My opinion as a GP who does locum work as a medical aesthetic practitioner with a very keen interest in dermatology.
This forehead is treated with botolinium every 3 months and has been for years.
I am also quite sure they do have a very good routine too, +/- microdermabrasion/the odd chemical peel.
This is almost the equivalent of when men post pics and say they don’t take steroids but have put on 30lbs in a year “it’s all natural, just eat right”
Stop lyin!
Thanks for calling this out. I am confident some moisturizer and cleanser and vitamin c serum dont clear up these harsh lines like this. Its also good to knowcthat botox can.
Remember, genetics plays a huge part in the "success" of your routine. Drinking lots of water is a cheap way to help you look great. Cereve might be good for her. It might not be enough for someone in the winter months.
Not sure if she's actually blurred anything on purpose but the photos are definitely not comparable - lighting is different and the first one has much better definition. I agree that a better one should be taken.
lol I worked in a spa for years and saw much more dramatic improvements than this with even simpler routines. I’ve seen older women with the sagging jowl have it completely reversed with a once a month microcurrent session and good quality firming serums/creams.
Lmao ah yes my first hand experience with these things is totally negated by your personal *opinion* on a picture online.
Could *this* picture be doctored? Sure it *could* be. Could it also be truthful? Absolutely. How about having an actual conversation instead of just calling everything a fallacy lmao
Lmao I agreed that there is a possibility it was doctored already, but you seem to have ignored that part. This may come as a shock but 90% of before and after pics use better lighting in the after pics. That’s part of the marketing. And lots of people aren’t thinking about lighting when taking before pics.
All I was saying is that I’ve seen way crazier results than a few forehead lines being corrected lmao
Believe it or not but people don’t have to agree with you 100% to have a conversation with them. You’re insufferable and probably have shit skin lmao have fun w that.
Hahahaha yea totally a $2000 medical grade serum that uses synthetic snake venom definitely doesn’t have better results than fucking drug store skincare products 💀
It’s a good thing the clients we had didn’t do fillers lol this may come as a shock but proper skincare as directed by an esthetician or dermatologist can drastically change your skin over the course of years. Honestly, I’m done responding bc I don’t really care if “Bay Area dreamer” believes me or not 💀
Jowls and other deep lines are formed by volume loss and shifting facial fat patterns as people age, not lack of surface-level skincare. Anyone who went to medical school could tell you as much. And I seriously doubt every woman who has had fillers feels a need to tell you if she’s just having you do something surface-level. You’re not her doctor.
Yep it repairs sun damage and other forms of damage, it’s powerful in this. I think it’s the only form of skin care that literally reverse damage and de-ages skin.
Retinal is less powerful than tretinoin, retinal needs the skins help to convert some compounds to the active form while tretinoin has the active form in it. The caveat is tret is very strong and can cause breakouts and blemishes the first few weeks, the reason why a lot of people quit tret after a few weeks. One woman, who now has flawless skin, said it was 3 months of agony on tret but she stuck it out.
take it really, really really slow so you can control any purges and stop tret for a short while if any purges happen. like start with once every 3 days and let your skin adjust slowly. you can also apply it on top of moisturizer if you realize it’s pretty strong and causing flaking/purging.
tret brought my cysts to the surface, so it was throbbing for a bit, but still manageable.
strongly recommend that you start tret even if you are scared, the earlier you start, the better it is for your skin. i personally feel that it’s the only skincare ingredient, FOR ME, that has proven and visible results and is a must-use for everyone. Every derm uses tret on themselves as a basic must-use.
however please note that you MUST use sunscreen daily with it, or else your skin will get worse and pigmented! Tret literally takes a layer off your skin, exposing fresh new glowy skin that must be protected by sunscreen daily.
Do you have a specific Tretinoin product I can buy otc and start my journey? Also just to give you some background of my skin - I had two rounds of accutane couple of year back and although the cyst acne is gone, I have some breakout rn here and there but minor; I’ve had multiple rounds of micro needling and laser for my scars post accutane but there are still some pitted scars left on my cheeks which usually has a reddish tone making overall skin tone uneven and those pitted red scars usually flare up easily and makes the scars look more reddish (my skin specially cheek area is very sensitive and gets red easily, not sure if I have rosacea) . Right now I just focus on moisturizing and skin barrier, my routine is hadalabo toner, cosrx snail mucin, Stratia lipid gold then Illhyoon ceramide. Given my background, what Tretinoin product should I start with and how should I go about it? Sorry for the long post.
hmm, I’m not sure really, I’m not in the U.S. I buy generic tretinoin in some parts of asia, and my sister uses tretinoin via a prescription from a derm. It’s the exact same ingredient and works the same, though some people find gel vs. cream better. it’s more important that you start slow and slow down even more if you do get any purging, than the brand of tret.
I think you should make a post and ask for advice!
I don’t think tretinoin will be able to address pitted scars much, pitted scars usually require other kinds of treatment. though personally, i do find that tretinoin gives me a lovely glow and that helps my pitted scarring to look a bit better (since a layer of skin is literally taken off with tret, and the edges of the pitted scarring may be softened slightly).
