teenage years. In my quest to reduce the scarring, I enquired many times about the cost of consultation, and each time, I was quoted £200+. This was not the price of actual treatment; this was the cost of initial consultation!
I think we will just have to agree to disagree on this one.

The fact is, I know my skin better than anyone else. I know what works and what doesn't. I know how to treat, not only my skin, but also my whole body. I am an expert on myself, and no amount of qualifications can supersede this knowledge. Also, it would be naive to think that, only dermatologist knows what is best for one's skin. This has been proven, over and over again, by millions of women world-wide using retin a ( successfully) without dermatologist's supervision. Surely, all those women cannot be wrong. Having said all of that, ultimately, we all have the freedom to make informed choices, and make the best decisions based on what we feel is best for us.

All the best.

free skin care · Wed Dec 17, 2014 11:53 am

£200 for a consultation sounds like you are going to a celebrity dermatologist in Harley Street. I don't see why the fee would go up or down with the same doctor for a consultation since you are paying for their time and not a procedure.

It doesn't sound like a good idea to massage skin with acne since that could spread infection. Also have you lost weight while your acne was being treated?

Wed Dec 17, 2014 12:50 pm

The tanaka has actually lost my facial fat, and I am now working to gain it back. I've always been super skinny (About 87-90 lbs. for the past few months, just got up to 100 so I'm not against gaining a little more weight.

Thu Dec 18, 2014 1:18 pm

Does anyone else have any information on retin-a and its firming/tightening qualities? Smile

free skin care · Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:45 am

there is some concern that retin a or retinols (all derivatives of vitamin A cause subcutaneous fat loss to some degree.......

In very few people it does seem to happen unfortunately Sad

But in most it doesn't. However, Id be very careful, since once you lose that fat, you are very unlikely to ever have it restored to how it once was........ Anyway you are 16 you will be fine... How about a nice Vitamin C serum instead, because retin causes sun sensitivity to a huge degree.

If you do NOT use a sun screen with excellent UVA protection not just a high SPF, say hello to very accelerated aging................. Two types of UV rays. UVB and UVA. UVB causes sunburn and the protection known as SPF refers to a sunscreens ability to only do thattttttt...... Tere is no scale in the US for UVA (which comes through ALL year even on cloudy days YES... These rays are penetrating and YES they do bounce around the inside of your house through windows, etc, so you do get a considerable amount of damage daily from that too. Yes even indoors.......

Tell you what. You are 16. You wanna look young for a super long time. Start using daily sunscreen NOW and do it daily for the rest of your life. Just find a formula that suits you. In ten years you will Easily look 5 years younger than you are..... Meaning you'll look like a late teen or early twenties in your late twenties....... Sound good?

"I only go outside fifteen minutes a day...." Does NOT matter ad don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The sun does NOT care........... And those minutes add right up oh trust me...........

To be very honest, sun is the cause of roughly 75-80% of facial aging........If you started sunscreen now, you WILL enjoy a very young look for many extra years and you will age very well..........I'm telling you.... AND also your skin will bounce back a bit from any DNA damage from the sun you have gotten over the years due to sun damage, smoking, etc....

Again SUNSCREEN is you BEST bet to prevent alot of facial aging, and also to reverse a bit of it..........

Couple these efforts (even if you do NOT use retin A)
and a vitamin C serum (which will up your collagen production a bit), nd I promise that in the next few months and in the next ten years, you will be way ahead of 90% of other girls.

Source..Im a guy

Mon Dec 22, 2014 12:53 pm

Thanks for the advice Smile

but retin-a is my best bet right now. Has anyone else experienced tightening/lifting-firming for retin-a?

free skin care · Mon Dec 22, 2014 1:28 pm

Not quite Retin A is far from your best betif you do not use sunscreen with it.

You will be destroying your skin very quickly if you do that AND your subcutaneous fat layer from accelerated sun damage since Retin A thins the outer layer of the skin thus leaving your skin MUCH more susceptible to sun damage.. It is not speculation that IS what happens

This is why we are warning you about this. It is up to you to take this advice or not but Retin A minus sunscreen, say goodbye to any benefits you were looking for with retin A. They WILL be quickly canceled out by the increased sun damage.

I really hope you take this advice or else in a couple years, yes 12or 24 months. Not that long at all, your problem will be even worse, and just to let you know

Retin A is not your best bet for this. Retin A is NOT for sagging skin. It is for fine lines such as crows feet.

Why doesn't Retin A help with sagging skin? Easy because one of the BIGGEST contributors to sagging skin (and this is a fact) is your SUBCUTANEOUS FAT LAYER in your UNDER your skin. That is what gives it volume, etc.... Retin A does NOT help with that.... In fact there is some concern that in some people, Retin A causes the loss of subcutaneous fat

Regardless even if it does NOT cause the loss of subcutaneous fat, it will not help with sagging at all which is something you must understand. That is not the mechanism of Retin A.

If you want this sagging problem to decrease. You likely need a Bit more volume in your face through fat gain..
If I were you I would put on maybe 2-5 pounds, and I am sure at least some of that, while not noticeably changing your physique, will fill out your face a bit more thus giving it more support and eliminating the sagging.

Retin A is not your best bet for sagging and will not eliminate it, that just is not how it works.

I know it may suck to hear but it is true. In the meantime, throw a little weight and I mean a little, and your sagging will likely go largely away.

Anyway, again if you are going to use retin a Please use it with daily sunscreen. My brother started it at 16 and is 20 now. I swear and others do, that he looks in his late 20s. Yet his diet, sleeping patterns, exercise are great he is in very great shape but. Unfortunately is destroying his face. He is a wrestler and his body weighthas not changed every year....it has remained within 1 pound each year for his training. Well He has lost a ton of facial fat and I swear next year he will look thirty. Either way it is very depressing to him and he does not understand why

I tell him it is very much likely that he is not using sunscreen with his daily .05% retin A.I feel bad for him but warned him..... sun damage to collagen, elastin and subcutaneous fat is greatly increased thus aging you faster if you don't use the sunscreen with it.

We just want to warn you so your problem does not become worse

free skin care · Mon Dec 22, 2014 6:15 pm

I don't believe retin-a reduces fat, it thins the epidermis and stimulates collagen and elastin growth. There are plenty of studies with slides of the skin showing this.

Although I will happily start rubbing it on my thighs. Smile

People look older on retin-a because they are dry and perhaps photo-sensitized.

free skin care · Tue Dec 23, 2014 1:04 am

you are absolutely right that according to studies it has shown not to reduce fat.

My point though is there seem to be a good deal of people coming forward that claim this.

newfound facial hollows are not going to simply be from a thinned epidermis, you would need less facial fat for such a new appearance to take place.

anyway it seems in a majority of people this does not happen which is good, but it is always good to be cautious.

Anyway, to add something here, I'd like to say with the extra photosensitivity, yes you could be looking at increased aging of elastin, collagen, and subcutaneous fat which is why sunscreen and sun avoidance are very much needed when using the drug

free skin care · Tue Dec 23, 2014 12:22 pm

I think for some women, especially middle-aged, loss of fat would have occurred, even if they never used retin A, due to lack of hormones. Middle-aged women are the group most likely to use retin A.

The only ways to lose fat in your body are through reduced calories (via diet &/or exercise) or liposuction/radio frequency type procedures.

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