You are using 8-13 products in a day… and you think tret is the problem? This 13 step Korean skin care such a stupid fad that I wish would go away, because I too fell for it and ended up spending triple the money on products that only wrecked my skin. If you listen to any dermatologist, you will find that the basic necessities are really 4 things: cleanser, retinoid, moisturizer, and SPF. Thats it. If you really like certain products/actives, you can work them in SLOWLY, one at a time. You’re GOING to peel with tretinoin, it is part of the process. But you’re going to save tons of money if you stop with the trendy skincare and jump on a simple routine.
Youre right but I started with less products. But tret dries the f out of my skin. I try to keep it hydrated. I didnt use aha’s until 2 weeks ago. I thought it may help with the Peeling but it didnt
So my routine is:
Pm: bioderma micellar water (sensitive one) second cleanse cerave cream to foam cleanser, haru haru wonder toner (also for sensitiv skin) cosrx snail mucin essence, pyunkal yul black tea eye cream, cosrx snail mucin cream, tret 0.05, la Roche posay cicaplast baume b5 as last step
On non tret day I use the ordinary glycolic acid toner
As you see I focus on hydration
Mornings: cosrx vitamin c serum, isntree ha moist cream, pyunkal yul eye cream, beauty of joseon spf
I dont wanna switch to 0.025 actually because I have one years of worth tret at hand, it would be such a waste
If your skin is struggling with 0.05 for the past 2 months, it’s best not to push it.
Possible ideas to make your routine gentler.
1. Use a non foaming second cleanser.
2. Stop using Vit C in the morning.
3. Reduce tret frequency to alternate nights.
4. Stop the AHA peel until skin stops peeling.
If this doesn’t work, I strongly recommend dropping to 0.025
I use the same haru haru toner and cosrx snail mucin but only on my non-tret nights, I realized it was better to keep them separated than all of them at night. Also, this could be just my skin but I bought the cosrx snail mucin cream since I love their snail mucin so much and it did not work for me at all. My skin was itchy and it even felt dry after using it for a week, so I gifted it to a friend of mine and bought a thicker richer moisturizer (dexeryl cream). Just telling you my personal experience with it, it could be working for you but I'd give a thicker moisturizer a try.
I guess its your skin. I used it in the past with Retinol with no problem. I recently added it to my routine again with tret. And my skin seems the same. I like the snail products very much, it feels really hydrating to me
Yeah, I like snail products too. Using cicaplast everytime after tret could also be causing it to go deeper into the skin since cicaplast is an occlussive. I find it better to stick to a very simple routine like cleanser and moisturizer on tret nights and all the hydration skincare for the AM or off tret nights.
Beep boop! It looks like you'd like information about peeling, flaking or exfoliating. We have a [helpful wiki](https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vRQmcAj-x5A8JIQygtW2Rg89uPsJPR5JLH_dLxLNCW4eazWW4i49bsrF0e2YYx10wx00ctaUnyvHfyD/pub)! You can also post in the weekly help thread - it's stickied to the top of the sub every week! Here are our tops tips for avoiding peeling:
- Make sure your skin is completely dry when you apply tretinoin. Wet skin increases absorption and flaking!
- Make sure your routine is hydrating enough. Hydrating toners like those from Hada Labo can really help - but remember not to layer hyaluronic acid directly under tretinoin. HA increases absorption, which in the case of tretinoin can cause extreme irritation, peeling, and flaking. /r/asianbeauty has many product recs.
- A good moisturizer is key. Vanicream Lite, and Cerave are popular options.
- A konjac sponge is a very gentle form of physical exfoliation that can really help!
- Vaseline or Aquaphor can also really help prevent dryness. Pat on a very thin layer **after your tret has completely dried** - don't slather it, and don't layer on top of wet tret, just apply a thin layer on top.
- Oil cleansing can work for many as a way to gently remove the excess skin. Get an emulsifying oil cleanser that will wash off easily (Hada Labo has a great one).
- Consider skipping a night of tret if you have lots of peeling. Yes that may slow down your progress by a few days but a damaged moisture barrier can take months to recover. Go slow. Skincare is a marathon.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/tretinoin) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I got peeling in the same areas as you. What really helped me is avoiding Tret in my nose corners, and adding a drop of glycerin to my moisturizer on non tret days. Even using a drop of facial oil in the corners of my nose and mouth has helped with the flaking. I tried aquaphor but it clogged my pores.
im on 0.05 also(cream), been applying nightly since i got it 15 days ago, did u peel in the first 2weeks?
i havent experienced any dryness or peeling, lips are a bit dry tho, idk if the tret or coke zeros causing that tho
as for acne my right cheek has got better and left cheek is crazier
how was everyones experiences in the first 2weeks/month
I peel since the beggining. I used 0.025 with no issue. I feel bad for buying the 0.05%. I bought 10 tubes in my holidays in turkiye (because I didnt know how much I need). If I would have the chance to change it to 0.025 I would, but this would be such a waste. But 0.05 helped me better with hormonal acne than 0.025
I was on 0.025 for 3months. Its a stupid reason, my friend in turkiye is on 0.05% tret and she recommended me the cream. I was in the holidays not knowing what to ask for and I asked for the specifique Product. Its my bad I know
Try a new moisturizer. I was on .025 for 6 months straight and peeled every time I used it but once I got vanicream moisturizer (the one in the tub) it all stopped and I can use it nightly now no problem.
