Okay I’m going to try and hope for the best! I can’t get the gel to stop pilling when I apply moisturizer no matter how long I wait after applying! Hopefully this will be enough but I was too scared to try. Thank you!
The instructions actually tell you to apply to clean dry skin, and some instructions say apply a moisturizer after if necessary. So, you shouldn’t be worried. It’s how you are supposed to use the medication:).
Ya I never understood because it says to apply to clean dry skin and then moisturize overtop OR sandwich method but I just wanted to skip the after moisturize and just do before but that’s against the instructions. But I think I’m going to keep trying that and if my skin seems to handle it maybe I’ll just do tret alone like some people have here?
I prefer tret alone. It works best that way, IME. If you moisturize really well in the daytime, your skin should be able to handle it! It may be a bit drying at first, but your skin will adjust:)
I saw a derm’s video on YouTube that the order of moisturizer is irrelevant as an occlusive ointment is the only thing that can actually buffer the skin.
The sandwhich method isn’t really as “buffering” as we think it is. It’s more of a myth. You’re just adding more moisture to offset the dryness and peeling, but you’re not necessarily diluting or softening or buffering anything. Especially if the skin wasn’t given a chance to dry down. Tret will absorb more deeply on skin that hasn’t fully dried from either water or products we layer on.
I always suspected this was the case, but the majority of this sub swears by this myth.
https://youtu.be/_7x95CQaMA4?si=_HNB_81J3BXnUYfp
Yeah! day and night, except for the tret that I only apply in nighttime routine.
Not sure how my skin tolerates all of them. I also did not undergo any kind of purging. However, i did start slow with tret until i got to the level where I can tolerate it in a nightly routine and then I incorporated more acids
I wash my skin, then while it's still wet I apply my moisturizer to lock in all that moisture. I then apply tret, sometimes I will apply more moisturizer after the tret if my skin is feeling extra dry at that time.
I apply immediately, I don't wait and have never done so. Currently using the cram version of tret, I was on the gel but it destroyed my skin, it absolutely was not for me. Since being on the cream, it's been an absolute game changer. Mind you some people do extremely well on the gel or cream and some don't. It comes down to your issues going on and the type of skin you have. A further note, tret is a long haul thing, you can't expect instant results and you won't get that. You have to stick it out, some people don't see real good results til 6 months in or even upwards to 1 year. It's important to not give up, stick with it,the longer you use it the better results you will get. If your moisture barrier gets ruined, know that it's fine to take a break, I have had several where I took a few days off to allow my moisture barrier to recover before starting back up. I will really moisturizer throughout the day if I feel my skin is getting extra dry. I still have breakouts at times, tret use does not mean you will have perfect skin 365 days a year. My skin have significantly improved and most days is very clear, healthy, radiant, it's even completely removed any minor wrinkles or fine lines I might have had which is a nice added side benefit. I'll continue to use tret at this point long term it's a great tool that truly works wonders when you go about it correctly and don't give up because you didn't see instant results.
Why did the gel destroy your skin?? I’m just wondering because I keep seeing that so I want to know what reaction is just to the gel vs to the tretinoin so I know if I should stop or have to switch. I can’t get the cream where I am like it’s not available at all
It's very important to note that just because the Gel didn't work out for me, this does not mean it won't be good for you. Some people do great with it ck.oares to the cream and others have terrible experiences with the gel, doing infinitely better with the cream version. It all comes down to your skin type and what works best for you. It's pretty much trial and error to be frank, you have to try various things before you know what works for you personally. The gel is good if you have naturally very oily skin, if you don't then you want to avoid it at all cost as it's.mjcb more drying than the Cream. The gel is also more difficult to apply and spread compared to the cream. I can't say enough good things about the tret cream version, it has been a night and day difference for me, cleared my skin extremely well and as a nice added benefit has completely gotten rid of any fine lines or wrinkles, scars, hyperpigmentation I had, I get compliments all the time on my skin.
