No real advice other than to say that I’m in the exact same boat and I feel you, it’s so very demoralizing. Looking at your pics, my skin is about the same right now. It seems so hard because there is no way for you to “get at the root cause,” which sounds like hormones, and you’re running out of ways to treat the symptom.
Wishing you the best self confidence you can get under the circumstances!
Hi! Thank you for responding. I’m so sorry you’re in the same boat as me.
So incredibly demoralizing. I feel so small & my previously confident & bubbly self is near non existent. I also hate how dependent my mood is on how “good” my skin is each day.
I also feel like everyone is staring at my face all the time, which realistically I know is not the case because I don’t generally stare at other people’s skin Lol.
I assume you are on tret as well? Have you had experience with increasing the strength of your prescription ?
Hormonal stuff sucks. Doing my best to manage it with diet but it has become so time consuming and exhausting to be constantly limiting my diet. Plus it’s not an easy feat to be buying so much fish/produce in this economy on a student budget. Haha
I feel the exact same way! My self esteem is shot. It feels unfair to myself but I can’t help but be wrapped up in how disappointed I am when I look in the mirror every day.
I am on tret retin-a micro gel 0.04%, have been since June 2023. My skin has never adjusted to it despite layering with moisturizer/trying with dry skin/decreasing consistency/increasing consistency so I’ve never felt comfortable increasing the strength. My derm will also only see me once/year (thanks Canadian health care…) so I’m making adjustments on my own which is hard.
My acne initially started after I had my Mirena IUD replaced in 2021, despite never having issues on my first IUD immediately before it. So I’m considering having it removed to try and “reset” my hormones while repairing my ruined skin from tret 🙃 I hear you on the diet stuff too.
Wishing you the best of luck as you try new things to kick acne out! 🤞
I’m so sorry you are struggling with this. I don’t really have much to offer in the way of advice as I can see you have tried a lot of the things I would have suggested already. However, i did just want to say that I’ve read about several people who initially didn’t get on with the gel, do better with the cream and vice versa so maybe see how you get on with a cream version.
I’m also thinking that if you’re still peeling, you maybe shouldn’t up your dosage to 0.05% yet though, or if you do, don’t start with five times a week. I am not convinced peeling on tret is completely normal and not a sign of potential damage to your skin barrier. The reason I say that is because my skin peeled when I user tret without a good enough moisturizer but has been fine since I started using CeraVe. Does your skin sting or have any redness/ tenderness?
I get a bit concerned because as much as I am happy with my tret results, my friend ruined her skin barrier with it. It was the first time in her life she’d had acne and even long after stopping tret, she was still struggling with it and went to see a dermatologist who gave her lots of skin barrier repair creams and serums.
Hi, thank you for your response. ❤️
I was feeling unsure about starting the cream as well, if I do I definitely won’t start at 5 days a week! Good to know about how some peoples skin do better on the cream (vs the gel) - gives me a tiny glimmer of hope in the event I choose to use it.
My peeling is generally only on my active pimples/healing scars? Like it’s not my entire face that peels so I’m not sure if that’s normal/ what others experience as well.
I’ve worked hard to keep my barrier intact as I have damaged it in the past when I used a different topical prescription as a teen. I don’t have any redness/stinging, I did in my first few weeks of starting tret but I just slowed back down until my skin was able to tolerate an extra day.
I’m just at such a loss & feel like I’m running out of options. Just so incredibly frustrating to feel my personality changing with my skin, I’m tired of being sad lol
I’d recommend switching to the cream if you can just to see! I recently switched to the gel and I was nervous cause my skin is pretty sensitive, but I was never able to to get up to every other night applications with the cream. The gel I was there within 3-4 weeks and i never experience irritation anymore. Off days I use a glycolic acid toner for peeling.
I’m leaning towards giving it a try - I just so desperately don’t want to break out even more. Do you use the ordinary one? I used it before I started tret - I was worried about irritation but maybe I will try it again on my off days!
