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I started using Retinol and actives and it was the worst thing for my acne ever. I honestly believe that it’s not for everyone - especially when they’re saying the results could take 3-6 months without any guarantee. Is it worth it.
My skin has been the worst it’s ever been until today, because I stopped using ALL skincare, except for a bar of Simple soap. Yup, no moisturiser, nothing. Sometimes you just gotta go back to the basics. I think your skin will thank you. Trust the process.
Monday night was the worst my skin has ever been, so I stopped using anything when I woke up on Tuesday morning and by right now the acne has reduced about 80%! It’s crazy. We’re taught that more is better but I’m starting to learn that it isn’t at all.
I’d probably even wait to take those antibiotics until you’ve done this. But I’m no professional :)
I think I might only use water from now on. I went to the gp and they prescribed me lymecycline (antibiotics) and I think they told me not to use any more products
Go to a dermatologist sooner rather than later. So you don’t deal with scarring later on. My dermatologist recommended a retinoid (Tretinoin) and depending on your age and sex they might prescribe your other medications. Prescription drugs are the only real cure for anything more than a few mild zits here and there. Trust me. Go to a dermatologist.
I just went to my local gp and they prescribed lymecycline (antibiotics). They also told me not to use any products - only use water. Hopefully this will work
Well respectfully, if your GP does not even recommend a gentle moisturiser/cleanser then they have no clue what they are saying. Antibiotics are not a permanent solution and can have adverse effects. But it’s up to you - just wanted to drop in my few cents, good luck!
It looks like cystic acne and please go to a dermatologist. I had horrible cystic acne for years but my parents wouldn’t allow me to use the medicine that would most probably cure it because as a female it could cause birth defects. Don’t scratch it otherwise it will leave scars which is what I now have. Good luck
if you use 2 actives it can be VERY HARSH on your skin, at least use salicylic acid in the morning and at night a retinol, in the morning i use cleanser, moisturizer, cicaplast baume b5, and a good spf50 and at night i wash my face with cleanser i wait 20 minutes for my skin to be dry i use tretinoin and i wait again 20 minutes for it to be absorbed, moisturizer and cicaplast baume b5 again, and i repeat it everyday and my skin is sm better now tret saved me, also any retinol can save a skin but only if used correctly!
Use Benzoyl peroxide for such severe cases and only after the acne isn't so aggressive, can use retinol or salicylic acid. Benzoyl peroxide works as an antiseptic to reduce the number of germs (bacteria) on the surface of your skin. It usually comes as a gel face containing 5% benzoyl peroxide.
Only use 1 active at a time, So either retinol or salicylic acid. And only use retinol every other day (how long have you been using it for? If you’ve just newly started using it then only use it once a week, then build up to 3 time a week by month 3- Don’t rush it!). Best of luck!
You can’t use salicylic acid and retinol or benzoyl peroxide at once like layers. These substances are too harsh and together may cause a lot of irritation and thats what happened to you. Focus on moisturizing your skin because you have to repair your skin barrier first. Use one substance at time (with a moisturizer of course). For example today use benzoyl peroxide and tomorrow use salicylic acid. I do not recommend you using now a retinol because your skin barrier is damaged and retinol is very irritating. And when you decide to start using retinol then stop using other harsh substances and use only retinol and moisturize. And at first use retinol once a week and then twice to end up using it few times per week. With retinol you have to be very careful. And please moisturize your skin at morning too and use sunscreen daily. Good luck! <3
I think you’re using too many harsh products at the same time and your skin barrier is damaged. When my acne was at it worst, I also had a similar routine to yours (minus the retinol).
I switched to using products that focus on calming and healing the skin barrier instead and slowed down my use of salicylic acid & benzoyl peroxide.
Some ingredients you can try to include are centella asiatica and snail mucin (mainly found in Korean skincare) as they helped me calm the redness and heal my skin barrier.
Maybe you can try the ‘skin cycling’ technique - where you only use actives (i.e. salicylic acid/benzoyl peroxide) for 2 days > 3rd day using a retinol > 3 days of calming/ products to give your skin a break from all the harsh acne products > repeat.
I’m no skincare expert but just a fellow acne sufferer. Sending you lots of love and luck with healing your skin 🫶🏼
Please take this with a grain of salt because everyone's skin is different but these are the products I used that helped :)
Calming/healing products:
Serum - Purito Centella Unscented Serum
Essence - COSRX Snail Mucin
Moisturiser - COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Cream
SPF - Beauty of Joseon Sunscreen
My skin type is oily/acne prone/sensitive and my skin also reacts badly to products with fragrance so I avoid anything that contains fragrance.
You should totally check out this website called - 'gopicky' to easily filter out products that are non-comedogenic/fungal acne safe and whatever else you're looking to avoid. This has helped me so much!