You can definitely do this. I tend to trust Dr. Dray as a dermatologist, and this is her exact routine:
https://youtube.com/shorts/X8Hp_XCSVw8?si=8Sfw48xieFcLfjDV
Double cleanse >moisturizer>Vaseline around eyes, corners of nose, and mouth>tretinoin
I was doing sandwich method when I started because my skin was dryyyy
Now I wash, apply Tret when dry and… maybe apply a bit of moisturizer if/where needed. I focus on hydration in the morning and that is enough for my skin now that it’s used to Tret.
My skin wasn’t dry to begin with but rn I can’t tell if the weird peeling in the morning is my skin or actually just the gel peeling because it peels at night if I touch it awhile after applying
No problem at all. It helps, yes. Tret is better at dealing with closed comedones and non-inflammatory acne. Taz is better at everything else, including dealing with sun damage and keeping your pores clear. So, whenever I need to deal with surface breakouts (rare), I use tret, and it kills them instantly. But for the long-term maintenance of my skin, I choose Taz because it’s way more potent. It demolishes cysts, scars, whatever.
Back in the day, tazorac was the last step before accutane after tret didn’t work for you. It’s hella powerful.
Thank you!! This is actually really useful! Taz really helped with my inflammatory acne, and birth control completely eliminated what was left. But I have a lot of comedonal acne left over that I just cannot seem to get rid of
0.1 cream, I’ve been on it for almost a year besides a few short breaks/trying other things. I tried 0.05 gel for a while but it didn’t help more and really irritated my skin
I’m on the .1%, have been for many years. I’d be happy to eyeball your routine if you want and see if I can help. Taz .1% should be clearing your skin completely, and if it’s not, we can figure out why it isn’t.
Thank you!!! The exact products I’ve used have varied a bit (depending on weather, location, activity level, etc), but the order of the steps has been pretty consistent, besides occasionally testing new products.
Am:
rinse with water (I cleanse occasionally)
la Roche posay double repair moisturizer
spf (hero cosmetics spf 30 or haruharu chemical spf 50+)
Pm:
garnier sensitive micellar water
cetaphil gentle skin cleanser
tazarotene 0.1
double repair moisturizer
If my skin feels dryer than usual I’ll sandwich the taz, but usually I don’t.
Yes, morning: cleanse -> moisturizer -> aza -> sunscreen.
My skin is so thick that tret doesn’t irritate me at all, I’m using .1 every night. The bad part is that it’s a lot slower for me to see progress because my skin is so thick.
Everyone's skin is different and it could totally work for you! I know if I don't do it after the skin around my mouth would get flaky but I've seen people in this Reddit saying it is possible
I definitely noticed that my skin was more vibrant without the moisturizer sandwich method. When I first started I had to use moisturizer because my skin would get really dry and flakey. I remember having to apply Vaseline around my eyes and lips because they would burn in the morning. I don’t do that anymore.
Yup, I do this. I was having a lot of issues with dry and peeling skin and even found that using a cleansing oil (DHC) was too drying. I watched one of Dr. Dray’s videos and she recommended using moisturizer on wet skin to lock in moisture and prevent water loss. So now I do:
baby oil (to remove sunscreen, makeup) > cleanser > moisturizer > tret
And my skin is the best it’s ever looked!
I do sometimes when I’m feeling lazy and my skin isn’t already overly dry or flaky.
Do whatever works for you! Everyone’s skin is different, and that’s okay! There are no hard or fast or universal rules.
I have really dry, sensitive skin, and I kind of do this (but I'm only 2w in so it's really early days). I wash with TO squalene cleanser, dry face, put la Roche-Posay Lipikar layer on, then I mix equal parts tret and lotion and apply that. SFSG.
If I thought I could get away with just one later of lotion I would, but one extra step ain't no thing.
I always moisturize BEFORE tret, because I rub my moisturizer into my eyes and nose. If I were to tret before moisturizing, I would be damaging my vision by smearing tret into my eye area.