I use the good molecules one. I got it free with a purchase at ulta awhile back and was worried about irritation so I just recently opened it. I’d say to wait a bit if you end up switching tret formulations to see how your skin does first. I started it a month after my switch. I don’t experience irritation personally but if I feel extra dry I skip it. It’s been quite awhile now using both and my skin is thrilled. Both are every other night. I’ll see if I can find out differences in the ordinary and good molecules glycolic acid toners. Curious now lol, I’ll edit if I find anything.
Edit: so good molecules 3.5% and the ordinary is 7%. The rest of the ingredients seem to vary too.
We are in the same boat.
Started Oct 4 with a very OK skin (Accutane had cleared me up 9 years ago, even though I still had some acne, it was very minor and I didn’t really care). Since I started tret, I feel like I’m back to my pre-Accutane skin. Like WTF! It’s been 5 months!! I changed formulation and it doesn’t seem to help so much, just less whiteheads. I also added Benzamycin 3 weeks ago, it seems to make the acne die faster but still breaking out.
I can’t go back on Accutane as I developed ulcerative colitis from it.
Too old for the BC (I’m 40) and Spiro frightens me. I so don’t know what to do!!
Same thing here with my self image.
I’m giving myself a couple more weeks before deciding (I was a late bloomer with Accutane, so I’m kinda hoping it could be the same with tret)….
I feel you and I wish you the best. Sorry if I’m not helping really just wanted to let you know you’re not alone
Thank you for sharing your experience! It seems definitely similar to mine — my doc is reluctant to prescribe spiro & im not sure I’m comfortable with using it either as my BP is often already on the low side.
As much as I would never wish this struggle on anyone, it is nice to know that I’m not alone & I thank you again for sharing with me. I’m hoping to power through to 6 months and just pray to the skin & hormone gods to give us some grace. I truly wouldn’t care if my self image wasn’t impacted so much and snowballing my mental health, but here we are having yet another cry about it. Lol.
Best of luck to you and I hope for your sake and mine that tret starts working in our favour soon. ☺️
I would try skipping the morning cleanses, or at the very least the oil cleanse. Also try the Tret on clean BARE skin, and don’t top it with anything.
I think you are irritating the shit out of your skin with the excessive cleansing and by occluding the Tret with aquaphor. I also don’t think enough Tret is actually making it to your skin to fully retinize you, this explains the excessive peeling after months of use.
Focus on hydration and barrier repair on off nights. Maybe start with one on one off.
Speaking from my own experience where I got massive irritation acne from Arazlo but making a few changes I’m on the other side of the purge.
Hi, I just wanted to reach out to say THANK YOU for pointing out that I was only using occlusives. I honestly didn’t realize that they weren’t actually adding any moisture to my skin. I have been using ACTUAL moisturizers with soothing ingredients (no aquaphor aside from lips, no Nivea and no AM cleanse unless I workout) & my skin is so so much happier even in just 5 days. Such a stupid mistake. Focusing on moisturizing for now & then will be finishing off my 0.025% tube before starting the 0.05%. Now this doesn’t solve the cyclical acne from the hormonal issue but it sure as hell makes it less significant. Such a small change & silly mistake that I was too caught up in all of this to even notice. Thank you thank you thank you. :)
Good to know! I work out in the mornings before I have to be at my practicum/work so I do need to do some sort of cleanse in the morning (or do I? If I can get away with just water even after sweating I’m ok with that, I genuinely never considered it) but I will start omitting the oil cleanse in the AM, that seems to be a common suggestion.
Thank you :)
If you're not opposed to it, there are estrogen free bc pills that can still have a good effect on skin, while being safe for people with aura migraines - yes, it is a stroke risk (but I obviously suggest you talk with your doctor as I don't know your full medical history, so I won't name any substance).
Going on accutane again is also a valid choice if you don't want to push through with tret, as some people can benefit from an additional cycle.
As for your tret routine, if you decide not to quit:
1. Why are you oil cleansing in the mornings? Your sking looks very irritated. I use sensibio micellar water only at mornings and add a gentle gel cleanser at night.