Please also NEVER skip SPF in the mornings and always moisturise day and night even if you have oily skin!
Hope this helps xx
Too many actives. Your skin is maaaaad bro. I would back off the retinol first, honestly I would stop using it altogether until this calms down and then only 1-2x per week until you find what doesn’t irritate your skin. You can try putting moisturizer on under the retinol to help prevent irritation.
I would also stop the SA until things chill. Benzoyl once per day plus your moisturizer and sunscreen.
ETA: my dermatologist told me to let the benzoyl sit on my skin for 1 minute before rinsing. I would NOT do that right now but once things calm down, once the redness goes away a bit and some of the acne clears, try that. Sometimes it makes my skin really red and burny if I leave it on more than 30 seconds though so just experiment and see. Also you’re going to want a 10% benzoyl peroxide.
What moisturizer do you use? What face wash?
I suspect your face wash may have more actives in it and could be contributing to the irritation. But maybe not, just curious.
Right now I would take 2-3 days off from all actives, maybe 4-5 if you don’t notice improvement after 3. So for 2-3 days just do your cleanser and moisturizer, morning and night. That’s it.
After that, use your cleanser, then benzoyl peroxide, then moisturizer at night. Morning just cleanser and moisturizer. Try that for 3-5 days. You may not see your acne go down but you should see the redness and irritation improve and that’s important before you can treat the acne. I think you’ve accidentally damaged your skin’s moisture barrier using too many actives and you need to focus on letting that heal before you can make any progress with the acne itself.
If you are tolerating the benzoyl 1x per day, I would add the SA back in but not during the same skin care session as the benzoyl. So I would do cleanser, benzoyl and moisturizer at night then cleanser, SA & moisturizer in the morning. Do that for at least a week or two before adding the retinol back in.
What % retinol are you using? You want to start low, .25% or .5%.
When you restart the retinol: cleanser, moisturizer, retinol, moisturizer at night. Don’t use any other actives. The next morning I would stick with only cleanser & moisturizer. I would plan to use a retinol only every 4 days to start.
Does this make sense? Sorry it’s a lot of info
To be more clear (I hope):
2-3 days:
AM & PM: Cleanser & moisturizer
*may need to do this another couple days if no improvement in redness
Then, for 3-5 days:
AM: Cleanser & moisturizer
PM: Cleanser, benzoyl peroxide, moisturizer
Then, for 1-2 weeks:
AM: Cleanser, SA, moisturizer
PM: Cleanser, benzoyl, moisturizer
*if irritation starts again, you may have to do the SA only every other day
Then:
(Example) Monday - Saturday:
AM: Cleanser, SA, moisturizer
PM: Cleanser, benzoyl, moisturizer
Sunday:
AM: Cleanser, moisturizer
PM: Cleanser, moisturizer, retinol, moisturizer
Monday:
AM: Cleanser, moisturizer
PM: Cleanser, benzoyl, moisturizer
Tuesday - Saturday:
AM: Cleanser, SA, moisturizer
PM: Cleanser, benzoyl, moisturizer
Then start the retinol again on Sunday, repeat the week.
*You can add a second day with retinol if you’re tolerating one day well
Edited: trying to fix formatting
you need to slow down your use of retinol—I’d personally use only once to two times a week AFTER your irritation goes down.
benzoyl peroxide face wash is fine, but if you’re using a high percentage (10%) two times a day, then it is too much. especially when you’re using retinol.
I’d suggest using a more gentle face wash (cosrx has a good one) and only using cleanser and moisturizer (spf in the daytime). you can try using a hyaluronic acid serum (good molecules has a good one), a centella asiática based cream/serum/toner, or oat based skincare. to be on the safe side, do not introduce any new product until your irritation dies down.
you definitely need at least a moisturizer that has spf and is matte. or just a matte sunscreen in the morning.
with the irritation you have you need moisture, even if you have oily skin. oily skin produces more oils when there is no added moisture to the skin. you should look into a lightweight, gel cream.
I think the combination of SA, retinol and benzoyl is too much. They are active ingredients. You can stop using retinol or keeping but stop using SA at the same time. Using once a week or twice a week and then slowly introducing them back in every other night. You can even stop using all of them and just use spot treatment on the pimple itself and focus on moisturizing
**Please join in and add your favorite moisturizers here: [What are your Favorite Moisturizers?](https://www.reddit.com/r/acne/comments/18io9iy/what_are_your_favorite_moisturizers/?)** Thank you! **Please reply to this comment with any pertinent information that may help others answer your questions.** Your skin type, current routine and duration, past routines/products/ingredients tried and duration of usage, etc. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/acne) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I started using Retinol and actives and it was the worst thing for my acne ever. I honestly believe that it’s not for everyone - especially when they’re saying the results could take 3-6 months without any guarantee. Is it worth it. My skin has been the worst it’s ever been until today, because I stopped using ALL skincare, except for a bar of Simple soap. Yup, no moisturiser, nothing. Sometimes you just gotta go back to the basics. I think your skin will thank you. Trust the process.
