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Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:48 am  |
Is Retin - A any good?
Hi are there any side affects of using Retin - A for marks on your cheeks left by spots, I had loads of spots on my cheeks caused by using way too much creams, Its been about 5 months and the spots have gone by taking antibiotics but small marks which you get from spots remain and are taking time to fade. I have a caramel brown complextion and wil usingl Retin - A cause hyperpigmentation, uncontrollable dry skin, or an other side affects?
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Mon Nov 03, 2008 6:32 am |
| I used ratin-A for a while an I got the side effect that my skin is very easy irritaing with the sunlight. |
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Mon Nov 03, 2008 11:53 am |
| nickieygirl wrote: |
| I used ratin-A for a while an I got the side effect that my skin is very easy irritaing with the sunlight. |
Hi thanks for your reply when your skin became irritated with the sun did it go back to normal and how long did it take also did Retin -A make your skin clear and how long did it take, thanks |
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Mon Nov 03, 2008 3:47 pm |
I've been using it for almost a month now. I've noticed my skin is a LOT smoother. I had rough bumpy skin on my cheeks and forehead, and lots of those bumps were pores that were forever clogged. Since I've been using the retin-a those pores are clearing out and the bumps are gone.
I do have some peeling around my mouth, and I had a little bit of an acne flare up around there. (people here have explained to me that it's called purging, which is part of bringing blemishes to the surface) That acne is clearing up now but I still have a little bit of peeling.
You have to use sunscreen every day, because retin-a makes your skin more prone to sun damage.
I'm JUST now starting to see some smoothing of my crow's feet, YAY!!! That area seems to be plumping up a little bit unless it's my imagination. But I do see improvement in that area.
You have to wash your face in the evening and wait about 20 - 30 minutes before you apply the retin-a. You only need a pea size amount for your whole face. Any more might cause excessive redness and peeling.
Then in the morning after washing my face I put on oil free lotion with SPF 15.
I'm really excited with the results so far. I'm using retino-a cream 0.05% (from Johnson & Johnson in India). If you have dry skin the cream is better. My skin is typically oily but I wanted to cream because I thought it might lessen the peeling.
Hope this helps! |
_________________
36 year old mother of 2, oily skin, prone to break outs, wrinkles around the eyes, forehead wrinkles and laugh lines |
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Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:56 pm |
| sahmisme wrote: |
I've been using it for almost a month now. I've noticed my skin is a LOT smoother. I had rough bumpy skin on my cheeks and forehead, and lots of those bumps were pores that were forever clogged. Since I've been using the retin-a those pores are clearing out and the bumps are gone.
I do have some peeling around my mouth, and I had a little bit of an acne flare up around there. (people here have explained to me that it's called purging, which is part of bringing blemishes to the surface) That acne is clearing up now but I still have a little bit of peeling.
You have to use sunscreen every day, because retin-a makes your skin more prone to sun damage.
I'm JUST now starting to see some smoothing of my crow's feet, YAY!!! That area seems to be plumping up a little bit unless it's my imagination. But I do see improvement in that area.
You have to wash your face in the evening and wait about 20 - 30 minutes before you apply the retin-a. You only need a pea size amount for your whole face. Any more might cause excessive redness and peeling.
Then in the morning after washing my face I put on oil free lotion with SPF 15.
I'm really excited with the results so far. I'm using retino-a cream 0.05% (from Johnson & Johnson in India). If you have dry skin the cream is better. My skin is typically oily but I wanted to cream because I thought it might lessen the peeling.
Hope this helps! |
Hi thanks for your reply should i just put it on the affected area or all over your face? |
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Tue Nov 04, 2008 3:31 pm |
Hmm that's a good question but I put it all over my face because I'm dealing with multiple issues. I still had some acne around my chin, clogged pores on my nose, cheeks, and forehead, rough skin on my cheeks, and crows feet and forehead wrinkles.
My face was a mess! 