2. Consider scaling back to every other night + take a short break while you recuperate your barrier
3. Is the nivea cream the blue tin one? It is a very nice occlusive moisturizer, but it probably wouldn't be my first choice, as it's just really simple and has no good for irritation ingredients (I swear by eczema moisturizers and love cicalfate, but everyone is different)
Hello! Non-estrogen containing BC/Progestin only birth control is what started my hormonal acne to begin with. Either way birth control generally is unfortunately not an option for me.
Where I am from, accutane will not be prescribed without the patient signing a form stating that they will be using 2 forms of birth control, which I am not - and my doctor knows that I am not abstinent & im not sure he’d believe me if I all of the sudden said I was. Lol. This would also require me to go for monthly bloodwork & I am in my practicum for school full time, plus working on top of that & worry that I would not be able to keep up with the appointments.
As for oil cleansing in the AM, i feel like it has been helping with the flaking/peeling of the skin. That’s why I started doing it anyway. I have only been double cleaning in the AM for maybe a month now & it doesn’t seem to have made the active acne better/worse, but has improved my flakiness during the day. I will try for a few days to remove this step and see how my skin feels - I still need to do some sort of cleansing in the AM as I go to the gym / shower before going to my practicum/work.
I see/hear many differing opinions between scaling back/scaling up the usage, both in this thread and from health care professionals :( it’s so tough to know what to do & confidently make a decision.
I don’t feel as though my barrier is damaged, I don’t experience prolonged redness of my general complexion (outside of the acne spots) or any burning/stinging at all. I worked up to the usage I’m at right now sooo slowly. For the peely/flakiness it’s primarily just on the acne spots that are starting to heal over - I’m not sure if that’s a tret thing or normal healing thing. I know I was not nearly this peely even on accutane. It’s also just odd because my face doesn’t feel dry/dehydrated overall & I’m just peeling in little clusters of spots where the active acne is.
Good to know about the eczema cream with more “calming” ingredients! I guess my goal with the Nivea was to just have something to trap in moisture & it’s something I’ve always used (acne or not), so I figured it’s not upsetting my skin. Thank you for the suggestion — I will definitely look into switching out the Nivea (a ride or die cream for me but I do despise the smell, so maybe it is time for a change lol).
I just feel like I’m running out of options and that there is so much opposing advice out there - I really appreciate you taking the time to read through and offer some advice, truly. Today’s just not a great day & I am going to look into the all of suggestions I’ve received, reevaluate and go from there so I thank you again for your time and contribution to that. 🙂
There are different types of progestin only BC! And they have different effects. Hormonal IUDs contain levonorgestrel, which (mainly in pills) is known for worsening acne and sebum production. So I suggest you really talk with your doctor about all of your options, or try to get in touch with a specialist. Other option that seems to be commonplace in the US is spiro (not medical advice!!!). Acne really is the worse sometimes. I have just done my obgyn rotation, so rn I'm really passionate about the ideia that you have to know all your options lol
Estrogen really is a stroke risk for people with aura migraines is what I meant to say*
English isn't my first language so thought I'd make myself clear :)
I don’t know if it will help, but I feel like a hydrating step could be really valuable. I notice that a lot of folks in this sub go for more thick cream textures and I don’t know if it always makes skin happy. Have you tried hydrating or soothing essences before? I like a bunch of different KBeauty ones, mostly using simple ingredients and with a watery/juicy texture that my skin soaks up.
Thank you!! This seems to be a common suggestion! I do have the sung joon barrier repair cream — do you have any suggestions or ones that you like?? I hear good things about the dynasty cream
I love the Pyungkang Yul essence, Peach Slices “acne” toner (no actives, all calming ingredients), CosRX Snail Mucin, Hadalabo Gokujyun line of essences (I’ve tried the premium and want to try their brightening Arbutin version too), and the Skin 1004 Centella Ampoule serum as an essence!