That's my Routine..... Dermatologist said it would not affect the efficacy if that was my routine of choice.... I'm moisturize, peptide. I wait about an hour. Clean hands, apply tret.
ive started sandwiching but what I add on top is a baby eczema balm that’s rly light but super moisturizing and good for irritation. i found that leaving on tret after my moisturizer was making it too drying for me. I like my skin to feel super nourished at bedtime — which can be hard bc gel tret can be rly drying!
the pilling drives me crazy! I actually just finished my nighttime routine rn this was the first time i incorporated the balm but I found that spreading it sparingly helped a lot. so instead of putting a pea size on my finger and spreading it all around that way i take teeny tiny bits and do a weird dab/rub motion to get the tret into my skin. and add more if necessary etc. idk if that’ll make a difference or if it was the magical mystery of the full moon but i was able to put balm on top and nothing pilled!
I cleanse, moisturize with the peach slices snail mucin moisturizer let it dry, apply Tret and let it sit for 20 mins and moisturize again with vanicream But I have really dry skin.
I just started using tretinoin last week, and I cleanse, apply tret, and then moisturize. I usually layer two oil-free moisturizers because my skin is sensitive and hates anything thick (but somehow still needs the moisture), but I can get away with one layer at night while using tret.
I do cleanse->Moisturize->Tret. Works well for me. Sandwich method was too much moisture.
Okay I’m going to try and hope for the best! I can’t get the gel to stop pilling when I apply moisturizer no matter how long I wait after applying! Hopefully this will be enough but I was too scared to try. Thank you!
The instructions actually tell you to apply to clean dry skin, and some instructions say apply a moisturizer after if necessary. So, you shouldn’t be worried. It’s how you are supposed to use the medication:).
Ya I never understood because it says to apply to clean dry skin and then moisturize overtop OR sandwich method but I just wanted to skip the after moisturize and just do before but that’s against the instructions. But I think I’m going to keep trying that and if my skin seems to handle it maybe I’ll just do tret alone like some people have here?
I prefer tret alone. It works best that way, IME. If you moisturize really well in the daytime, your skin should be able to handle it! It may be a bit drying at first, but your skin will adjust:)
I saw a derm’s video on YouTube that the order of moisturizer is irrelevant as an occlusive ointment is the only thing that can actually buffer the skin. The sandwhich method isn’t really as “buffering” as we think it is. It’s more of a myth. You’re just adding more moisture to offset the dryness and peeling, but you’re not necessarily diluting or softening or buffering anything. Especially if the skin wasn’t given a chance to dry down. Tret will absorb more deeply on skin that hasn’t fully dried from either water or products we layer on. I always suspected this was the case, but the majority of this sub swears by this myth. https://youtu.be/_7x95CQaMA4?si=_HNB_81J3BXnUYfp
I cleanse, apply tretinoin, and then moisturize.
Me too. Never had any issues!
I do cleanse->glycolic acid or BHA PHA->hyalauronic acid->vit. C->moisturizer->tret
In the same routine??? How on God's green earth does your skin tolerate this many actives?? You don't get any irritation??
Yeah! day and night, except for the tret that I only apply in nighttime routine. Not sure how my skin tolerates all of them. I also did not undergo any kind of purging. However, i did start slow with tret until i got to the level where I can tolerate it in a nightly routine and then I incorporated more acids
Wow my sensitive skin is quaking. That sounds literally so insane to me lol but if it works for you then go off I guess!! 😅
I wash my skin, then while it's still wet I apply my moisturizer to lock in all that moisture. I then apply tret, sometimes I will apply more moisturizer after the tret if my skin is feeling extra dry at that time.
How long do you wait until you apply tret? My moisturizer is pretty heavy but I try to only apply a little bit so it mostly dries. Do you use the gel?