Honestly I believe it's most effective when used all over your face but hopefully some other members will chime in with more information about that. |
_________________
36 year old mother of 2, oily skin, prone to break outs, wrinkles around the eyes, forehead wrinkles and laugh lines |
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Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:07 pm |
| This might be a dumb question but I've seen retin-a mentioned on the board a lot since I've joined... what IS it exactly? |
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Wed Nov 05, 2008 2:57 am |
| I use it to deal with my acne. It definitely makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight. Sometimes it even tries your skin out. But compare to the fact that it really works for my stubborn acne, I can totally ignore the side effect... |
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Wed Nov 05, 2008 10:54 am |
| Is Retin A or Retinol safe to use long term? I saw in the other post that any form of Vit. A applied to the skin will be absorbed into the body. Long term use will cause damage to the lung or the central system. Is that true?? How much do we need to apply to achieve that damage if it's true? |
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Wed Nov 05, 2008 3:02 pm |
I recommend a search for retin-a here on EDS and you will find lots of information.
Retin-a is still considered (one of) the gold standards of skin renewal and rejuvination. Many of us use it or a derivation thereof.
Green Cream is a retinol product and works wonderfully.
I use both - rotating them.
It does tend to have a drying effect so it is recommended to start with a lower percentage and work up from there.
Sis |
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Thu Nov 06, 2008 1:48 am |
I've use Retin-A with Obagi Blender for about 3 years (you can buy Blender on this site). It's hard going at first, especially if you use it every day, as you turn red, peel and look ancient! But it really does a lot to improve how your skin looks long term, much more than any OTC products I've tried, and after a few weeks your skin looks really smooth and clear. You can try using it less often if you want to avoid looking too unsightly while it does its stuff.
There are lots of other Obagi products that you're supposed to use at the same time, but I get just as good results without them and stopped buying them.
HTH Loulou  |
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Thu Nov 06, 2008 1:54 am |
| I bought Skinmedica Retinol Complex but haven't used it yet. Retinol is one of the most effective anti-ageing ingredients by far. It also enhances skin texture and accelerates exfoliation. However, it has several side effects. Sun exposure should keep to minimum and a moisturizer with at least SPF30 is recommended. If your spots are caused by too many creams, retinol may be too early for you. |
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Thu Nov 06, 2008 4:27 am |
| julian_y wrote: |
| I bought Skinmedica Retinol Complex but haven't used it yet. Retinol is one of the most effective anti-ageing ingredients by far. It also enhances skin texture and accelerates exfoliation. However, it has several side effects. Sun exposure should keep to minimum and a moisturizer with at least SPF30 is recommended. If your spots are caused by too many creams, retinol may be too early for you. |
Hi Julian,
Retinol is in the same family of actives as Retin-a, but the strength is much lower than even the mildest Retin-a. To get proper Retin-a you need to get it from a dermatologist or buy online from a pharmaceuticals company as it needs a prescription. It's cheaper if you buy it as tretinoin which is the generic name for it, rather than branded products like Retin-A, Renova etc.
Tretinoin (or Retin-A) started out as an acne treatment, and the anti-ageing benefit was dicovered as a nice side-effect, so it should be good for spots.
You're so right about the sun... you need really excellent sun protection, even more vital when you use prescription strength Retin A |
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Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:00 am |
| otherloulou wrote: |
| julian_y wrote: |
| I bought Skinmedica Retinol Complex but haven't used it yet. Retinol is one of the most effective anti-ageing ingredients by far. It also enhances skin texture and accelerates exfoliation. However, it has several side effects. Sun exposure should keep to minimum and a moisturizer with at least SPF30 is recommended. If your spots are caused by too many creams, retinol may be too early for you. |
Hi Julian,
Retinol is in the same family of actives as Retin-a, but the strength is much lower than even the mildest Retin-a. To get proper Retin-a you need to get it from a dermatologist or buy online from a pharmaceuticals company as it needs a prescription. It's cheaper if you buy it as tretinoin which is the generic name for it, rather than branded products like Retin-A, Renova etc.
Tretinoin (or Retin-A) started out as an acne treatment, and the anti-ageing benefit was dicovered as a nice side-effect, so it should be good for spots.
You're so right about the sun... you need really excellent sun protection, even more vital when you use prescription strength Retin A |
Hi otherloulou
Thanks for your kind explanation. 
English is not my native language, so I took Retin-A for Retinol 
Retin-A is available in my country as prescription drugs and it is much cheaper than most branded products. I also heard people who use tretinoin witnessed their benefits and side effects just as what you've exactly described! I don't know how old is desi_uk, but if the spots are caused by using too many creams, I really don't suggest using that strong ingredient. |
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Thu Nov 06, 2008 10:57 am |
Hi Julian,
Your English is very good, much better than I speak any other language What is your first language?