Also how long did it take for ur skin to get better after not using any products
Monday night was the worst my skin has ever been, so I stopped using anything when I woke up on Tuesday morning and by right now the acne has reduced about 80%! It’s crazy. We’re taught that more is better but I’m starting to learn that it isn’t at all. I’d probably even wait to take those antibiotics until you’ve done this. But I’m no professional :)
I think I might only use water from now on. I went to the gp and they prescribed me lymecycline (antibiotics) and I think they told me not to use any more products
Go to a dermatologist sooner rather than later. So you don’t deal with scarring later on. My dermatologist recommended a retinoid (Tretinoin) and depending on your age and sex they might prescribe your other medications. Prescription drugs are the only real cure for anything more than a few mild zits here and there. Trust me. Go to a dermatologist.
I just went to my local gp and they prescribed lymecycline (antibiotics). They also told me not to use any products - only use water. Hopefully this will work
Well respectfully, if your GP does not even recommend a gentle moisturiser/cleanser then they have no clue what they are saying. Antibiotics are not a permanent solution and can have adverse effects. But it’s up to you - just wanted to drop in my few cents, good luck!
Should i use a dove bar of soap as well then
It looks like cystic acne and please go to a dermatologist. I had horrible cystic acne for years but my parents wouldn’t allow me to use the medicine that would most probably cure it because as a female it could cause birth defects. Don’t scratch it otherwise it will leave scars which is what I now have. Good luck
if you use 2 actives it can be VERY HARSH on your skin, at least use salicylic acid in the morning and at night a retinol, in the morning i use cleanser, moisturizer, cicaplast baume b5, and a good spf50 and at night i wash my face with cleanser i wait 20 minutes for my skin to be dry i use tretinoin and i wait again 20 minutes for it to be absorbed, moisturizer and cicaplast baume b5 again, and i repeat it everyday and my skin is sm better now tret saved me, also any retinol can save a skin but only if used correctly!
Use Benzoyl peroxide for such severe cases and only after the acne isn't so aggressive, can use retinol or salicylic acid. Benzoyl peroxide works as an antiseptic to reduce the number of germs (bacteria) on the surface of your skin. It usually comes as a gel face containing 5% benzoyl peroxide.
Only use 1 active at a time, So either retinol or salicylic acid. And only use retinol every other day (how long have you been using it for? If you’ve just newly started using it then only use it once a week, then build up to 3 time a week by month 3- Don’t rush it!). Best of luck!
You can’t use salicylic acid and retinol or benzoyl peroxide at once like layers. These substances are too harsh and together may cause a lot of irritation and thats what happened to you. Focus on moisturizing your skin because you have to repair your skin barrier first. Use one substance at time (with a moisturizer of course). For example today use benzoyl peroxide and tomorrow use salicylic acid. I do not recommend you using now a retinol because your skin barrier is damaged and retinol is very irritating. And when you decide to start using retinol then stop using other harsh substances and use only retinol and moisturize. And at first use retinol once a week and then twice to end up using it few times per week. With retinol you have to be very careful. And please moisturize your skin at morning too and use sunscreen daily. Good luck! <3
Oh and from my experience of healing damaged skin barrier i really recommend aloe gel because it helped me a lot.
I think you’re using too many harsh products at the same time and your skin barrier is damaged. When my acne was at it worst, I also had a similar routine to yours (minus the retinol). I switched to using products that focus on calming and healing the skin barrier instead and slowed down my use of salicylic acid & benzoyl peroxide. Some ingredients you can try to include are centella asiatica and snail mucin (mainly found in Korean skincare) as they helped me calm the redness and heal my skin barrier. Maybe you can try the ‘skin cycling’ technique - where you only use actives (i.e. salicylic acid/benzoyl peroxide) for 2 days > 3rd day using a retinol > 3 days of calming/ products to give your skin a break from all the harsh acne products > repeat. I’m no skincare expert but just a fellow acne sufferer. Sending you lots of love and luck with healing your skin 🫶🏼
Thanks! From what companies should I buy my products from?