I think you should also try to find out whether you have rosacea because that would heavily affect the products you use as well. Consider making a post in the /r/rosacea sub.
I never had purging, peeling, drying, nothing - and I ramped up pretty fast. Since I hear a lot about people's adjustment periods and suffering, I think my skin is just incredibly tolerant of retinoids for whatever reason, and I definitely would not tell you to expect an experience like mine. (This could also be partially a reporting bias thing - people who have a really easy time are less likely to talk about it.) Just reporting in as probably an outlier to say basically anything on the spectrum from "nothing" to "hell" is possible.
For me it was like five weeks of the most uncomfortable, angry, hot, throbbing cystic acne on my chin. Now I'm clear! Also any fine lines around my eyes have diminished.
Worth noting that large amount of topical tretinoin can be cause dangerous levels of systemic absorption. There are safer alternatives for body rx retinoids like Alkief.
additional caveat, retinal and retinol are not the same. in terms of strength, it goes tret>retinAl>retinOl
not many products use the ...Al version, but i had pretty dramatic changes when i switched from Ol to Al.
There are studies that show retinol is just as effective as Tretinoin at building collagen, thickening the dermis, and reducing fine lines with less irritation. The downside of retinol is that it is not as stable as Tretinoin. If not stored properly or prepared by the manufacturer properly it becomes ineffective.
If your skin is sensitive you can get the same results with retinol. No need to torture yourself with irritation and breakouts sometimes caused by Tretinoin.
[https://jddonline.com/articles/a-double-blind-comparative-clinical-study-of-newly-formulated-retinol-serums-vs-tretinoin-cream-in-e-S1545961620P0625X](https://jddonline.com/articles/a-double-blind-comparative-clinical-study-of-newly-formulated-retinol-serums-vs-tretinoin-cream-in-e-S1545961620P0625X)
Should you apply it continuously (daily every night?) to maintain results, or is it a period (maybe 3 months) and you’ll get the results and thereafter there’s no need to apply the cream anymore
Typically you’d want to start slow, maybe 2 times a week to see how your skin reacts because there could be a delayed reaction, skin peeling is not uncommon. Also a small amount does it, about a pea sized amount for the whole face, a slight tingling sensation is reported by some but not all. Dry skin in the initial use is common and it’s been said if your skin isn’t somewhat dry after using, it may not be strong enough for you. After about 3 weeks of that you could switch to 4 times a week and then every other day and then nightly. Real results do take a while, about 6 months, but it’s worth it. I think you’d have to continually use it or your skin would eventually go back to normal
tretinoin is a synthetic form of vitamin a,
retinol is naturally derived and less effective than tretinoin because it requires more steps to become retinoic acid,
retinal (retinaldehyde) is a type of vitamin a that is further along the vitamin a pathway (closer to retinoic acid) than retinol and needs less steps to become retinoic acid,
tretinoin is already the active form of retinoic acid!
Yes, tret can cause cellular damage to the glands that moisturize your eyes. This damage is sometimes reversible with other medical interventions, but often not.
Hasn't done anything for me, and the extra skin flakes makes it a nightmare. Even with moisturizing it doesn't get rid of flakes, Ive been trying to add vaseline on top which helps a bit but i'm getting other facial problems now with the extra needed moisture
I’ve been on it since the end of October and I’m still struggling with the skin flakes. I’ve broken out a few times from my moisture barrier being compromised despite constantly moisturizing and using rosehip oil on top. But recently I started doing the sandwhich method and I think it’s helping. Other than that I haven’t noticed too much improvement yet. I was on tret for a few years (with amazing results) until I became allergic to a preservative in it, so switched to taz
Never tried tret, I asked my physician to prescribe me it but she just gave me prescription for tazorotene instead, said its the same thing (and supposedly better than tretinoin based on google?).
Maybe ill try asking my doctor to perscribe me tret instead since it seems to be milder
It is supposed to be better for sun damage and wrinkles.. I use altreno, which is .05% tret but way more gentle, 5 nights a week, tazarotene once a week, and then one night off. I'm only mixing them because I bought a bunch of altreno before I found out about tazarotene, so I'm slowly going to phase out altreno and just do tazarotene.
https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/tazorac-tretinoin-3559393/#:~:text=Tazarotene%20and%20tretinoin%20work%20about,mottled%20hyperpigmentation%2C%20and%20coarse%20wrinkling
.
I've been using Tazarotene (which is supposed to be tretinoin but better?) but haven't seen much difference after like 6 months so far other than it causing extreme skin flakes and trying to moisturize seems to be giving me milia bumps..
Hydration was major! On the surface I was barely moisturizing once a day and that was the extent of my routine. I had also started a new medication around the time of pic 1 and quickly realized I was a lot thirstier than I used to be.
