Hey friends. I’ve recently realized that what I thought were freckles is actually melasma, and my dermatologist has prescribed me tretinoin for it. I have very pale skin, generally normal in the winter and a little oilier in the T-zone during the summer, but it can dry out really badly with things like AHA. From what I’ve heard, tret is pretty drying. My dermatologist recommended that I start with applying it only two nights a week, and using a pea-sized amount mixed into my moisturizer. I use the Tatcha Water Cream moisturizer, which is pretty light and has been great for me, but with tret I’m wondering if I’ll need a heavier moisturizer. I’m also worried that my usual double-cleansing will worsen the dryness from tret. I double-cleanse with an oil balm to remove my mineral sunblock, then with the Tatcha Rice Wash to get rid of the sunblock & oil balm residue. But I’m thinking the rice wash might be irritating because it’s got a (mild) physical exfoliant, so maybe I need to find something else for my second cleanse?
Does anyone have any experiences to share about dryness on tret, or just starting tret in general? Anything I should be aware of? I’m weirdly nervous about it!
I looove tret, but I do have to point out that the beginning is kind of tough! You will most likely go through a period where your skin will break out, be extra sensitive, and you’ll not like what you see every morning, buuut once that period is over - just super amazing skin!
When starting, I would recommend really simplifying your skincare - single cleanse, hydrating toner, tret at night/vitamin c in the morning, moisturize, sunscreen during the day. I would stop any physical exfoliating and pause any BHAs you’re using. Avoid applying near your mouth area as the skin will get super dry and flakey.
They also make two forms or tret - cream and gel. The cream is easier to spread and is more hydrating (in its own way), while the gel is great for more oily skin, but wow does it absorb super fast. You can also start with a low concentration while your skin adjusts.
Some people use a sandwich method to help with dryness and irritation - lightweight moisturizer, wait ~10 minutes, tret, wait another 10-20 minutes, heavier moisturizer.
This is super helpful - thank you!!
This is going to sound very stupid, but you just made me realise that I can just not apply my retinal near my mouth area. My retinal routine works great in summer but during winter, even with a less frequent routine, I will have to take a break eventually because my skin gets dry and flakey around the mouth. It somehow never occurred to me that instead of pausing completely, I could just apply it only to the less sensitive areas. So thanks for that.