Tretinoin purging: Tretinoin commonly causes a skin purge, characterized by acne breakouts, dryness, and irritation, especially when first used or when the dosage is increased.
First 2 weeks: Apply low concentration (0.01% or 0.025%) two nights per week. Following 2/4 weeks: Apply tretinoin 3 times per week or every other night. After 6/8 weeks of use: If your skin tolerates the product well, apply the product every night. After 12 weeks: After 12 weeks of using the product on a daily basis.
That's normal! Tretinoin speeds up cell death and renewal, and your skin needs time to adjust. These breakouts are temporary. If you experience severe irritation, talk to your medical provider, as other medications can help lessen the likelihood of your skin becoming irritated while you're using tretinoin.
“Skin purging,” or the “retinol uglies” as it's also known, are terms used to describe an initial flare of sensitive skin and acne breakouts at the start of a retinoid treatment. Skin purging is common, but doesn't necessarily happen to everyone. In fact some people don't experience it at all.
In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at what the tretinoin purge is, why it happens, and how you can manage it. Skin purging is a common side effect of using tretinoin. It usually appears right after the medication is first used, or when you increase the dosage.
Signs you should stop using tretinoin
“If your face is red, tender, or very parched and peeling, these are signs you're overusing your retinoid,” Dr. Ansell says—either you're applying too much, or too frequently.
Retinoids have been implicated in causing mild-to-moderate elevations in routine liver tests, but these elevations are usually asymptomatic and transient, resolving spontaneously even with continued therapy.
It's also important to be aware that while tretinoin produces improvements in the long term, some people find that their acne actually gets worse during the first few months of treatment. This is known as the “tretinoin purge,” and it's a common side effect of tretinoin and other topical retinoids.
If despite starting very slow and on a low dose, you still experience excessive dryness, irritation or purging, then consider applying a thin layer of your moisturiser first before the Tretinoin to reduce its activity.
Retinization is something everyone who uses retinol—more specifically and more commonly, prescription-grade retinoids—goes through when they first begin using their product. While some may experience very mild symptoms, others might go through something unflatteringly known as the “retinol uglies.”
In short, the retinol sandwiching technique is as follows:
Apply a layer of moisturiser to damp skin. Allow this to dry completely. Apply your retinol. After giving retinol time to absorb, finish your skincare routine with a second layer of moisturiser.
When you first start using tretinoin, you may start with a lower percentage that you apply just two or three times a week. After two weeks, if your skin is adjusting well to the tretinoin, you can consider increasing use to every night as tolerated.
It's typically between the 6th and 8th week of consistent use that tretinoin's true prowess begins to shine. Fine lines may appear softer, and an enhanced glow may emerge. With diligent and consistent application, coupled with a nurturing skincare regimen, tretinoin can produce profound changes by the 12th week.
The skin on the neck is thinner and more sensitive, so it may not tolerate tretinoin well, causing irritation. However, if you want to address signs of ageing on your neck, you may benefit from using tretinoin there. To avoid irritation, start with a lower frequency on your neck and build up as your skin tolerates it.
Tretinoin counteracts the destruction of collagen and elastic fibers by inhibiting the regulation of MMPs.
This medicine may increase pressure in the head, especially in children, which may lead to vision loss or serious brain problems.
Tazarotene may get you results much faster than tretinoin, especially if you have a lot of very visible sun damage on your face, and in one study tazarotene worked more effectively for photodamage, fine wrinkling, mottled hyperpigmentation, and coarse wrinkling.
The idea behind skin cycling is to reduce irritation, so if you are already using tretinoin or retinol multiple times a week with no irritation, then there's no need to add in rest days.
Applying excessive amounts of tretinoin onto the skin to make acne go away faster will not work. This can make the skin worse by causing extreme dryness, peeling, or redness. It may take up to six weeks of tretinoin treatment to see results.
On the other hand, an opened tretinoin tube that has not expired may be less effective than an unopened but expired tube of tretinoin. This can happen due to the chemical composition of tretinoin degrading, which can lead to a reduction in its potency and effectiveness over time.
Experiencing an initial purge when starting out with retinoids is normal. Purging can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on your skin. If you are still experiencing breakouts and irritation after this time, we recommend reaching out to your dermatology provider!
If the skin purging stage is really troublesome, it can be helpful to decrease the frequency of your actives by alternating days of use. Stick with it - in time, things will likely improve. When the frequency of new spots starts to reduce, increase the frequency of your actives again.