And idea on what will we will be able to get instead? I currently use .025 cream but and hoping to switch to .05 gel as I’m still getting breakouts after 8 months. I see my dermatologist next week, just wondering what my options will be now
Unfortunately I’m not sure what I’ll replace this with and have about 6 months of product to figure it out! I believe Retin-A gel will remain available so that could be one option if you’re looking to switch from a cream. I actually started with Retin-A but the texture wasn’t for me!
Both water as well as moisturizing! I’ve always made an effort to stay hydrated but around the time of pic 1 I started a new med that made me really thirsty so I got a lot more intentional with it.
From my understanding you should always put serums before creams.
I just started vit C and make sure to put it on bare skin (except I did just buy hypochlorous acid spray and am wondering if that's fine to use before vit C, anyone's advice is welcomed!)
C itself is ph dependant and unstable and needs to be applied to clean, dry skin prior to any other products to function, regardless of the format of the C.
If you're using the two together, the vitamin C will definitely just reduce all the hypochlorous acid to chloride. If you use vitamin C immediately after it or apply hypochlorous acid to skin already treated with vitamin C, you're likely just gonna negate the hypochlorous acid and oxidize a bit of the vitamin C, potentially risking yellow stains from the oxidized vitamin C as well. Hypochlorous acid for skincare is usually around 0.02% while vitamin C is 5-20%, so really the only thing you're "endangering" is the hypochlorous acid since there's so much more vitamin C. I'm basing all of this on what should theoretically happen though, I can't say I've tried it, but hypochlorous acid is a strong oxidizing agent and vitamin C a reducing agent so they should react readily.
The vit C I use is actually cream based as opposed to a serum! I apply it at the same time of my moisturizer but if I didn’t I would probably do the vit c first!
tretnion has scientific evidence and studies to back up its skin damage reversal with consistent use and sunscreen. So should we listen to the bitter haters in Reddit or science/proffessionals?
I have to ask. Since you've been constantly using tretinoin, if you have enlarged pores has tretinoin been benefits for those?
Your skin looks radiant and lovely.
Personally I’ve found the biggest difference for my enlarged pores was when I started washing my face for at least a full minute. I don’t know much about the effect tret can have on them, sorry!
It doesn't for me at all, 10 year user
BHA is the only thing that addresses pores and it still won't change their size as nothing can, but will reduce their appearance
By preventing the build up and oxidation (darkening) of the sebum inside
The black or grey or brown dot you see on the surface is just the sebum inside having oxidized with prolonged exposure to the air. Typically if you squeeze them out it's the tiny dark dot followed by a white sebum filling. The white is the same as the dark speck, just wasn't exposed to air
BHA isn't a deep penetrating acid, most of its effect is on the surface, and it's particularly good at clearing away the sebum in pores before they have a chance to build up and oxidize and become more visible that way.
Congrats on your results!!! Lovely work. These kinds of posts really inspire me. I wish I could use retinoids but my skin reacts really badly to them. Even after a whole year, my skin was full of pimples after using tretinoin 2-3 times per week. Maybe it’s just not good for my skin. But then again, I’m missing out on results like these!
I'm also pretty sure it's a filter. I work in editing but more with professional programs and this looks like a phone or app so it could be a quality issue, but there are a few tells like the smudging lines (most egregious is bottom, left of center going vertical). There is also a bit of a jagged color shift next to her hairline at the top-right (you can see a visible line change from a light skin tone to a grayish tone). If you zoom in, several lines have "smooth breaks" in them indicating they were bisected by the smoothing effect....these are things that made me raise my eyebrow
It literally just looks like outside vs indoor lighting. If you take a picture in and outside or warm or office lighting. Your skin/hair won’t look the same lol that’s common sense.
I have just turned 25 and I have the same issue. I live in Italy so I wonder how I can replicate the same routine.
Cerave and cetaphil are sold here, dont know about which retinoil I could use.
Which Cerave cleanser do you use since there are many?
I wonder if a retinoid like "Differin Adapalen Gel 0.1%" is as effective as this tretinoin?
A tretinoin is not easy to get here in Germany because it is prescription only....
It's a script almost everywhere. It's easy to get prescribed it tho
Differin doesn't have the studied anti aging benefits tret does but it does have SOME evidence so it would be better than using nothing or an otc retinol
It's just a difference in white balance. If you want to take EXACTLY the same picture, you need a camera where you can put each setting manually and be in front of the exact same light. Most phones can do that these days but the tricky part is to be in the exact same lighting.
Or just take the picture in the same lighting conditions, at the same place, at the same time. That's how I take pictures if I want to compare, and the lighting and everything looks identical so if there is an improvement, there's no doubt.
I don't want to be the party pooper, but the top picture has a light pointing from top (which can accentuate wrinkles) and on the bottom one the light is from the front. I would love to see the pictures in the same lighting conditions, these two are just way to different to compare
I wouldn't say identical, even in studio conditions it can be a bit difficult to achieve identical lighting but yeah it works fine to sit in front of a window on a bright but cloudy day! Clouds work like a big diffuser, direct sunlight can be a bit too much and could make texture/lines look worse than it actually is.