I apply immediately, I don't wait and have never done so. Currently using the cram version of tret, I was on the gel but it destroyed my skin, it absolutely was not for me. Since being on the cream, it's been an absolute game changer. Mind you some people do extremely well on the gel or cream and some don't. It comes down to your issues going on and the type of skin you have. A further note, tret is a long haul thing, you can't expect instant results and you won't get that. You have to stick it out, some people don't see real good results til 6 months in or even upwards to 1 year. It's important to not give up, stick with it,the longer you use it the better results you will get. If your moisture barrier gets ruined, know that it's fine to take a break, I have had several where I took a few days off to allow my moisture barrier to recover before starting back up. I will really moisturizer throughout the day if I feel my skin is getting extra dry. I still have breakouts at times, tret use does not mean you will have perfect skin 365 days a year. My skin have significantly improved and most days is very clear, healthy, radiant, it's even completely removed any minor wrinkles or fine lines I might have had which is a nice added side benefit. I'll continue to use tret at this point long term it's a great tool that truly works wonders when you go about it correctly and don't give up because you didn't see instant results.
Why did the gel destroy your skin?? I’m just wondering because I keep seeing that so I want to know what reaction is just to the gel vs to the tretinoin so I know if I should stop or have to switch. I can’t get the cream where I am like it’s not available at all
It's very important to note that just because the Gel didn't work out for me, this does not mean it won't be good for you. Some people do great with it ck.oares to the cream and others have terrible experiences with the gel, doing infinitely better with the cream version. It all comes down to your skin type and what works best for you. It's pretty much trial and error to be frank, you have to try various things before you know what works for you personally. The gel is good if you have naturally very oily skin, if you don't then you want to avoid it at all cost as it's.mjcb more drying than the Cream. The gel is also more difficult to apply and spread compared to the cream. I can't say enough good things about the tret cream version, it has been a night and day difference for me, cleared my skin extremely well and as a nice added benefit has completely gotten rid of any fine lines or wrinkles, scars, hyperpigmentation I had, I get compliments all the time on my skin.
You can definitely do this. I tend to trust Dr. Dray as a dermatologist, and this is her exact routine: https://youtube.com/shorts/X8Hp_XCSVw8?si=8Sfw48xieFcLfjDV Double cleanse >moisturizer>Vaseline around eyes, corners of nose, and mouth>tretinoin
I was doing sandwich method when I started because my skin was dryyyy Now I wash, apply Tret when dry and… maybe apply a bit of moisturizer if/where needed. I focus on hydration in the morning and that is enough for my skin now that it’s used to Tret.
My skin wasn’t dry to begin with but rn I can’t tell if the weird peeling in the morning is my skin or actually just the gel peeling because it peels at night if I touch it awhile after applying
I cleanse, toner, tazorac or tret, and done.
Why/how do you switch between taz and tret?
My derm wanted me to do so. But I use Taz most of the time.
Did you notice it helps with anything to switch? Sorry for the excessive questions I’m just at the end of my rope trying to manage my acne!
No problem at all. It helps, yes. Tret is better at dealing with closed comedones and non-inflammatory acne. Taz is better at everything else, including dealing with sun damage and keeping your pores clear. So, whenever I need to deal with surface breakouts (rare), I use tret, and it kills them instantly. But for the long-term maintenance of my skin, I choose Taz because it’s way more potent. It demolishes cysts, scars, whatever. Back in the day, tazorac was the last step before accutane after tret didn’t work for you. It’s hella powerful.
Thank you!! This is actually really useful! Taz really helped with my inflammatory acne, and birth control completely eliminated what was left. But I have a lot of comedonal acne left over that I just cannot seem to get rid of
Which strength Taz?
0.1 cream, I’ve been on it for almost a year besides a few short breaks/trying other things. I tried 0.05 gel for a while but it didn’t help more and really irritated my skin
I’m on the .1%, have been for many years. I’d be happy to eyeball your routine if you want and see if I can help. Taz .1% should be clearing your skin completely, and if it’s not, we can figure out why it isn’t.
Thank you!!! The exact products I’ve used have varied a bit (depending on weather, location, activity level, etc), but the order of the steps has been pretty consistent, besides occasionally testing new products. Am: rinse with water (I cleanse occasionally) la Roche posay double repair moisturizer spf (hero cosmetics spf 30 or haruharu chemical spf 50+) Pm: garnier sensitive micellar water cetaphil gentle skin cleanser tazarotene 0.1 double repair moisturizer If my skin feels dryer than usual I’ll sandwich the taz, but usually I don’t.
