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I was prescribed buy tretinoin gel 0.1 online. Tretinoin comes in a range of concentrations from 0.01% to 0.1%, and lots of different formulations (time released, gel, creams etc.). Cream formulas are gentler than alcohol-based gels even though tretinoin seems to penetrate better from a cream (I would guess it’s because wet skin is more permeable than dehydrated skin, and the cream base acts as a built-in moisturiser). Time-released formulas are also gentler, but more expensive.
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My skin’s quite sensitive to retinoids, and I had an unpleasant experience when I used too much 1% retinol and had a nasty cold at the same time which made my nose shed skin flakes for about a fortnight (I have a theory that it gave me broken capillaries around my nose),
I’ve also found that there’s a lag time of about two days between me using a retinoid product, and actually experiencing the irritation and flaking. This means instead of monitoring my skin and adjusting my routine as usual, I had to take extra care to pre-empt irritation.
There are a few strategies that are commonly recommended for helping you build up to the full leave-on treatment for retinoids:
Using a lower concentration and building up: I was only prescribed 0.05% cream, so I decided to dilute it on my face by applying oil first. The oil should also give a time-release effect, since the tretinoin has to diffuse through the oil layer before reaching the skin.
Alternate day application: Pretty self-explanatory – use it every second day at first. I decided to be even more cautious and apply it every third day and build up.
Short contact therapy: This is where you apply the product like a mask, and only leave it on for a short amount of time before rinsing it off. There are a few studies where short contact gave good results – in one study on acne, daily 0.05% tretinoin cream applied for 30 mins gave comparable results to leave-on tretinoin, and a lot less (~20%) of people had irritation even without moisturiser, compared to over 80% normally.
Mild skincare: This means using gentle cleansers and moisturisers, and avoiding actives like acid exfoliants while your skin’s getting used to the retinoid. If it’s really bad, dermatologists can prescribe a corticosteroid cream to help your skin recover.
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Not applying tretinoin to skin while wet: It’s easier for ingredients to penetrate wet skin, so I made sure I always waited at least half an hour after washing to apply the tretinoin.
It’s also recommended that you dot the product around your skin and then rub it all in, so you can make sure it’s applied as evenly as possible.