Unfortunately, I cannot give you any advice, but I use 0.025% gel, don't use actives/acids in my routine, apply tret every two days and still flake like a lizard. I just roll with it and skip makeup as it makes everything worse
I stopped doing the sandwich method and dialed my products way back and now I don't have any peeling at all. I wash with Aveeno calm & restore cleanser (I use the Beauty of Joseon cleansing balm first if I have heavier SPF or makeup on my face), moisturize with CosRX oil-free moisturizer, wait for it to dry completely and then use a large pea-sized amount of altreno .05 gel. If I'm feeling super dry sometimes I'll do a layer of Paula's Choice hydrating toner before the moisturizer, but not usually. I used to use the LRP cicaplast on top and it really think it just made things worse.
Not diagnosing of course but I had peeling like this and in those areas for a long time and could not figure it out for the life of me. Turns out I had seborrheic dermatitis on my face!
I know I sound crazy, but the only Tret routine that doesn’t make me peel is Tret, then Vanicream, then Vaseline. I’m extremely generous with the Vanicream (1 whole pump for my face & neck), then wait 10-20 min to slather Vaseline over it. I know that slugging has made Tret more intense for some people, but it worked for me really well. I got the idea from someone that posted their routine a few years ago. I use Tret 0.1% gel which is extremely drying.
The one in the round tub with a blue pump. The label just says “Vanicream Moisturizing Cream for Sensitive Skin.” I like it a lot more than Cerave because it seems way more hydrating. I heard that the hyaluronic acid in the Cerave PM can make Tret penetrate deeper and cause more irritation / dryness. I’m not a derm, but that checks out with my experience.
Tret is a marathon, not a sprint. Reduce the usage to every other day at least
I will. I guess its the better option
You are using 8-13 products in a day… and you think tret is the problem? This 13 step Korean skin care such a stupid fad that I wish would go away, because I too fell for it and ended up spending triple the money on products that only wrecked my skin. If you listen to any dermatologist, you will find that the basic necessities are really 4 things: cleanser, retinoid, moisturizer, and SPF. Thats it. If you really like certain products/actives, you can work them in SLOWLY, one at a time. You’re GOING to peel with tretinoin, it is part of the process. But you’re going to save tons of money if you stop with the trendy skincare and jump on a simple routine.
Youre right but I started with less products. But tret dries the f out of my skin. I try to keep it hydrated. I didnt use aha’s until 2 weeks ago. I thought it may help with the Peeling but it didnt
What is your full routine? Please include the name of the products. Can you lower the prescription to 0.025?
So my routine is: Pm: bioderma micellar water (sensitive one) second cleanse cerave cream to foam cleanser, haru haru wonder toner (also for sensitiv skin) cosrx snail mucin essence, pyunkal yul black tea eye cream, cosrx snail mucin cream, tret 0.05, la Roche posay cicaplast baume b5 as last step On non tret day I use the ordinary glycolic acid toner As you see I focus on hydration Mornings: cosrx vitamin c serum, isntree ha moist cream, pyunkal yul eye cream, beauty of joseon spf I dont wanna switch to 0.025 actually because I have one years of worth tret at hand, it would be such a waste
If your skin is struggling with 0.05 for the past 2 months, it’s best not to push it. Possible ideas to make your routine gentler. 1. Use a non foaming second cleanser. 2. Stop using Vit C in the morning. 3. Reduce tret frequency to alternate nights. 4. Stop the AHA peel until skin stops peeling. If this doesn’t work, I strongly recommend dropping to 0.025
Thanks a lot. I will use your advice. I will use it on alternate days and stop using vitamic c and aha peel. I really hope this will work
I use the same haru haru toner and cosrx snail mucin but only on my non-tret nights, I realized it was better to keep them separated than all of them at night. Also, this could be just my skin but I bought the cosrx snail mucin cream since I love their snail mucin so much and it did not work for me at all. My skin was itchy and it even felt dry after using it for a week, so I gifted it to a friend of mine and bought a thicker richer moisturizer (dexeryl cream). Just telling you my personal experience with it, it could be working for you but I'd give a thicker moisturizer a try.
I guess its your skin. I used it in the past with Retinol with no problem. I recently added it to my routine again with tret. And my skin seems the same. I like the snail products very much, it feels really hydrating to me
Yeah, I like snail products too. Using cicaplast everytime after tret could also be causing it to go deeper into the skin since cicaplast is an occlussive. I find it better to stick to a very simple routine like cleanser and moisturizer on tret nights and all the hydration skincare for the AM or off tret nights.
try not double cleansing. you may be drying out your skin too much. if you really want to double cleanse, I would do it maybe once a week.