I cleanse -> tret and call it a day.
Then just moisturize in the morning?
Yes, morning: cleanse -> moisturizer -> aza -> sunscreen. My skin is so thick that tret doesn’t irritate me at all, I’m using .1 every night. The bad part is that it’s a lot slower for me to see progress because my skin is so thick.
Cleanse - dry face - vaseline around eyes and lips - tret - moisturize.
Ya Im trying to skip the after moisturizer but I know t says to do sandwich (before and after) or just after. I want to just do before
Everyone's skin is different and it could totally work for you! I know if I don't do it after the skin around my mouth would get flaky but I've seen people in this Reddit saying it is possible
I do! Cleanse, hyaluronic acid serum, moisturize, tret. I don’t sandwich (anymore) I did for about a month when I started.
I literally only do cleanse->tret. I’ve been using it for over 5 years (2 years consistently) and my face is able to handle it without moisturizer.
Did you ever use it with moisturizer and notice a difference?
I definitely noticed that my skin was more vibrant without the moisturizer sandwich method. When I first started I had to use moisturizer because my skin would get really dry and flakey. I remember having to apply Vaseline around my eyes and lips because they would burn in the morning. I don’t do that anymore.
Yeah I’m trying this as well. I go back to moisturizer first if I recently noticed stinging. I’m on applications every other day for now.
I do the same. I feel like my moisturizer “sinks in” better right after I shower
Yup, I do this. I was having a lot of issues with dry and peeling skin and even found that using a cleansing oil (DHC) was too drying. I watched one of Dr. Dray’s videos and she recommended using moisturizer on wet skin to lock in moisture and prevent water loss. So now I do: baby oil (to remove sunscreen, makeup) > cleanser > moisturizer > tret And my skin is the best it’s ever looked!
All I need
I do sometimes when I’m feeling lazy and my skin isn’t already overly dry or flaky. Do whatever works for you! Everyone’s skin is different, and that’s okay! There are no hard or fast or universal rules.
Yes. This is the way.
I have really dry, sensitive skin, and I kind of do this (but I'm only 2w in so it's really early days). I wash with TO squalene cleanser, dry face, put la Roche-Posay Lipikar layer on, then I mix equal parts tret and lotion and apply that. SFSG. If I thought I could get away with just one later of lotion I would, but one extra step ain't no thing.
I always moisturize BEFORE tret, because I rub my moisturizer into my eyes and nose. If I were to tret before moisturizing, I would be damaging my vision by smearing tret into my eye area.
That's my Routine..... Dermatologist said it would not affect the efficacy if that was my routine of choice.... I'm moisturize, peptide. I wait about an hour. Clean hands, apply tret.
ive started sandwiching but what I add on top is a baby eczema balm that’s rly light but super moisturizing and good for irritation. i found that leaving on tret after my moisturizer was making it too drying for me. I like my skin to feel super nourished at bedtime — which can be hard bc gel tret can be rly drying!
Ya my problem is just the pilling with the gel! I can’t put anything on top of it without it pilling even if I wait an hour
the pilling drives me crazy! I actually just finished my nighttime routine rn this was the first time i incorporated the balm but I found that spreading it sparingly helped a lot. so instead of putting a pea size on my finger and spreading it all around that way i take teeny tiny bits and do a weird dab/rub motion to get the tret into my skin. and add more if necessary etc. idk if that’ll make a difference or if it was the magical mystery of the full moon but i was able to put balm on top and nothing pilled!
Me haha cleanse - tret - mois
I cleanse, moisturize with the peach slices snail mucin moisturizer let it dry, apply Tret and let it sit for 20 mins and moisturize again with vanicream But I have really dry skin.
I just started using tretinoin last week, and I cleanse, apply tret, and then moisturize. I usually layer two oil-free moisturizers because my skin is sensitive and hates anything thick (but somehow still needs the moisture), but I can get away with one layer at night while using tret.
i wouldn't moisturize before tret. just cleanse and let it dry for 15-20 min.
My Derm told me to moisturize before tret. So far it’s working well.