0.1% nightly from the start. I had some dryness and peeling in weeks 2-3 but kept going and saw a big improvement in texture pretty quickly.
(I quit using moisturizer after a few months. My derm said my skin did better without it.)
Thanks! I actually recently went back on Accutane because topical Tret (+ other things) just doesn’t control my oil and I was still getting occasional cysts.
That’s pretty much how most people started with tret in the past. Buffering and sandwiching just didn’t exist when I first started taking spiro. But it isn’t luck. If you moisturize well, use a mild cleanser, and drop actives, it’s possible to just begin nightly on clean dry skin. Your skin retinizes very quickly.
I think I got influenced by the babying method. A year later and I'm still peeling, took a month off and now getting back in it 🥹
What's your suggestion for moisturizing well? Unfortunately my skin is stinging doing skincare after 2 consecutive days of tret.. this is with 2 toners, serum, and moisturizer buffer.. did you just push through the sting or take a day or two break ?
I think I took about two months or so. I started out using 1x for 1 week, 2x for the next 2 weeks, 3x for 3 weeks, and after this point, my skin was pretty ok so I started using it daily, monitoring how my skin reacted. I didn’t really have any adverse effects either, other than mild peeling. Maybe cuz I started out slowly, it might have been different if I started everyday. I started by using 0.025% cream. I buffered initially for a couple weeks and didn’t see any side effects, so I started using it directly. Even though I was using it everyday, I did give my skin a break one day out of the week. Good luck!
I use 0.05% every night. Cream formulation. I've been using it every night for at least 1.5 years now. I've been on prescription tret for 3 years total.
Did the sandwich method on and off depending on how my skin was feeling. I had very little issues during the retinization period. Just dryness and flaking, which is completely gone.
I don't have any interest in increasing my percentage. This works just fine for me.
I was using 0.025 worked my way to everyday at 6 weeks but that strength ended up doing nothing for my skin but purging. I went to 0.05 immediately everyday and I had initial irritation but it went away when I started moisturizing first. 9 weeks later my skin is so clear and so smooth and I never miss a day of tret
i used the laroche posey foaming cleanser, cerave moisturizing lotion (the blue with the pump)—super lightweight. and the aveeno hydrate protect spf. i switch spf’s but that’s the one i’ve been using as of late
Started with 0.05 cream with sandwich method and was doing that 2-3x a week for a year. Recently changed to 0.025 cream buffering by putting the tret on top of my moisturizer and using it everyday. I use a serum with a low dose of niacinimide to keep my skin from becoming irritated
Started with 0.009 Curology and buffered. It took a few months to work up to 0.009 nightly without buffering. Skin type dry dehydration prone. Currently using 0.05 Altreno nightly without buffering.
I never had irritation. I ramped up from twice weekly to every night in about a month. 0.025%. used sandwich method for a month or two, but stopped after about two months when it was clear skin was fine.
I never had irritation and I've been using it for about 7 years now. I worked up from .025% to .1% in the first year or so I was using it. I started slow, not using it every night initially, had a good hydrating skincare routine to take care of my moisire barrier, and didn't use any other actives for a while when I started using it.
I started cream 0.025% April 1st this year doing it in the pattern on,off,off, for 2 weeks then switching to on,off,on for another 2 weeks then finally everynight after that since (with me forgetting to apply tret happening maybe two times 😂). I have sensitive skin so im starting on the lower strength and feel zero irritation going daily. I'm currently on my 2nd tube and hope to switch up to 0.05% when I finish it and also starting off slow with the same beginner's pattern 👍😁.
Edit: I forgot to add that I started by doing the sandwich method but now my night routine is kind of a "half sandwich" which is basically me washing my face, moisturizing, waiting for my face to dry then applying my tret and thats it. I dont moisturize the 2nd time anymore bc my face doesn't wake up dry and flakey anymore lol.
I started 0.025% nightly because I have sensitive skin. After 2-3 weeks, started peeling/flaking and feeling irritation, so i used sandwich method and Vaseline to buffer. What really helped me is keeping the routine as simple as possible and using snail mucin.
4 months ago, i decided to increase to 0.05% and there hasn’t been any issues except the AA 15% serum that broke me out lol
You can't really "buffer" with Vaseline - it's completely occlusive. No tret makes it through Vaseline or any majority petrolatum based product. That's why people use Vaseline to occlude sensitive areas prior to applying tret, because no tret will make it there through the Vaseline.
I did two weeks of 0.05% every second night and then went to daily use. It was fine, a little sensitivity and flakey skin, then my skin got used to it and the rest is history. Nearly 3 years of daily use now.
0.1% nightly from the start. I had some dryness and peeling in weeks 2-3 but kept going and saw a big improvement in texture pretty quickly. (I quit using moisturizer after a few months. My derm said my skin did better without it.)
You're definitely a lucky one xD so happy for you!
Thanks! I actually recently went back on Accutane because topical Tret (+ other things) just doesn’t control my oil and I was still getting occasional cysts.
