Retin A

It really is a wonder drug isn't it? Anyone here use it?

• How 80s. It peeled the flesh off my 20 year old face.

• I started using it about a month ago, three times a week. However, my skin was peeling a lot, so now I'm down to two times a week. I can't see any difference, but I want to finish off the tube I got, before I make the final judgement.

• You have to give it 6 to 8 weeks r2 before any significant difference.

• I intend to, r3.

  R2

• Metro Gel was the one that changed my life; it got rid of the redness, but the craters that I see (granted, others don't) prevent me from feeling confident enough to ask people out.

  I know, I know...

• Horrifying. Used the weakest version and it burned my face, made it break out, caused patchy flakiness, red spots, brown spots. My face actually hurt My dermatologist told me to keep using it for several months because my skin would "get used to it," and it would peel away my old skin and leave a beautiful, clear complexion behind. I used it for months but all it did was continue to give me pimples, burns, flakes and an irritated feeling. Finally, friends of mine said, "Stop using that crap. Your face looks terrible." My skin cleared up as soon as I stopped using it. I cannot use Vitamin C on my face either.

• R6, did you use sunblock? The problem is the right way to use it. Apply a small amount at night. If it burns or flakes, use it less often. But Always, always wear sunblock of SPF50 even in the shade.

• How funny...I just got this a few days ago. So far I don't notice much. I also use Duac in the morning, and THAT dries out my skin for sure.

• If you use it in your teens and 20s, you'll have amazing skin when you get older. If you use it when you're older... not so much. But yes, it is a drug and it alters your skin. It promotes skin regeneration. It does what every cosmetic pretends to. It's the real deal.

• I love it and have been applying it all over my face for over 25 years. I have had skin cancer and my sisters and parents have too - we are all fair skinned and lived in California in the sun. I am now 62 and even as freckled as I am, I get many compliments on my skin -- on my face. I only wish I could drench my whole skin scarred body in the stuff. Anyone getting a suntan now by lying in the sun is crazy - the ozone layer is less protection now than when my sisters and I were young and skin cancer can only be easier to get. Retin A is wonderful. the fact that insurance companies won't pay for it, even when a person has been treated for skin cancer, is outrageous when you consider viagra is covered by insurance. Ridiculous and very very sexist.

• R9 is on the money - it's the only stuff I ever put on my face. I don't need anything else. Retin A is terrific and worth more than any cosmetic cream on the market. Nothing will make your skin dewy like retin A.

• It's way too strong for me (my face would turn bright red when I exercised), so I use Renova. Been using it for about 20 years. Now my other 40ish friends are getting on the bandwagon.

  I%20believe%20in%20burning%20the%20pores%20off%20your%20face.%20And%20wearing%20

• I would add that those in their 30s benefit as well r9. It doesn't take care of deep wrinkles but it sure does take care of crow's feet, etc. It does make you look 10 years younger if you give it time.

• Shit in your hand and smear it on your face ... leave on as long as you can stand it. You'll get better results.

• About five years someone on here (perhaps someone in this very thread!) advised mixing it with moisturizer maybe once a week and applying. I've been doing that since then and my skin is...well, I'm happy with it. Thank you, anonymous DL poster! P.S. I have a gay dermatologist who prescribes it without batting an eyelash, and he knows it's for cosmetic reasons. It's generic now and isn't nearly as expensive as it used to be.

  32

• Also, the people who are getting irritated are probably using way too much too frequently. You really don't need that much.

• If you use it on your neck, use only a tiny dab and/or mix it with moisturizer. Use too much there and you'll itch and burn like you wouldn't believe.

• I've never used Retin-A. Is this the stuff that you're not supposed to use on wet or damp skin? If so, how long should you wait after washing your face to apply?

  thinking%20about%20trying%20Retin-A

• Can you buy it without a prescription from one of the online pharmacies?

• I use a pea size amount on my face and some of it spreads to my neck, R16. Maybe I need to let it be absorbed and than put some moisturizer on top of it. I have light rosacea, so that may be part of the problem, though Retin A is used to treat rosacea.

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• Yes, you can R19.

• [quote]Can you buy it without a prescription from one of the online pharmacies? Yes. I get it from Inhouse Pharmacy.