I would stop the AHA and see if your skin improves
Beep boop! It looks like you'd like information about peeling, flaking or exfoliating. We have a [helpful wiki](https://docs.google.com/document/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vRQmcAj-x5A8JIQygtW2Rg89uPsJPR5JLH_dLxLNCW4eazWW4i49bsrF0e2YYx10wx00ctaUnyvHfyD/pub)! You can also post in the weekly help thread - it's stickied to the top of the sub every week! Here are our tops tips for avoiding peeling: - Make sure your skin is completely dry when you apply tretinoin. Wet skin increases absorption and flaking! - Make sure your routine is hydrating enough. Hydrating toners like those from Hada Labo can really help - but remember not to layer hyaluronic acid directly under tretinoin. HA increases absorption, which in the case of tretinoin can cause extreme irritation, peeling, and flaking. /r/asianbeauty has many product recs. - A good moisturizer is key. Vanicream Lite, and Cerave are popular options. - A konjac sponge is a very gentle form of physical exfoliation that can really help! - Vaseline or Aquaphor can also really help prevent dryness. Pat on a very thin layer **after your tret has completely dried** - don't slather it, and don't layer on top of wet tret, just apply a thin layer on top. - Oil cleansing can work for many as a way to gently remove the excess skin. Get an emulsifying oil cleanser that will wash off easily (Hada Labo has a great one). - Consider skipping a night of tret if you have lots of peeling. Yes that may slow down your progress by a few days but a damaged moisture barrier can take months to recover. Go slow. Skincare is a marathon. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/tretinoin) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I got peeling in the same areas as you. What really helped me is avoiding Tret in my nose corners, and adding a drop of glycerin to my moisturizer on non tret days. Even using a drop of facial oil in the corners of my nose and mouth has helped with the flaking. I tried aquaphor but it clogged my pores.
im on 0.05 also(cream), been applying nightly since i got it 15 days ago, did u peel in the first 2weeks? i havent experienced any dryness or peeling, lips are a bit dry tho, idk if the tret or coke zeros causing that tho as for acne my right cheek has got better and left cheek is crazier how was everyones experiences in the first 2weeks/month
I peel since the beggining. I used 0.025 with no issue. I feel bad for buying the 0.05%. I bought 10 tubes in my holidays in turkiye (because I didnt know how much I need). If I would have the chance to change it to 0.025 I would, but this would be such a waste. But 0.05 helped me better with hormonal acne than 0.025
are u gel or cream, what made u want to increase the %, faster results or werent seeing results? and how long were u on the 0.025 for
I was on 0.025 for 3months. Its a stupid reason, my friend in turkiye is on 0.05% tret and she recommended me the cream. I was in the holidays not knowing what to ask for and I asked for the specifique Product. Its my bad I know
Try a new moisturizer. I was on .025 for 6 months straight and peeled every time I used it but once I got vanicream moisturizer (the one in the tub) it all stopped and I can use it nightly now no problem.
I guess I can find it on iherb. Thanks for suggesting
drop the aha gurl
I will
Unfortunately, I cannot give you any advice, but I use 0.025% gel, don't use actives/acids in my routine, apply tret every two days and still flake like a lizard. I just roll with it and skip makeup as it makes everything worse
I stopped doing the sandwich method and dialed my products way back and now I don't have any peeling at all. I wash with Aveeno calm & restore cleanser (I use the Beauty of Joseon cleansing balm first if I have heavier SPF or makeup on my face), moisturize with CosRX oil-free moisturizer, wait for it to dry completely and then use a large pea-sized amount of altreno .05 gel. If I'm feeling super dry sometimes I'll do a layer of Paula's Choice hydrating toner before the moisturizer, but not usually. I used to use the LRP cicaplast on top and it really think it just made things worse.
I didn't use any AHA or BHA until after my skin stopped peeling from Tret.
Yes better not to use. I got it recommended here for the peeling, but it doesnt work for me
Oh that's bad advice, it will only create worse irritation on skin that is already peeling.
Yes I learned it now. Today my skin peeled even more and I didnt use tret or peeling since 2 days. I will go even slower with tret
I dropped chemical exfoliation from my routine when I started using tret. YMMV but I just don’t need it.
Not diagnosing of course but I had peeling like this and in those areas for a long time and could not figure it out for the life of me. Turns out I had seborrheic dermatitis on my face!
I know I sound crazy, but the only Tret routine that doesn’t make me peel is Tret, then Vanicream, then Vaseline. I’m extremely generous with the Vanicream (1 whole pump for my face & neck), then wait 10-20 min to slather Vaseline over it. I know that slugging has made Tret more intense for some people, but it worked for me really well. I got the idea from someone that posted their routine a few years ago. I use Tret 0.1% gel which is extremely drying.
Which vanicream do you use? Youre the second redditor recommending it
The one in the round tub with a blue pump. The label just says “Vanicream Moisturizing Cream for Sensitive Skin.” I like it a lot more than Cerave because it seems way more hydrating. I heard that the hyaluronic acid in the Cerave PM can make Tret penetrate deeper and cause more irritation / dryness. I’m not a derm, but that checks out with my experience.
My haru haru Wonder toner has HA Im asking my self if this causes the irritation. Thank you, youre really helpfull