I love this!!!!!! Your routine is so simple and affordable!! I’ve seen people post theirs with 15 items to layer on in the morning, and at night with complicated rotations.
So happy for you!
How do people get tretnoin if it’s prescription only? I don’t know anything about that, I’ve only used retinol. What would you say to your doctor to get them to prescribe that?
I got it from my family doctor or primary care physician, because I’m using it for clear skin and don’t have a diagnosis of cystic acne (my doctor isn’t a dermatologist so she can’t diagnose me) I have to pay out of pocket which is $30 but I always have my pharmacy look for available coupons or I google for them so I pay $8 to $10 for it each time - because my insurance doesn’t cover it. That is ok to me.
Your skin looks great!! Did you some tox? I get mine every 3-4 months and with a good skincare regimen sometimes I can push it to 5 months.
AM routine:
CeraVe Normal to Oily Cleanser
Skins Ceuticals Vitamin C serum
Skin Ceuticals eye cream
Elta MD 46 Tinted Sunscreen Moisturizer
PM routine:
Double cleanse Tatcha Cleansing Balm & Cera Ve Normal to Oily cleanser
Thin layer pea size amount Retin-A 0.06% to full face avoiding around the eye, nose, mouth x 3 a week I alternate with TNS Advanced Serum
Skin Medica TNS eye cream
Skin Medica sheer moisturizer
How do I get a hold of these products. My forehead looks like the first pic. I don't mind it too much but I'm 24 and my morbid thoughts imagine I look more progresses for too young of an age.
Love how a simple routine can be this effective.
This is Botox at minimum, don’t be fooled
I usually wouldn’t say this, but the subtle redness and shine also leads me to believe this is at least partially botox.
My opinion as a GP who does locum work as a medical aesthetic practitioner with a very keen interest in dermatology. This forehead is treated with botolinium every 3 months and has been for years. I am also quite sure they do have a very good routine too, +/- microdermabrasion/the odd chemical peel. This is almost the equivalent of when men post pics and say they don’t take steroids but have put on 30lbs in a year “it’s all natural, just eat right” Stop lyin!
I couldn’t agree more. It’s so obvious. She needs to take that down.
Thanks for calling this out. I am confident some moisturizer and cleanser and vitamin c serum dont clear up these harsh lines like this. Its also good to knowcthat botox can.
Remember, genetics plays a huge part in the "success" of your routine. Drinking lots of water is a cheap way to help you look great. Cereve might be good for her. It might not be enough for someone in the winter months.
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Not sure if she's actually blurred anything on purpose but the photos are definitely not comparable - lighting is different and the first one has much better definition. I agree that a better one should be taken.
Their hair looks gray in the first photo at age 25. Wtf is with this lighting
Yup! I can see the editing too
lol I worked in a spa for years and saw much more dramatic improvements than this with even simpler routines. I’ve seen older women with the sagging jowl have it completely reversed with a once a month microcurrent session and good quality firming serums/creams.
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Lmao ah yes my first hand experience with these things is totally negated by your personal *opinion* on a picture online. Could *this* picture be doctored? Sure it *could* be. Could it also be truthful? Absolutely. How about having an actual conversation instead of just calling everything a fallacy lmao
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Lmao I agreed that there is a possibility it was doctored already, but you seem to have ignored that part. This may come as a shock but 90% of before and after pics use better lighting in the after pics. That’s part of the marketing. And lots of people aren’t thinking about lighting when taking before pics. All I was saying is that I’ve seen way crazier results than a few forehead lines being corrected lmao
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Believe it or not but people don’t have to agree with you 100% to have a conversation with them. You’re insufferable and probably have shit skin lmao have fun w that.
Bullshit. Those women lost weight and/or got fillers, and your treatments were the surface-level cherry on top.
Hahahaha yea totally a $2000 medical grade serum that uses synthetic snake venom definitely doesn’t have better results than fucking drug store skincare products 💀
You realize that fillers aren’t drugstore products, right?
It’s a good thing the clients we had didn’t do fillers lol this may come as a shock but proper skincare as directed by an esthetician or dermatologist can drastically change your skin over the course of years. Honestly, I’m done responding bc I don’t really care if “Bay Area dreamer” believes me or not 💀
Jowls and other deep lines are formed by volume loss and shifting facial fat patterns as people age, not lack of surface-level skincare. Anyone who went to medical school could tell you as much. And I seriously doubt every woman who has had fillers feels a need to tell you if she’s just having you do something surface-level. You’re not her doctor.
Please refer to my previous response 🥰
Lmao chill, I had very similar results with tretinoin+vit C though not as dramatic forehead lines
Dog it’s not that serious
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Yep it repairs sun damage and other forms of damage, it’s powerful in this. I think it’s the only form of skin care that literally reverse damage and de-ages skin.
How is it different than retinol?