• I followed my dermatologist's advice to use Retin A twice weekly, followed by moisturizer, then once weekly followed by moisturizer and it still ruined my skin for about 6 months until I stopped using it. My neighbor had the same problem I did with retin A (0.010) and retinol. I'm Irish and she is fair skinned blonde Italian. I switch off skin products now, when I feel my skin has gotten "too used to" the product. I use GloTherapeutics and NeoCutis. NeoCutis is very good for sensitive skin. I go online and look until I find the lowest price with free shipping. The undereye creme is very good and lasts a long time, even though it's only a half an ounce. The sunscreen is very nice and light -- not sticky like a lot of sunscreens. I like the GloTherapeutics Peptide + Defense lotion and buy it from frizzy2silky.com. It's always at least 15% off and you can use coupons to bring the cost down even lower. I've gotten it for half price sometimes (it's one of their most expensive products). I also like their conditioning restorative creme with shea butter at bedtime in winter, when my skin dries out with indoor heating (it's a lot less money than their peptide lotion). I use MUAC's 30% glycolic acid peel. I tried to graduate to the 40%, but it was too strong even at 1 minute. So I stick with the 30%. I buy MUAC's biopeptide serum when I get a 25% or 30% coupon and use it after the peel. I get Botox on my forehead, in the glabella area and in my "bunny lines." I am a squinter.. always have been. It's familial. Look at photos of my dad, my grandma, my cousins... they're all squinting. It's not our vision, it's the sun. We can't take it. Also, I read a lot as a kid. Always had my nose in a book. My dr says I have the worst bunny lines she's ever seen. The botox lasts about 5 months. Oh, and it's a fallacy that Botox prevents more wrinkles or makes your wrinkles less noticeable even after its worn off. I've been using it since 1999. My wrinkles are still there when it wears off and have gradually gotten worse. If my dr is running a really great special on Restylane or Radiesse, I get some put in my glabellar lines when I get botox and it lasts about 9 months. I once had Radiesse put in my nasolabial lines and it looked good but was way too expensive.

• nasolabial

• You're not supposed to, r19 but yes you can.

• Retin A works better on people with darker skin or people who do not have sensitive skin. Fairer skinned people have hit and miss experiences with the product.

• I buy my retina at alldaychemist. It is shipped from India, and formulated with an olive oil base, so it doesn't dry you out like the American alcohol based version. It is also less than $5! I, like r23, had fillers in my nasolabial area and deep under eye bags. People commented on how 'refreshed' I looked, but I thought that my face looked fat. I buy muac's tca peel, and Botox as well.

  Fighting%20the%20aging%20process

• R27, can you link us to the exact product you buy? I'm reluctant to order it from India. Anyone else use R27's site?

• Thanks R26 I will avoid it then. I used it as a teenager on acne but it worked well for that.

• A couple of questions for everyone who uses Retin A: Do you still need a prescription? What sunscreen do you use? Will it help get rid of freckles? Thanks.

• For freckles you want Rx-strength hydroquinone cream.

• Thanks R31. I'll look into that.

  R30

• Will it get rid of craters? I had zits in my teens and twenties, and though they went away, the holes in my skin remain. I'm a fair-skinned blonde/redhead, but my skin isn't any more sensitive than other people's, I don't think.

• It will not get rid of craters. A friend had a series of chemical peels and microdermabrasion, and the combo really helped her craters.

• It sounds like an acid solution.

• If I were to order from a pharmacy in India (which I wouldn't do -- but that's just me), I would buy one of those gift credit cards (Visa, AmEx) they sell in drugstores and supermarkets from the gift card rack and I would use that rather than my credit card. And I would get myself an email address that I would use exclusively for that purpose and nothing else because they will sell your email address to a bazillion spammers worldwide and you will get a hundred emails a day for Viagra and Cialis.

  Identity Theft is No Fun

• R2 here. It's been six weeks since I started using Retin A .025 on my face. I am noticing more even skin tone; it's like my skin looks "brighter." Retin A is irritating my rosacea, though, so I'm using it only twice a week. On other days I use olive oil mask once a day to control the flaking.

• I am starting with aon OTC retinol.

• [quote]On other days I use olive oil mask once a day to control the flaking. Just plain olive oil or a cosmetic product?