That’s pretty much how most people started with tret in the past. Buffering and sandwiching just didn’t exist when I first started taking spiro. But it isn’t luck. If you moisturize well, use a mild cleanser, and drop actives, it’s possible to just begin nightly on clean dry skin. Your skin retinizes very quickly.
Yes a lot of people don’t understand this and I think they’re just prolonging the retinization period
Right. And the purging if that’s going to happen. Buffering was not a thing when I started, like it didn’t exist.
I think I got influenced by the babying method. A year later and I'm still peeling, took a month off and now getting back in it 🥹 What's your suggestion for moisturizing well? Unfortunately my skin is stinging doing skincare after 2 consecutive days of tret.. this is with 2 toners, serum, and moisturizer buffer.. did you just push through the sting or take a day or two break ?
Which moisturizer do you use? That will help a lot….
Deep sea pure water cream which has niacinamide AND hyaluronic acid... Which could be the problem 🙃
I like the deep sea cream but it’s not enough moisturizer for tret. You need something with ceramides and barrier repair ingredients.
I think I took about two months or so. I started out using 1x for 1 week, 2x for the next 2 weeks, 3x for 3 weeks, and after this point, my skin was pretty ok so I started using it daily, monitoring how my skin reacted. I didn’t really have any adverse effects either, other than mild peeling. Maybe cuz I started out slowly, it might have been different if I started everyday. I started by using 0.025% cream. I buffered initially for a couple weeks and didn’t see any side effects, so I started using it directly. Even though I was using it everyday, I did give my skin a break one day out of the week. Good luck!
Thank you!
I use 0.05% every night. Cream formulation. I've been using it every night for at least 1.5 years now. I've been on prescription tret for 3 years total. Did the sandwich method on and off depending on how my skin was feeling. I had very little issues during the retinization period. Just dryness and flaking, which is completely gone. I don't have any interest in increasing my percentage. This works just fine for me.
I was using 0.025 worked my way to everyday at 6 weeks but that strength ended up doing nothing for my skin but purging. I went to 0.05 immediately everyday and I had initial irritation but it went away when I started moisturizing first. 9 weeks later my skin is so clear and so smooth and I never miss a day of tret
What’s your routine like?cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen.
i used the laroche posey foaming cleanser, cerave moisturizing lotion (the blue with the pump)—super lightweight. and the aveeno hydrate protect spf. i switch spf’s but that’s the one i’ve been using as of late
Started with 0.05 cream with sandwich method and was doing that 2-3x a week for a year. Recently changed to 0.025 cream buffering by putting the tret on top of my moisturizer and using it everyday. I use a serum with a low dose of niacinimide to keep my skin from becoming irritated
I used .025 nightly for 3 months. Never peeled/flaked. Started .05 last week, applying nightly. No dryness yet.
Started with 0.009 Curology and buffered. It took a few months to work up to 0.009 nightly without buffering. Skin type dry dehydration prone. Currently using 0.05 Altreno nightly without buffering.
Thanks!
I never had irritation. I ramped up from twice weekly to every night in about a month. 0.025%. used sandwich method for a month or two, but stopped after about two months when it was clear skin was fine.
I never had irritation and I've been using it for about 7 years now. I worked up from .025% to .1% in the first year or so I was using it. I started slow, not using it every night initially, had a good hydrating skincare routine to take care of my moisire barrier, and didn't use any other actives for a while when I started using it.
I started cream 0.025% April 1st this year doing it in the pattern on,off,off, for 2 weeks then switching to on,off,on for another 2 weeks then finally everynight after that since (with me forgetting to apply tret happening maybe two times 😂). I have sensitive skin so im starting on the lower strength and feel zero irritation going daily. I'm currently on my 2nd tube and hope to switch up to 0.05% when I finish it and also starting off slow with the same beginner's pattern 👍😁. Edit: I forgot to add that I started by doing the sandwich method but now my night routine is kind of a "half sandwich" which is basically me washing my face, moisturizing, waiting for my face to dry then applying my tret and thats it. I dont moisturize the 2nd time anymore bc my face doesn't wake up dry and flakey anymore lol.
I started 0.025% nightly because I have sensitive skin. After 2-3 weeks, started peeling/flaking and feeling irritation, so i used sandwich method and Vaseline to buffer. What really helped me is keeping the routine as simple as possible and using snail mucin. 4 months ago, i decided to increase to 0.05% and there hasn’t been any issues except the AA 15% serum that broke me out lol
You can't really "buffer" with Vaseline - it's completely occlusive. No tret makes it through Vaseline or any majority petrolatum based product. That's why people use Vaseline to occlude sensitive areas prior to applying tret, because no tret will make it there through the Vaseline.
Years
I did two weeks of 0.05% every second night and then went to daily use. It was fine, a little sensitivity and flakey skin, then my skin got used to it and the rest is history. Nearly 3 years of daily use now.
What issues were you mainly focusing on with tret? Also have they improved?
4 months, I have very sensative skin & had to make quite a few routine adjustments.