Retin-A

[Fidelia]

Have any of you ever used it? Tell me what you know about it.

 

[highlander]

I used it a long time ago. Didn't like the way it made my skin feel and stopped using it. Pretty standard stuff I think though.

 

[chickpea]

i used it for 2 or 3 months in high school, had to stop because it was making my skin extremely dry to the point where it was flaking off all day. the dermatologist told me it'd take 2 months to take effect, but it didn't completely get rid of my acne and it really wasn't worth it for me. i figured i looked better with a few pimples than having my skin peeling off.

 

[OrangeAppled]

Retin-a (tretinoin) is good stuff to me. Different skin handles it, well, differently. It basically speeds up skin cell turnover, which keeps pores clear, smooths wrinkles, fades discoloration, etc. It prevents acne by keeping the pores clear of course.

You have to start with a low concentration, a tiny pea drop every other night, and moisturize well. It takes about a year to work up to the highest concentration (but some people don't even need that). Get a cream instead of a gel also (less drying, obviously). You also pretty much want to give any new product 12 weeks to see any difference.

I use tazorac, a stronger version (vitamin a derived also) every night and my skin is fine as long as I moisturize. It's probably the most effective product I've ever used on my skin. My skin can be sensitive, but more so to fragrances and detergents.

Over the counter retinols are not the same as prescription retin-a. The skin processes a retinol in order to "use" it, and it becomes much, much weaker. Of course, it is also less drying too though. These are also very unstable and basically become useless when exposed to too much air/light. If you try a product with it, make sure it is in an opaque container with a pump, not a clear, glass jar. They will probably help as anti-aging, but not so much with acne, unless it's comedal acne (non-inflamed, not red zits).

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me. Before I got into MBTI, skin, its structure, and how skin care ingredients work was a great interest of mine (man, I am such a nerd).

 

[figsfiggyfigs]

I used it. Great stuff. I had bad skin for a good while and started using Retina A after my sister, who has had really horrible acne since she hit puberty, recommend it.
First month possibly two are the worst. Your skin will become very sensitive, might even sting quite a bit when you apply it the first three weeks, will start flaking by the second till your skin is more used to the product, which might be around 4-6 weeks. After that, it is smooth sailing, I even use it like a moisterizer sometimes. Use high SPF when you're in the sun.

For me, it really helped me a ton. I owe my skin to it. I was worried at one point that my skin will be as bad as my sister's, but it never got to that point thanks to Retina.

I highly recommend it. You just have to keep using it even if your skin start to flake. That's where most people stop. But that only means it is just starting to work. The flaking does stop within the two first month for most.

 

[Fidelia]

I would like to use it for anti-aging and for some skin discoloration on my upper lip and around my nose that has gotten worse over the last few years. I still am not sure how you would make a pea sized drop spread around sufficiently without being concentrated in one area and non-existent in another. Would you mix it with a moisturizer and then apply? What kind of concentration should you start with?

My doctor isn't likely to prescribe something like that just for cosmetic reasons. I know it is available through the internet, but don't want to get the wrong thing. There seems to be quite a price range too. Mostly my skin seems to be able to handle potentially irritating creams etc, so I would like to give it a try.

What advice do you have for me?

 

[OrangeAppled]

You use a little dab here & there that would all amount to a fat pea total. It will spread, especially the cream kind. I don't use more than that for my whole face.
I wouldn't mix it with a moisturizer; many moisturizers have ingredients designed to sit on the skin to hold in moisture & create a protective barrier of sorts. It could effect absorption. You want to make sure it's absorbed before applying a moisturizer on top.

Your doctor would likely prescribe it to you. Many, many, many women use retin-a for wrinkles & discoloration. Just ask about it. Can you go to a dermatologist specifically?

Most dermatologists will start you on .025% which is the lowest I am aware of. The highest available is .1%.

Are you in Canada or am I thinking of someone else? I get mine from an online pharmacy in India w/out a prescription , and it's legit, but they don't ship to Canada because of some laws there. I always send money orders too, because I don't trust their site with my credit info (not secure). It's under $5 a tube + $15 shipping or so. There are other sites out there too that don't ask for a prescription, but you want to investigate them thoroughly to make sure they're legit. If you've found somewhere to order it online, then I'd suggest getting a .025% tretinoin cream (tretinoin is the generic name).

