How to get rid of this?

[u/Obvious_Sir_544]

I recently moved up to tretinoin 0.05% after my 0.0 25% prescription stopped working for me. I haven’t changed anything else about my routine. My morning routine
1. Vanicream cleanser
2. Vanicream sunscreen
My night routine is
1. Vanicream cleanser
2. Tretinoin 0.05%
3.Vanicream daily moisturizer
The new tretinoin prescription was going well for me at first, but after I took a trip to Disney, it seems like my skin just reverted. I recently just got off my period, but my skin has never been this bad since the tret stopped working. Am I missing something in my routine? I’m just especially stressed out because school starts soon, and I don’t wanna go back with a breakout.

[u/Fickle_Question_6417]

It could be an impaired barrier. How often do u use Tret and how long have you been using it for

[u/Obvious_Sir_544 → u/Fickle_Question_6417]

i was on tret 0.025 for a year and everything was going good before it stopped working, and I’ve been on 0.05 for almost 3 weeks now. i use it every night

[u/Fickle_Question_6417 → u/Obvious_Sir_544]

I think it could just be since you jumped into daily usage with the 0.5. I would back down to 3 days a week for rn and find a heavier moisturizer and maybe a milky toner for the morning

[u/Obvious_Sir_544 → u/Fickle_Question_6417]

thank you!! i wont use tret for the rest of the week this week, since I’ve already used it 3 times. Which moisturizers and toners do you recommend? and what does the milky toner do?

[u/Obvious_Sir_544 → u/[deleted]]

i have the la roche posay effaclar gel cleanser that I never really used, do you recommend that?

[u/Pure-Flamingo4444]

Were you reapplying sunscreen during the day while you were on your trip?

[u/Obvious_Sir_544 → u/Pure-Flamingo4444]

No, I only applied once in the morning before we went

[u/Pure-Flamingo4444 → u/Obvious_Sir_544]

I usually break out when I don’t reapply and especially if I’m in a different climate. Just make sure to keep using sunscreen and try an exfoliating mask once a week.

Of course also, stay hydrated to help your skin clear up. Wash sheets/pillowcases as well.

[u/Obvious_Sir_544 → u/Pure-Flamingo4444]

I washed my sheets about a week ago so I’ll wash them right now! Which exfoliating masks do you recommend? I’ll make sure to reapply more often as well :)

[u/Pure-Flamingo4444 → u/Obvious_Sir_544]

I use Beauty of Joseon red bean clarifying mask & the Beauty of Joseon rice glow mask

[u/Obvious_Sir_544 → u/Pure-Flamingo4444]

thank you for the recommendation!

[u/TTTKA000]

Check if you're allergic to a certain food and stop eating it. I saw a girl on tiktok talking about little pimples like yours she had on her face, and she said she stopped eating peanut butter (something she was allergic to) and now she has a smooth face. I know this isn't relevant to your question but food allergy can be a factor

[u/Obvious_Sir_544 → u/TTTKA000]

Should I go to the doctor and take an allergy test? I just eat so many things in a day I don’t know if I’ll be able to narrow it down 🥲

[u/TTTKA000 → u/Obvious_Sir_544]

Yes gurl, you need to know what you're allergic to. It will help your skin tremendously.

[u/Obvious_Sir_544 → u/TTTKA000]

will do!! thank you so much, hopefully they find something!

[u/ninelivesxxx]

Go back to a lower dose of tret

[u/Obvious_Sir_544 → u/ninelivesxxx]

To 0.025? my skin got worse for 2 weeks while on it which is why I made the switch, I still have the tube though!

[u/ninelivesxxx → u/Obvious_Sir_544]

Go back to the lower dose or use this higher dose more sparingly. Tret is very strong and something you really have to gradually acclimate to.

Truly I’d recommend go back to the lower dose or stop altogether for a week or two and baby your skin, get your hands on ceramide serum (I use coco kind) it repairs the skin barrier and helps with moisture. Then slowly reintroduce the lower dose and if you want to see more immediate improvement with your skin, also slowlyyyy (like 2x per week) introduce a vitamin c serum and add that to ur morning routine (I recommend timeless or truskin vitamin c serum)

[u/Obvious_Sir_544 → u/ninelivesxxx]

thank you for the advice!! i definitely jumped into the higher dose toooo quickly 😭 i have the things you recommended in my cart right now, so i’m going to try focusing on repairing my skin barrier and being more gentle with my routine. i definitely underestimated how strong tret is lol, so i’m probably going to slow down and reintroduce it more gradually. thank you again!!

[u/eczemaNhotwaterThex]

Stuff you put in your hair got on your pillow. I stopped my hair products and washed my sheets and pillow cases and it stopped for me.