Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it is especially important to avoid using the following skin products on the same area as tretinoin: Any other topical acne product or skin product containing a peeling agent (eg, benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol, salicylic acid, or sulfur).
Generally, it is not recommended to use a Salicylic Acid cleanser or leave-on exfoliant with Retinol since it can lead to dry skin, leading to other irritation. However, for people with oily acne-prone skin or oily mature skin, the combination can be beneficial.
Wash face thoroughly with a mild soap or a gentle alcohol-free non-soap cleanser such as Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Wash, Cetaphil cleanser, or CeraVe cleanser. Pat skin dry and wait for skin to thoroughly dry, about 5-15 minutes.
Avoid using skin products that can cause irritation, such as harsh soaps, shampoos, hair coloring or permanent chemicals, hair removers or waxes, or skin products with alcohol, spices, astringents, or lime. Avoid using other medications on the areas you treat with tretinoin topical unless your doctor tells you to.
“To compensate for being overly dry, skin will ramp up oil production, which can create a vicious cycle of dryness and acne,” says Sikora. The fix: Use salicylic in the morning and your retinoid at night.
You may be wondering if using both a retinoid and a retinol will help reduce your acne faster than using either one alone. But that's unlikely because they work on your skin in the same way. Combining them can also increase your risk of side effects.
The simple answer is yes. They complement each other well. Being oil soluble, salicylic acid can penetrate deeper into the skin layers, but it can also dehydrate and irritate skin.
Don't Mix: AHA/BHA acids with retinol. "I strongly caution those also using retinoids for acne or anti-aging as the combination with various acids may cause excessive skin sensitivity, irritation, and redness. In fact, AHA and BHA should not typically be used together with retinoids on the same day," explains Dr.
Fortunately, it's safe to mix niacinamide and retinol. In fact, the combination is considered to have numerous benefits.
The best product you can use in conjunction with retinol, according to Dr. Zeichner, is a moisturizer, which can help hydrate skin and reduce the risk of irritation from retinol. “Some people even prefer to mix their retinol with a moisturizing cream to dilute it out,” he says.
In general, most people won't need to use an exfoliant with tretinoin. Instead, the best approach is to let tretinoin work on its own to speed up skin cell turnover and improve your skin, all while managing potential dryness, flaking and irritation through good hydration and moisturizing.
But overall, stick to using water-based products and serums together. AHAs and BHAs, such as glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids should never be used with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an acid, too, and is unstable, so the pH balance will be thrown off by layering these ingredients together and might as well be useless.
“Vitamin A derivatives help to clear acne, as they help to regulate skin cell turnover,” says Marisa Garshick, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. Unlike salicylic acid, which exfoliates dead skin cells and dissolves clogs, and benzoyl peroxide, which kills acne-causing bacteria, retinoids work from the inside out.
You will get an effective acne treatment with both adapalene and Tretinoin but will probably see faster improvement with Tretinoin. Everyone's skin is different, so you might see different results.
“Topical retinoids such as tretinoin cream and topical benzoyl peroxide will deactivate each other,” says Dr. Mraz Robinson. “You can mix other forms of topical retinoids such as adapalene [now OTC] with benzoyl peroxide, but this can increase the risk for irritation and inability to tolerate the topicals.”
Differin Gel should not be used in conjunction with products containing alpha hydroxy, salicylic or glycolic acids, which may worsen irritation. Irritation may occur if using more than one topical acne product at a time.
It's perfectly safe to use a moisturizer with tretinoin. In fact, tretinoin without moisturizer is generally not recommended. Many dermatologists advise their patients to moisturize while using it to reduce their chance of developing dry, peeling skin.
Using a hyaluronic acid moisturizer at the same time as retinol or tretinoin can help your skin to stay hydrated and may prevent or lighten these side effects.
A pea-sized amount of tretinoin is sufficient for the entire face. Use at bedtime, after cleansing with a gentle non-soap cleanser such as Cetaphil or CeraVe.
If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Using clindamycin and tretinoin with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you.
Keep Your Face Clean
Touching your face or allowing oil or bacteria to build up can also increase the side effects of the tretinoin purge. Only touch your face with clean hands and leave your skin to do its thing. Also try not to pick at flaky or dry skin caused by the purge.