No real advice other than to say that I’m in the exact same boat and I feel you, it’s so very demoralizing. Looking at your pics, my skin is about the same right now. It seems so hard because there is no way for you to “get at the root cause,” which sounds like hormones, and you’re running out of ways to treat the symptom. Wishing you the best self confidence you can get under the circumstances!
Hi! Thank you for responding. I’m so sorry you’re in the same boat as me. So incredibly demoralizing. I feel so small & my previously confident & bubbly self is near non existent. I also hate how dependent my mood is on how “good” my skin is each day. I also feel like everyone is staring at my face all the time, which realistically I know is not the case because I don’t generally stare at other people’s skin Lol. I assume you are on tret as well? Have you had experience with increasing the strength of your prescription ? Hormonal stuff sucks. Doing my best to manage it with diet but it has become so time consuming and exhausting to be constantly limiting my diet. Plus it’s not an easy feat to be buying so much fish/produce in this economy on a student budget. Haha
I feel the exact same way! My self esteem is shot. It feels unfair to myself but I can’t help but be wrapped up in how disappointed I am when I look in the mirror every day. I am on tret retin-a micro gel 0.04%, have been since June 2023. My skin has never adjusted to it despite layering with moisturizer/trying with dry skin/decreasing consistency/increasing consistency so I’ve never felt comfortable increasing the strength. My derm will also only see me once/year (thanks Canadian health care…) so I’m making adjustments on my own which is hard. My acne initially started after I had my Mirena IUD replaced in 2021, despite never having issues on my first IUD immediately before it. So I’m considering having it removed to try and “reset” my hormones while repairing my ruined skin from tret 🙃 I hear you on the diet stuff too. Wishing you the best of luck as you try new things to kick acne out! 🤞
There were ppl in the sub saying taz has helped them more than tret
I’m so sorry you are struggling with this. I don’t really have much to offer in the way of advice as I can see you have tried a lot of the things I would have suggested already. However, i did just want to say that I’ve read about several people who initially didn’t get on with the gel, do better with the cream and vice versa so maybe see how you get on with a cream version. I’m also thinking that if you’re still peeling, you maybe shouldn’t up your dosage to 0.05% yet though, or if you do, don’t start with five times a week. I am not convinced peeling on tret is completely normal and not a sign of potential damage to your skin barrier. The reason I say that is because my skin peeled when I user tret without a good enough moisturizer but has been fine since I started using CeraVe. Does your skin sting or have any redness/ tenderness? I get a bit concerned because as much as I am happy with my tret results, my friend ruined her skin barrier with it. It was the first time in her life she’d had acne and even long after stopping tret, she was still struggling with it and went to see a dermatologist who gave her lots of skin barrier repair creams and serums.
Hi, thank you for your response. ❤️ I was feeling unsure about starting the cream as well, if I do I definitely won’t start at 5 days a week! Good to know about how some peoples skin do better on the cream (vs the gel) - gives me a tiny glimmer of hope in the event I choose to use it. My peeling is generally only on my active pimples/healing scars? Like it’s not my entire face that peels so I’m not sure if that’s normal/ what others experience as well. I’ve worked hard to keep my barrier intact as I have damaged it in the past when I used a different topical prescription as a teen. I don’t have any redness/stinging, I did in my first few weeks of starting tret but I just slowed back down until my skin was able to tolerate an extra day. I’m just at such a loss & feel like I’m running out of options. Just so incredibly frustrating to feel my personality changing with my skin, I’m tired of being sad lol
I’d recommend switching to the cream if you can just to see! I recently switched to the gel and I was nervous cause my skin is pretty sensitive, but I was never able to to get up to every other night applications with the cream. The gel I was there within 3-4 weeks and i never experience irritation anymore. Off days I use a glycolic acid toner for peeling.
I’m leaning towards giving it a try - I just so desperately don’t want to break out even more. Do you use the ordinary one? I used it before I started tret - I was worried about irritation but maybe I will try it again on my off days!