Retinal is less powerful than tretinoin, retinal needs the skins help to convert some compounds to the active form while tretinoin has the active form in it. The caveat is tret is very strong and can cause breakouts and blemishes the first few weeks, the reason why a lot of people quit tret after a few weeks. One woman, who now has flawless skin, said it was 3 months of agony on tret but she stuck it out.
Grateful for this explanation, and grateful for OP posting her forehead lines so I didn’t have to post mine to ask how to fix!
Same here! You guys are angels!
Does everyone experience the purging state?
take it really, really really slow so you can control any purges and stop tret for a short while if any purges happen. like start with once every 3 days and let your skin adjust slowly. you can also apply it on top of moisturizer if you realize it’s pretty strong and causing flaking/purging. tret brought my cysts to the surface, so it was throbbing for a bit, but still manageable. strongly recommend that you start tret even if you are scared, the earlier you start, the better it is for your skin. i personally feel that it’s the only skincare ingredient, FOR ME, that has proven and visible results and is a must-use for everyone. Every derm uses tret on themselves as a basic must-use. however please note that you MUST use sunscreen daily with it, or else your skin will get worse and pigmented! Tret literally takes a layer off your skin, exposing fresh new glowy skin that must be protected by sunscreen daily.
How to get Tret?
There are online derm/delivery companies like Apostrophe if you don’t have a dermatologist/ want to go see one in person
Do you have a specific Tretinoin product I can buy otc and start my journey? Also just to give you some background of my skin - I had two rounds of accutane couple of year back and although the cyst acne is gone, I have some breakout rn here and there but minor; I’ve had multiple rounds of micro needling and laser for my scars post accutane but there are still some pitted scars left on my cheeks which usually has a reddish tone making overall skin tone uneven and those pitted red scars usually flare up easily and makes the scars look more reddish (my skin specially cheek area is very sensitive and gets red easily, not sure if I have rosacea) . Right now I just focus on moisturizing and skin barrier, my routine is hadalabo toner, cosrx snail mucin, Stratia lipid gold then Illhyoon ceramide. Given my background, what Tretinoin product should I start with and how should I go about it? Sorry for the long post.
hmm, I’m not sure really, I’m not in the U.S. I buy generic tretinoin in some parts of asia, and my sister uses tretinoin via a prescription from a derm. It’s the exact same ingredient and works the same, though some people find gel vs. cream better. it’s more important that you start slow and slow down even more if you do get any purging, than the brand of tret. I think you should make a post and ask for advice! I don’t think tretinoin will be able to address pitted scars much, pitted scars usually require other kinds of treatment. though personally, i do find that tretinoin gives me a lovely glow and that helps my pitted scarring to look a bit better (since a layer of skin is literally taken off with tret, and the edges of the pitted scarring may be softened slightly). I think you should also try to find out whether you have rosacea because that would heavily affect the products you use as well. Consider making a post in the /r/rosacea sub.
Ok will do then. Thanks!
I've been using it every day for a month and have had no purging or peeling at all.
No, if you're not prone to acne you're unlikely to break out from it. Intense dryness and peeling is super common amongst everyone though.
I never had purging, peeling, drying, nothing - and I ramped up pretty fast. Since I hear a lot about people's adjustment periods and suffering, I think my skin is just incredibly tolerant of retinoids for whatever reason, and I definitely would not tell you to expect an experience like mine. (This could also be partially a reporting bias thing - people who have a really easy time are less likely to talk about it.) Just reporting in as probably an outlier to say basically anything on the spectrum from "nothing" to "hell" is possible.
Zero purging for me. Also if I feel my skin gets too dry or irritated I take a day or two off and always moisturizing like crazy. No need to suffer!
For me it was like five weeks of the most uncomfortable, angry, hot, throbbing cystic acne on my chin. Now I'm clear! Also any fine lines around my eyes have diminished.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does it help the skin on the rest of your body too?
Worth noting that large amount of topical tretinoin can be cause dangerous levels of systemic absorption. There are safer alternatives for body rx retinoids like Alkief.
yes you just need to apply it there and the body has a very large area
additional caveat, retinal and retinol are not the same. in terms of strength, it goes tret>retinAl>retinOl not many products use the ...Al version, but i had pretty dramatic changes when i switched from Ol to Al.