• I, too, once tried the weakest solution of it and very, very sparingly and it burned the shit out of my face. I'm olive complected and tan very easily. I wash my face with Buff Puffs, the little squares not the huge sponges. And a couple of times a week cleanse with witch hazel pads. I don't wash my face every day. And, I know it's a cliche here, but I'm routinely mistaken for being much younger than I actually am despite the fact that I chainsmoke, drink heavily, have done a lot of drugs, don't exercise, tend to eat poorly and never get enough sleep. My parents both seriously looked at least a decade to fifteen years younger than their real ages until they hit their sixties.

• Plain olive oil, R39. Mine comes from a relative's olive grove. Homemade.

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• Which one, R38? I've been using Neutrogena Retinol Ageless Intensives night cream. I know it's not nearly the strength of Retin A, but it's all I can afford at the moment.

• I think the neutrogena retinols are good products.

  Anonymous

• .

• Does oil pulling help the skin?

• R2 here again. My skin tone is definitely more even. It looks lighter. I am curious what it will look like in a couple of months. I get fairly pale in the winter. The drying side effect is not as bad anymore, but I still use olive oil mask the morning after using Retin A. Aside from Neostrata Neoceuticals skin lightening cream this is the most effective skin product I've used.

• When you apply it avoid the areas where your roscea is the worst R37. I didn't start using it till I was about 40 and honestly I have no idea if it's doing anything for my face. Even when I used it faithfully I never noticed any difference. What am I supposed to see in terms of change?

• Why not try Tazorac, it's a retinal topical but milder than Retin A. As for people with rosacea, try Finacea. It's also amazing on pimples. When I get the occasional pimple, Finecea seems to literally work overnight. I have a wonderful derma who always gives me ton of samples, because she knows so many topical meds aren't covered by my insurance. She's given me boxes of sample size tubes of Finacea, Renova, Tazorac and Retin A. Tazorac and Finacea are covered by my insurance, Retin A and Renova aren't, go figure.

• [quote]When you apply it avoid the areas where your roscea is the worst [R37]. I learned that the hard way! There are one or two spots that I avoid now. [quote]What am I supposed to see in terms of change? Maybe your skin is good to begin with. I was always a freckled kid and when the summer comes around I still get little brown spots on my nose and cheeks. Except they do not look cute anymore. I use sunscreen like crazy, but it doesn't help. With Retin A the brown spots are much lighter, almost unnoticeable, thus the more even skin tone. Also, I used to have the occasional blackhead and whitehead. Well, no more. I think the pores on my face might be tighter. Absolutely nothing on my face to squeeze out, so to speak.

• [quote]As for people with rosacea, try Finacea. I have very mild rosacea. Just some redness that goes away within two days with a 5% sulfur cream.

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• "I have very mild rosacea. Just some redness that goes away within two days with a 5% sulfur cream." Doesn't sulfur cream smell like rotten eggs?! I remember using some acne cleanser back in the late 70s, which I really didn't need, as I just had the occasional pimple. This cleanser was called Fostex, it had sulfur, the smell was repulsive. I couldn't get the horrible sulfur smell off my face and hands. I ended up washing my face with whatever expensive perfumey facial cleanser my mom used at the time just to try to get the smell off. Fostex scent was lethal, it was if you couldn't get the sulfur smell off for days! It even stunk up my pillowcases.

• DO NOT PUT RETIN A ON SKIN THAT HAS JUST BEEN WASHED! I learned the hard way. You have to wait at least 20 minutes after you dry your face off. Not sure why, but it will cause a lot of redness, dryness and burn like a mother fucker if you don't wait. I figured 5 minutes was fine. WRONG. PS: R51, yes! That shit was awful!

• Has anyone tried Green Cream? It gets good reviews on MUA. I'm thinking about getting it.

• I started using it a year ago and have noticed a difference. Hadn't seen a friend in a year and he asked me if I had work done as I looked much younger.

• So many deluded queens that think any of this shit will help.

• I'm addicted to it and use it everyday!

  Freddy Kruger

• It does help if you start when you are 15.

• All these eldger gays also think they look 25 years old as well.

• R55 I am not delusional. I'm in my early 40's and after using this for a year...it's OBVIOUS in photos that I look better and younger. Many people who haven't seen me have commented and do not know what I am using. Do i look 28? No, but it has taken about 5 years off my age.