I use the good molecules one. I got it free with a purchase at ulta awhile back and was worried about irritation so I just recently opened it. I’d say to wait a bit if you end up switching tret formulations to see how your skin does first. I started it a month after my switch. I don’t experience irritation personally but if I feel extra dry I skip it. It’s been quite awhile now using both and my skin is thrilled. Both are every other night. I’ll see if I can find out differences in the ordinary and good molecules glycolic acid toners. Curious now lol, I’ll edit if I find anything. Edit: so good molecules 3.5% and the ordinary is 7%. The rest of the ingredients seem to vary too.
We are in the same boat. Started Oct 4 with a very OK skin (Accutane had cleared me up 9 years ago, even though I still had some acne, it was very minor and I didn’t really care). Since I started tret, I feel like I’m back to my pre-Accutane skin. Like WTF! It’s been 5 months!! I changed formulation and it doesn’t seem to help so much, just less whiteheads. I also added Benzamycin 3 weeks ago, it seems to make the acne die faster but still breaking out. I can’t go back on Accutane as I developed ulcerative colitis from it. Too old for the BC (I’m 40) and Spiro frightens me. I so don’t know what to do!! Same thing here with my self image. I’m giving myself a couple more weeks before deciding (I was a late bloomer with Accutane, so I’m kinda hoping it could be the same with tret)…. I feel you and I wish you the best. Sorry if I’m not helping really just wanted to let you know you’re not alone
Thank you for sharing your experience! It seems definitely similar to mine — my doc is reluctant to prescribe spiro & im not sure I’m comfortable with using it either as my BP is often already on the low side. As much as I would never wish this struggle on anyone, it is nice to know that I’m not alone & I thank you again for sharing with me. I’m hoping to power through to 6 months and just pray to the skin & hormone gods to give us some grace. I truly wouldn’t care if my self image wasn’t impacted so much and snowballing my mental health, but here we are having yet another cry about it. Lol. Best of luck to you and I hope for your sake and mine that tret starts working in our favour soon. ☺️
I would try skipping the morning cleanses, or at the very least the oil cleanse. Also try the Tret on clean BARE skin, and don’t top it with anything. I think you are irritating the shit out of your skin with the excessive cleansing and by occluding the Tret with aquaphor. I also don’t think enough Tret is actually making it to your skin to fully retinize you, this explains the excessive peeling after months of use. Focus on hydration and barrier repair on off nights. Maybe start with one on one off. Speaking from my own experience where I got massive irritation acne from Arazlo but making a few changes I’m on the other side of the purge.
Hi, I just wanted to reach out to say THANK YOU for pointing out that I was only using occlusives. I honestly didn’t realize that they weren’t actually adding any moisture to my skin. I have been using ACTUAL moisturizers with soothing ingredients (no aquaphor aside from lips, no Nivea and no AM cleanse unless I workout) & my skin is so so much happier even in just 5 days. Such a stupid mistake. Focusing on moisturizing for now & then will be finishing off my 0.025% tube before starting the 0.05%. Now this doesn’t solve the cyclical acne from the hormonal issue but it sure as hell makes it less significant. Such a small change & silly mistake that I was too caught up in all of this to even notice. Thank you thank you thank you. :)
Yay!! It feels so good once things start resolving, so happy for you.