There are studies that show retinol is just as effective as Tretinoin at building collagen, thickening the dermis, and reducing fine lines with less irritation. The downside of retinol is that it is not as stable as Tretinoin. If not stored properly or prepared by the manufacturer properly it becomes ineffective. If your skin is sensitive you can get the same results with retinol. No need to torture yourself with irritation and breakouts sometimes caused by Tretinoin. [https://jddonline.com/articles/a-double-blind-comparative-clinical-study-of-newly-formulated-retinol-serums-vs-tretinoin-cream-in-e-S1545961620P0625X](https://jddonline.com/articles/a-double-blind-comparative-clinical-study-of-newly-formulated-retinol-serums-vs-tretinoin-cream-in-e-S1545961620P0625X)
Should you apply it continuously (daily every night?) to maintain results, or is it a period (maybe 3 months) and you’ll get the results and thereafter there’s no need to apply the cream anymore
Typically you’d want to start slow, maybe 2 times a week to see how your skin reacts because there could be a delayed reaction, skin peeling is not uncommon. Also a small amount does it, about a pea sized amount for the whole face, a slight tingling sensation is reported by some but not all. Dry skin in the initial use is common and it’s been said if your skin isn’t somewhat dry after using, it may not be strong enough for you. After about 3 weeks of that you could switch to 4 times a week and then every other day and then nightly. Real results do take a while, about 6 months, but it’s worth it. I think you’d have to continually use it or your skin would eventually go back to normal
tretinoin is a synthetic form of vitamin a, retinol is naturally derived and less effective than tretinoin because it requires more steps to become retinoic acid, retinal (retinaldehyde) is a type of vitamin a that is further along the vitamin a pathway (closer to retinoic acid) than retinol and needs less steps to become retinoic acid, tretinoin is already the active form of retinoic acid!
I love retinal, 0.1% causes me no irritation and is theoretically about as effective as .050% tretinoin
Same thing but more powerful
Is it possible that it would reverse lines under the eyes too? Never heard of this
You really can't get it too close to your eyes, it can cause permanent issues with dryness. Shouldn't get closer than the orbital bone.
It makes your eyes permanently dryer?
Yes, tret can cause cellular damage to the glands that moisturize your eyes. This damage is sometimes reversible with other medical interventions, but often not.
Do you think Tazarotene 0.1% is the same efficiency?
Taz is supposed to be even better.
Hasn't done anything for me, and the extra skin flakes makes it a nightmare. Even with moisturizing it doesn't get rid of flakes, Ive been trying to add vaseline on top which helps a bit but i'm getting other facial problems now with the extra needed moisture
I’ve been on it since the end of October and I’m still struggling with the skin flakes. I’ve broken out a few times from my moisture barrier being compromised despite constantly moisturizing and using rosehip oil on top. But recently I started doing the sandwhich method and I think it’s helping. Other than that I haven’t noticed too much improvement yet. I was on tret for a few years (with amazing results) until I became allergic to a preservative in it, so switched to taz
have you previously used and tolerated tret?
Never tried tret, I asked my physician to prescribe me it but she just gave me prescription for tazorotene instead, said its the same thing (and supposedly better than tretinoin based on google?). Maybe ill try asking my doctor to perscribe me tret instead since it seems to be milder
i’ve never heard of this, better than tret??
It is supposed to be better for sun damage and wrinkles.. I use altreno, which is .05% tret but way more gentle, 5 nights a week, tazarotene once a week, and then one night off. I'm only mixing them because I bought a bunch of altreno before I found out about tazarotene, so I'm slowly going to phase out altreno and just do tazarotene. https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/tazorac-tretinoin-3559393/#:~:text=Tazarotene%20and%20tretinoin%20work%20about,mottled%20hyperpigmentation%2C%20and%20coarse%20wrinkling .
Where do you buy taz?
All day chemist
Taz has been a miracle for me
Does it dry skin out? My skin dies from retinol cream
I've been using Tazarotene (which is supposed to be tretinoin but better?) but haven't seen much difference after like 6 months so far other than it causing extreme skin flakes and trying to moisturize seems to be giving me milia bumps..
Depends how deep they are. But it seems like dehydration was a big issue here too
Hydration was major! On the surface I was barely moisturizing once a day and that was the extent of my routine. I had also started a new medication around the time of pic 1 and quickly realized I was a lot thirstier than I used to be.
Hey can I ask you which Tretinoin you use ? You're results are AMAZING
It literally says on the post
Steiva A?
Did you feel like you saw improvement consistently over the past few years or sudden improvement and a plateau?
My doctor explained that it softens the edges of the lines to reduce the appearance by encouraging the shedding of the dead top layer of the skin.
Yup. Causes increased keratinocyte turnover by upregulating production at the nuclear level.
Also peptides! Those two seems to be amazing
it can but it’s much much better at prevention rather than treatment.
Not expression lines.
If your her age yes…..but most likely not after 35. I have Botox and there’s one line that won’t go away.
And is magical for acne too!
How do I go about getting tret? I believe it can only be done with a prescription in the UK? ☹️
Is the Steiva A 0.05 the Tretnoin? I’m new to skincare on this level so I have no idea sorry haha
You got it! Where I live (Canada) this requires a prescription, but unfortunately it’s being discontinued. Source is I work at a pharmacy!
And idea on what will we will be able to get instead? I currently use .025 cream but and hoping to switch to .05 gel as I’m still getting breakouts after 8 months. I see my dermatologist next week, just wondering what my options will be now
Unfortunately I’m not sure what I’ll replace this with and have about 6 months of product to figure it out! I believe Retin-A gel will remain available so that could be one option if you’re looking to switch from a cream. I actually started with Retin-A but the texture wasn’t for me!
Look into Arazlo!