Many native English speakers also confuse Retin-A with Retinol-- clearly you know of both types of cream and it's good you can give your advice. I have a question... At the moment I have spots  , what treatment do you suggest, or what is widely used in your country?
Many thanks, Loulou |
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Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:07 pm |
Hi otherloulou
I am from China and I've been living in my country. Thanks for your encouragement, but there is still a long way for me to improve my English 
What are the causes of your spots, acne, sun exposure or over nutritious? |
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Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:52 pm |
Thanks rileygirl! |
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Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:56 pm |
| julian_y wrote: |
Hi otherloulou
I am from China and I've been living in my country. Thanks for your encouragement, but there is still a long way for me to improve my English
What are the causes of your spots, acne, sun exposure or over nutritious? |
I think your English is good too! I'm learning French and I don't have the courage to post on a French message board yet. I'd never have guessed you weren't a native speaker |
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Fri Nov 07, 2008 3:43 am |
| julian_y wrote: |
Hi otherloulou
I am from China and I've been living in my country. Thanks for your encouragement, but there is still a long way for me to improve my English
What are the causes of your spots, acne, sun exposure or over nutritious? |
Hi Julian,
I'm astonished you're Chinese as English must be even harder for a Chinese speaker than a German or Italian one! It's a wonderful achievement.
My spots are unexpected as I'm 45 and don't usually get them. They're not caused by sun or nutrition (as far as I know), they just seem to be a little acne eruption. I'd really like to make them shrivel up (become small and dry)!
Thank you, Loulou |
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Fri Nov 07, 2008 3:45 am |
| Fox wrote: |
| julian_y wrote: |
Hi otherloulou
I am from China and I've been living in my country. Thanks for your encouragement, but there is still a long way for me to improve my English
What are the causes of your spots, acne, sun exposure or over nutritious? |
I think your English is good too! I'm learning French and I don't have the courage to post on a French message board yet. I'd never have guessed you weren't a native speaker
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Fox, I keep plugging away with French too with a bad accent and no clue about gender. I think there are just too many things that can go wrong with French!
Maybe there should be a French homework sub-board somewhere here, 'Ou est la creme de la mer?' |
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Fri Nov 07, 2008 7:45 am |
Loulou, your question of acne spot beats me  since Eastern people seldom get acne while they are older. I have two solutions that might help you.
1. Diet
In China, doctors of Chinese medicine recommend that any fried, peppery or sweet food be avoided for acne prone people. Also, according to the Chinese medicine theory, "hot" foods (I don't know how to translate it into English)should be kept away from these people. I believe some American diets such as French fries, butter, Cola, salad sauce and chocolate belong to "hot" foods. I don't mean that you can't take these diets, but taking less will do good for you.
Some supplements/fruits/foods are "cold" such as snake powder, pearl powder, water melon, pear, duck and tea. Snake powder and pearl powder did wonders for me, but I don't know whether they are available in North America.
2. Skin care
AHA and BHA may help reduce your acne and they are less harsh than Retin-A. Neostrata, Peter Thomas Roth and Skinmedica have such products of satisfying percentage.
Face oil of aroma therapy is an alternative way. It may be less effective than AHA/BHA, but it is safe and smells divine. I used Aesop Fabulous Face Oil at night while I was 25. My acne went away very quickly.
I suggest that no toning water and serum be used in conjunction with the anti-acne products at night so that you can absorb the product well.
You are welcome and don't mention any "thank you" |
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Fri Nov 07, 2008 7:58 am |
Loulou and Fox, I am so glad that both of you approve my English
English study is a compulsory course for Chinese primary students. Local students who want to enter universities must take English exams nation wide. What's more, every Chinese undergraduate student must pass an English test called CET band 4 to get a degree diploma! Most important, I like to study English because by doing so, I can learn different cultures
I heard that French is very difficult so I've never touched it  |
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Fri Nov 07, 2008 4:08 pm |
<<<Snake powder and pearl powder
What are the benefits of taking these powders?
Thanks
 |
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Fri Nov 07, 2008 7:52 pm |
| RussianSunshine wrote: |
<<<Snake powder and pearl powder
What are the benefits of taking these powders?
Thanks
|
Hi, RussianSunshine
These powders can eliminate your acnes when you take them as your daily supplements. You don't have to take them both so one of them is enough. By the way, these powders are not for pregnant women. |
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