When I had health insurance, it only cost me $10 a tube, but it's like $75 a tube without insurance (in the US), and you have to have a prescription of course.

If you want to try an over-the-counter retinoid (ie. most commonly retinol) instead, then this page has a useful chart with products listed for each kind of retinoid: http://www.skinacea.com/retinoids/types-of-retinoids.html
Note: it doesn't contain retinyl palmitate, which is weaker than retinol, but it's in many anti-aging products (mainly for show; it's not super effective because it's so weak & most products don't include a high enough % of it).

I don't know how well an OTC retinol will work for fading discoloration though, and many don't tell you their strength, so it's hard to pick an effective product. They also use varying names on the labels for it, which the chart explains.

Anyway, don't want to bombard you with too much info. Hope that's useful.

 

[Fidelia]

You really can't get to see a specialist (at least in Western Canada) like a dermatologist here for something like that. How did you decide if a particular supplier was legit and had decent product? That's quite a bit cheaper than anything I have read about! I was expecting to pay something like $80/tube at best!

 

[OrangeAppled]

Well, without health insurance, it's like $80-100 a doctor visit here, which is why I don't go anymore....

I did some web researching to find out other people's experiences. The online pharmacy I use had a lot of positive but honest reviews that weren't from spam bots. I found them on various skin care forums & blogs. One thing I learned was that these pharmacy sites in other countries don't always have the most secure sites, even if they are honest & legit. People gave honest experiences of having their credit info hacked and having unauthorized charges when they paid with credit cards. Many didn't have this happen, but the risk is real. They all said the solution was to pay with money order via snail mail, that way none of your bank/credit info is vulnerable. This has worked out fine for me, albeit it's a slow process.

The unanimous feedback was that the products are the real thing. I also looked up the manufacturers of the products being sold & found they were all legit pharmaceutical companies in India. I was also already familiar with how the product should look/feel/smell, so when I got it, I didn't have any suspicions.

 

[CzeCze]

I use trenitin and tarzorac. Tarzorac might be more targeted for melisma. I would recommend using a strong restorative cream to alternate with the retina. Something with peptides, collagen, etc. you have to be even more vigilant with your suncare. The retina will also allow your creams to sink in deeper. I'd also try light peels or microdermabrasion with the retinols or IPL. Altogether this will make a big improve,ent to discoloration and is great for anti aging. If you do these things judiciously it's almost impossible to "go overboard". Strip the skin layers and keep the new skin healthy.

 

[INTP]

I have retinA in my eyes

 

[figsfiggyfigs]

I would like to use it for anti-aging and for some skin discoloration on my upper lip and around my nose that has gotten worse over the last few years. I still am not sure how you would make a pea sized drop spread around sufficiently without being concentrated in one area and non-existent in another. Would you mix it with a moisturizer and then apply? What kind of concentration should you start with?

My doctor isn't likely to prescribe something like that just for cosmetic reasons. I know it is available through the internet, but don't want to get the wrong thing. There seems to be quite a price range too. Mostly my skin seems to be able to handle potentially irritating creams etc, so I would like to give it a try.

What advice do you have for me?

Yes, they recommend it as an anti-aging cream. My face was also very discolored, and the cream fixed that. It's really useful.
I usually apply it right before bed, I started off with a bit every second or third night, then slowly moved it up to every night. No moisturizer, although some people use it because it makes applying it easier. I apply the moisturizer after I've washed my face the next morning. I used Jergens cooling effects. I LOVE that stuff, it is so light, but does such a great job. You have to keep your your skin moisturized.

I think you can purchase them online, some take prescriptions, some don't( if you're shipping to Canada, they'll probably take prescription). You can even find them for 3-5$ a tube. And yes, they're real pharmacies. But just to make sure, do some research.
My sister got me a ton from Dubai, they were 50cent a tube.

 

[Fidelia]

Would there be any reason not to go with Tarzorac? Does it come in the same kinds of concentrations as Retin-A? Thanks so much to you all for your experience and advice. This is something I'd really like to get dealt with.

 

[figsfiggyfigs]

I heard good things about Tarzorac. I can't personally share an opinion, but I'm sure there are members who can. Good luck!