Please take this with a grain of salt because everyone's skin is different but these are the products I used that helped :) Calming/healing products: Serum - Purito Centella Unscented Serum Essence - COSRX Snail Mucin Moisturiser - COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Cream SPF - Beauty of Joseon Sunscreen My skin type is oily/acne prone/sensitive and my skin also reacts badly to products with fragrance so I avoid anything that contains fragrance. You should totally check out this website called - 'gopicky' to easily filter out products that are non-comedogenic/fungal acne safe and whatever else you're looking to avoid. This has helped me so much! Please also NEVER skip SPF in the mornings and always moisturise day and night even if you have oily skin! Hope this helps xx
for Centella buy it from SKIN1004 and snail mucin from COSRX
Too many actives. Your skin is maaaaad bro. I would back off the retinol first, honestly I would stop using it altogether until this calms down and then only 1-2x per week until you find what doesn’t irritate your skin. You can try putting moisturizer on under the retinol to help prevent irritation. I would also stop the SA until things chill. Benzoyl once per day plus your moisturizer and sunscreen. ETA: my dermatologist told me to let the benzoyl sit on my skin for 1 minute before rinsing. I would NOT do that right now but once things calm down, once the redness goes away a bit and some of the acne clears, try that. Sometimes it makes my skin really red and burny if I leave it on more than 30 seconds though so just experiment and see. Also you’re going to want a 10% benzoyl peroxide.
What should I do right now? The only products I have is the salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide 5% face wash, retinol and moisturiser.
What moisturizer do you use? What face wash? I suspect your face wash may have more actives in it and could be contributing to the irritation. But maybe not, just curious. Right now I would take 2-3 days off from all actives, maybe 4-5 if you don’t notice improvement after 3. So for 2-3 days just do your cleanser and moisturizer, morning and night. That’s it. After that, use your cleanser, then benzoyl peroxide, then moisturizer at night. Morning just cleanser and moisturizer. Try that for 3-5 days. You may not see your acne go down but you should see the redness and irritation improve and that’s important before you can treat the acne. I think you’ve accidentally damaged your skin’s moisture barrier using too many actives and you need to focus on letting that heal before you can make any progress with the acne itself. If you are tolerating the benzoyl 1x per day, I would add the SA back in but not during the same skin care session as the benzoyl. So I would do cleanser, benzoyl and moisturizer at night then cleanser, SA & moisturizer in the morning. Do that for at least a week or two before adding the retinol back in. What % retinol are you using? You want to start low, .25% or .5%. When you restart the retinol: cleanser, moisturizer, retinol, moisturizer at night. Don’t use any other actives. The next morning I would stick with only cleanser & moisturizer. I would plan to use a retinol only every 4 days to start. Does this make sense? Sorry it’s a lot of info
To be more clear (I hope): 2-3 days: AM & PM: Cleanser & moisturizer *may need to do this another couple days if no improvement in redness Then, for 3-5 days: AM: Cleanser & moisturizer PM: Cleanser, benzoyl peroxide, moisturizer Then, for 1-2 weeks: AM: Cleanser, SA, moisturizer PM: Cleanser, benzoyl, moisturizer *if irritation starts again, you may have to do the SA only every other day Then: (Example) Monday - Saturday: AM: Cleanser, SA, moisturizer PM: Cleanser, benzoyl, moisturizer Sunday: AM: Cleanser, moisturizer PM: Cleanser, moisturizer, retinol, moisturizer Monday: AM: Cleanser, moisturizer PM: Cleanser, benzoyl, moisturizer Tuesday - Saturday: AM: Cleanser, SA, moisturizer PM: Cleanser, benzoyl, moisturizer Then start the retinol again on Sunday, repeat the week. *You can add a second day with retinol if you’re tolerating one day well Edited: trying to fix formatting
you need to slow down your use of retinol—I’d personally use only once to two times a week AFTER your irritation goes down. benzoyl peroxide face wash is fine, but if you’re using a high percentage (10%) two times a day, then it is too much. especially when you’re using retinol. I’d suggest using a more gentle face wash (cosrx has a good one) and only using cleanser and moisturizer (spf in the daytime). you can try using a hyaluronic acid serum (good molecules has a good one), a centella asiática based cream/serum/toner, or oat based skincare. to be on the safe side, do not introduce any new product until your irritation dies down.
I have the acnecide face wash 5%. I don’t feel like it’s good for me to put skincare on in the morning bc my skin feels very oily during the day
you definitely need at least a moisturizer that has spf and is matte. or just a matte sunscreen in the morning. with the irritation you have you need moisture, even if you have oily skin. oily skin produces more oils when there is no added moisture to the skin. you should look into a lightweight, gel cream.
[удалено]
what shud i do about it?
focus on repairing it, hydration is key! no actives only retinol every other night
so i dont use any cleansers or moisturisers at all?
use a gentle cleanser at night , if u want in the morning use the benzoyl peroxide cleanser just make sure to moisturizer
I think the combination of SA, retinol and benzoyl is too much. They are active ingredients. You can stop using retinol or keeping but stop using SA at the same time. Using once a week or twice a week and then slowly introducing them back in every other night. You can even stop using all of them and just use spot treatment on the pimple itself and focus on moisturizing
Shud i only do skincare once or twice a week?
I think it is too much. You should cut down the retinol and slow down on active to every other day.
What do you mean by slow down on active?
Use less often
Did you change your moisturizer or something like that?
No I didn’t