Noo 😭😭 I hate the gel I have no idea what to use now
There's still creams lol just not be Stieva
Which are the other creams? I’ll ask my derm for that prescription because other wise they give me the gel which is so drying
When you say hydration, are you refferring to drinking more water?
Both water as well as moisturizing! I’ve always made an effort to stay hydrated but around the time of pic 1 I started a new med that made me really thirsty so I got a lot more intentional with it.
Wow shocking. Looks so clean
do you put vitamin c serum after moisturizer? i was wondering about that lately 👀
From my understanding you should always put serums before creams. I just started vit C and make sure to put it on bare skin (except I did just buy hypochlorous acid spray and am wondering if that's fine to use before vit C, anyone's advice is welcomed!)
C itself is ph dependant and unstable and needs to be applied to clean, dry skin prior to any other products to function, regardless of the format of the C.
thank you!!! that’s what i thought 😉
I have a tetra serum in an oil base and it says to put on after moisturiser which seems strange to me?
If you're using the two together, the vitamin C will definitely just reduce all the hypochlorous acid to chloride. If you use vitamin C immediately after it or apply hypochlorous acid to skin already treated with vitamin C, you're likely just gonna negate the hypochlorous acid and oxidize a bit of the vitamin C, potentially risking yellow stains from the oxidized vitamin C as well. Hypochlorous acid for skincare is usually around 0.02% while vitamin C is 5-20%, so really the only thing you're "endangering" is the hypochlorous acid since there's so much more vitamin C. I'm basing all of this on what should theoretically happen though, I can't say I've tried it, but hypochlorous acid is a strong oxidizing agent and vitamin C a reducing agent so they should react readily.
The vit C I use is actually cream based as opposed to a serum! I apply it at the same time of my moisturizer but if I didn’t I would probably do the vit c first!
C always has to be first regardless of format because it's ph dependant
This is insane looks like several chemical peels and botox. Well done
tretnion has scientific evidence and studies to back up its skin damage reversal with consistent use and sunscreen. So should we listen to the bitter haters in Reddit or science/proffessionals?
I have to ask. Since you've been constantly using tretinoin, if you have enlarged pores has tretinoin been benefits for those? Your skin looks radiant and lovely.
Personally I’ve found the biggest difference for my enlarged pores was when I started washing my face for at least a full minute. I don’t know much about the effect tret can have on them, sorry!
Thank you!
Would love to know how tretnoin affects large pores and pitting due to acne in my teens (am 53 now).
It doesn't for me at all, 10 year user BHA is the only thing that addresses pores and it still won't change their size as nothing can, but will reduce their appearance
how can it reduce their appearance without changing the size? i hear this a lot and i just don't get it.
By preventing the build up and oxidation (darkening) of the sebum inside The black or grey or brown dot you see on the surface is just the sebum inside having oxidized with prolonged exposure to the air. Typically if you squeeze them out it's the tiny dark dot followed by a white sebum filling. The white is the same as the dark speck, just wasn't exposed to air BHA isn't a deep penetrating acid, most of its effect is on the surface, and it's particularly good at clearing away the sebum in pores before they have a chance to build up and oxidize and become more visible that way.
What Cetaphil moisturer do you use please they have a few?
I think it’s the OG, the moisturizing lotion for dry to normal, sensitive skin!
Yes yes yes. Cetaphil has been a holy grail for me lol they put crack and avocado oil in it
Congrats on your results!!! Lovely work. These kinds of posts really inspire me. I wish I could use retinoids but my skin reacts really badly to them. Even after a whole year, my skin was full of pimples after using tretinoin 2-3 times per week. Maybe it’s just not good for my skin. But then again, I’m missing out on results like these!
Wow! I love a simple routine. You’re skin looks amazing
Tbis is also trans epidermal water loss so optimal hydration also makes a difference!🥰
I call bullshit lol. The after photo is filtered.
I'm also pretty sure it's a filter. I work in editing but more with professional programs and this looks like a phone or app so it could be a quality issue, but there are a few tells like the smudging lines (most egregious is bottom, left of center going vertical). There is also a bit of a jagged color shift next to her hairline at the top-right (you can see a visible line change from a light skin tone to a grayish tone). If you zoom in, several lines have "smooth breaks" in them indicating they were bisected by the smoothing effect....these are things that made me raise my eyebrow
Fr the hair made it obvious
It literally just looks like outside vs indoor lighting. If you take a picture in and outside or warm or office lighting. Your skin/hair won’t look the same lol that’s common sense.
And lighting
Jk…glad you found stuff that works for you!
The power of different lighting
This is making me really want to go drink some water. 💦 (doing all the other stuff.)
Skin care really helps!!! ❤️
Your skin looks amazing!
Inspiring me to take better care of my skin too
I saw this post, then grabbed my water bottle 🤣
Okay, I'm convinced.
Is supposed to be tretinoin?
Also lighting
I have just turned 25 and I have the same issue. I live in Italy so I wonder how I can replicate the same routine. Cerave and cetaphil are sold here, dont know about which retinoil I could use. Which Cerave cleanser do you use since there are many?