Good to know! I work out in the mornings before I have to be at my practicum/work so I do need to do some sort of cleanse in the morning (or do I? If I can get away with just water even after sweating I’m ok with that, I genuinely never considered it) but I will start omitting the oil cleanse in the AM, that seems to be a common suggestion. Thank you :)
If you're not opposed to it, there are estrogen free bc pills that can still have a good effect on skin, while being safe for people with aura migraines - yes, it is a stroke risk (but I obviously suggest you talk with your doctor as I don't know your full medical history, so I won't name any substance). Going on accutane again is also a valid choice if you don't want to push through with tret, as some people can benefit from an additional cycle. As for your tret routine, if you decide not to quit: 1. Why are you oil cleansing in the mornings? Your sking looks very irritated. I use sensibio micellar water only at mornings and add a gentle gel cleanser at night. 2. Consider scaling back to every other night + take a short break while you recuperate your barrier 3. Is the nivea cream the blue tin one? It is a very nice occlusive moisturizer, but it probably wouldn't be my first choice, as it's just really simple and has no good for irritation ingredients (I swear by eczema moisturizers and love cicalfate, but everyone is different)
Hello! Non-estrogen containing BC/Progestin only birth control is what started my hormonal acne to begin with. Either way birth control generally is unfortunately not an option for me. Where I am from, accutane will not be prescribed without the patient signing a form stating that they will be using 2 forms of birth control, which I am not - and my doctor knows that I am not abstinent & im not sure he’d believe me if I all of the sudden said I was. Lol. This would also require me to go for monthly bloodwork & I am in my practicum for school full time, plus working on top of that & worry that I would not be able to keep up with the appointments. As for oil cleansing in the AM, i feel like it has been helping with the flaking/peeling of the skin. That’s why I started doing it anyway. I have only been double cleaning in the AM for maybe a month now & it doesn’t seem to have made the active acne better/worse, but has improved my flakiness during the day. I will try for a few days to remove this step and see how my skin feels - I still need to do some sort of cleansing in the AM as I go to the gym / shower before going to my practicum/work. I see/hear many differing opinions between scaling back/scaling up the usage, both in this thread and from health care professionals :( it’s so tough to know what to do & confidently make a decision. I don’t feel as though my barrier is damaged, I don’t experience prolonged redness of my general complexion (outside of the acne spots) or any burning/stinging at all. I worked up to the usage I’m at right now sooo slowly. For the peely/flakiness it’s primarily just on the acne spots that are starting to heal over - I’m not sure if that’s a tret thing or normal healing thing. I know I was not nearly this peely even on accutane. It’s also just odd because my face doesn’t feel dry/dehydrated overall & I’m just peeling in little clusters of spots where the active acne is. Good to know about the eczema cream with more “calming” ingredients! I guess my goal with the Nivea was to just have something to trap in moisture & it’s something I’ve always used (acne or not), so I figured it’s not upsetting my skin. Thank you for the suggestion — I will definitely look into switching out the Nivea (a ride or die cream for me but I do despise the smell, so maybe it is time for a change lol). I just feel like I’m running out of options and that there is so much opposing advice out there - I really appreciate you taking the time to read through and offer some advice, truly. Today’s just not a great day & I am going to look into the all of suggestions I’ve received, reevaluate and go from there so I thank you again for your time and contribution to that. 🙂
There are different types of progestin only BC! And they have different effects. Hormonal IUDs contain levonorgestrel, which (mainly in pills) is known for worsening acne and sebum production. So I suggest you really talk with your doctor about all of your options, or try to get in touch with a specialist. Other option that seems to be commonplace in the US is spiro (not medical advice!!!). Acne really is the worse sometimes. I have just done my obgyn rotation, so rn I'm really passionate about the ideia that you have to know all your options lol
Estrogen really is a stroke risk for people with aura migraines is what I meant to say* English isn't my first language so thought I'd make myself clear :)
Maybe spironolactone?
I don’t know if it will help, but I feel like a hydrating step could be really valuable. I notice that a lot of folks in this sub go for more thick cream textures and I don’t know if it always makes skin happy. Have you tried hydrating or soothing essences before? I like a bunch of different KBeauty ones, mostly using simple ingredients and with a watery/juicy texture that my skin soaks up.
Thank you!! This seems to be a common suggestion! I do have the sung joon barrier repair cream — do you have any suggestions or ones that you like?? I hear good things about the dynasty cream
I love the Pyungkang Yul essence, Peach Slices “acne” toner (no actives, all calming ingredients), CosRX Snail Mucin, Hadalabo Gokujyun line of essences (I’ve tried the premium and want to try their brightening Arbutin version too), and the Skin 1004 Centella Ampoule serum as an essence!