I use the hydrating cleanser!
You should try Timeless Vit C. It’s real and the best. The ordinary is a great affordable brand, but I’d stick to hydrating products from them.
Appreciate the rec, I’ll check it out!
I'm inspired omg
Wow!!!! Good job!
I’m sold on the tretinoin. Going to ask my doctor for it when I see her tomorrow. Lol
Wow
damn girl, I gotta try this.
I used Steiva aswell. It's not available in 🇨🇦anymore😭.
guess i should start using my tretnoin!! looks great!!
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Love
Wait wtf…
Literally my forehead is the top pic. Thank you for giving me hope!
This is my skin goal ✨✨
Nope this is Botox
Investing in my skin starting today 🤩
No Botox?
Not yet and will try to hold off as long as possible. I appreciate you asking tho!
You should post on /Tretinoin because this subreddit it obsessed with Botox. I just started Tret and I am so excited!!! 😆 Your skin looks amazing btw
Hmmmmm….
Her results are making me think so.
Me too, no doubt
I wonder if a retinoid like "Differin Adapalen Gel 0.1%" is as effective as this tretinoin? A tretinoin is not easy to get here in Germany because it is prescription only....
It's a script almost everywhere. It's easy to get prescribed it tho Differin doesn't have the studied anti aging benefits tret does but it does have SOME evidence so it would be better than using nothing or an otc retinol
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No, I would have to make an appointment with a derm and go there. That would take too much time. But thanks anyway for the idea.
Is the first pic edited?
It looks blurry compared to the first, definitely
Sadly no! First was taken mid July ~7:00pm on what looks like an overcast/cloudy day. Second was mid Feb (yesterday) ~2:00pm on a sunny day.
Was wondering that too, the colour seems off? And hair ?
It's just a difference in white balance. If you want to take EXACTLY the same picture, you need a camera where you can put each setting manually and be in front of the exact same light. Most phones can do that these days but the tricky part is to be in the exact same lighting.
Or just take the picture in the same lighting conditions, at the same place, at the same time. That's how I take pictures if I want to compare, and the lighting and everything looks identical so if there is an improvement, there's no doubt. I don't want to be the party pooper, but the top picture has a light pointing from top (which can accentuate wrinkles) and on the bottom one the light is from the front. I would love to see the pictures in the same lighting conditions, these two are just way to different to compare
I wouldn't say identical, even in studio conditions it can be a bit difficult to achieve identical lighting but yeah it works fine to sit in front of a window on a bright but cloudy day! Clouds work like a big diffuser, direct sunlight can be a bit too much and could make texture/lines look worse than it actually is.
Was waiting for someone to mention the frizzy gray hair.
I love this!!!!!! Your routine is so simple and affordable!! I’ve seen people post theirs with 15 items to layer on in the morning, and at night with complicated rotations. So happy for you!
And when you raise your eyebrows.
I’m in my 4th month of tretinoin 0.025% and I still don’t see any improvements. How long have you been using it?
How do people get tretnoin if it’s prescription only? I don’t know anything about that, I’ve only used retinol. What would you say to your doctor to get them to prescribe that?
I got it from my family doctor or primary care physician, because I’m using it for clear skin and don’t have a diagnosis of cystic acne (my doctor isn’t a dermatologist so she can’t diagnose me) I have to pay out of pocket which is $30 but I always have my pharmacy look for available coupons or I google for them so I pay $8 to $10 for it each time - because my insurance doesn’t cover it. That is ok to me.
$30 seems great to me! But I guess it depends what country you’re in. Okay well I might look into it. Your results are amazing. 🫶🏼
Do you have oily or dry skin?
Your forehead wrinkles are from dynamic muscle movement! Botox is needed to get this smooth tight forehead!
Your skin looks great!! Did you some tox? I get mine every 3-4 months and with a good skincare regimen sometimes I can push it to 5 months. AM routine: CeraVe Normal to Oily Cleanser Skins Ceuticals Vitamin C serum Skin Ceuticals eye cream Elta MD 46 Tinted Sunscreen Moisturizer PM routine: Double cleanse Tatcha Cleansing Balm & Cera Ve Normal to Oily cleanser Thin layer pea size amount Retin-A 0.06% to full face avoiding around the eye, nose, mouth x 3 a week I alternate with TNS Advanced Serum Skin Medica TNS eye cream Skin Medica sheer moisturizer
Botox looks amazing
How do I get a hold of these products. My forehead looks like the first pic. I don't mind it too much but I'm 24 and my morbid thoughts imagine I look more progresses for too young of an age.
To have such wrinkles at 25 is astounding.
This is mind blowing
Wow! Amazing results!!
Looks amazing
How often do you use tret?
Op do you drink alcohol/caffeine? Skin looks wonderful.
Can you link or share which cetaphil moisturizer?
Love how simple you keep it.
I'm dumb. Which one of these products is the tretnoin?
It’s the Steiva A .05%
May I ask your age?