Retinol drying me out

February 23, 2023 12:26 PM

I’ve been using retinol for over a year but I just can’t get past the insane dryness. What can I do?

I need to consult with my derm but I really want to know how other people’s experiences of retinol have gone. As mentioned, I’ve been using it for over a year (probably 2 years now) and have never been able to increase over 2x a week. My skin just gets too sensitive and irritated. So I use it twice a week, with Cerave lotion underneath. And yet, I’m still randomly peeling half the week. I assume it’s because I don’t use it often enough to get past the peeling, but every time I increase the frequency my skin goes nuts.

I moisturize with the Cerave in the tub on my off days. The problem is t the usual problem areas, like corners of eyes or mouth, it’s my regular like chin and cheeks area that peel like crazy (I do feel the irritation around my nose though when I try to increase frequency).

Should I use a different moisturizer? Different application method? Try to get past the 2x hurdle by ramping up suuuuper gradually?

It’s kind of a wash right now because while it does make my acne disappear faster / never develop, the peleling and dryness is uncomfortable and unsightly, and my skin LOOKS craaaazy dry, like it’s aged me. So I’m really not seeing great aesthetic benefits and the health benefits seem negligible.

posted by stoneandstar to Health & Fitness (18 answers total)

Response by poster: *The problem ISN’T the usual problem areas
posted by stoneandstar at 12:27 PM on February 23, 2023

What retinol product are you using?
posted by bbqturtle at 12:56 PM on February 23, 2023 [5 favorites]

What is your application method? I've found that it can make a big difference. When I shortened the period of letting my face dry (e.g. anything under 15 minutes), I would get crazy peeling and dry skin on my cheeks and chin, like you've described.
posted by rhythm and booze at 1:00 PM on February 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

What retinol product and how much are you using? You shouldn't be using more than a small pea amount. I use a gel based moisturizer right out of the shower to make the retinol application easier, then use a small pea amount of my retinol product in only the problem areas.

Then once I feel like my skin has absorbed everything (20 minutes or so) I then slather on a gel-cream for extra dry skin. I do all of this only at night (so makeup or sun doesn't disrupt the effects), then also sleep on a silk pillowcase. Seems to work for me, who also suffers from dry skin. Good luck!
posted by greta simone at 1:05 PM on February 23, 2023

What is your routine and in what order do you apply your products and what products do you use?

For example, you probably want no to go easy on other actives.

Some people find their skin is much happier if they start with the moisturiser and then add the retinol on top.

A richer moisturiser may be helpful on the days you are using it. If I understand correctly you’re using a lotion, not a cream on the days you are using it?
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:17 PM on February 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

I've fought this fight. Here's some ideas you might try that have worked for me:

• Apply only to very dry skin
• Put it on over a layer of moisturizer (or mix with moisturizer)
• Try retinol derivatives (I use Maelove Moonlight nightly which is retinal, they also have a sensitive skin retinol if you want to work your way up strengths ) or even a lower strength more days and a stronger strength once a week or less
• Put on a face oil after retinol and the day after, and follow it with another moisturizer that will "seal it in"

It was really the face oil that finally got my skin to a good state strong enough to handle retinol.
posted by Bunglegirl at 1:21 PM on February 23, 2023 [4 favorites]

There are a lot of different formulations, concentrations, and variations—might be worth looking at a different product.
posted by music for skeletons at 2:16 PM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

Are you using prescription retinol or an OTC version? I had a lot of irritation with most of the OTC treatments because my skin was reacting to other stuff in them, and better luck with a pretty mild prescription tretinoin.

Also, what are you using to cleanse? I switched to an oil cleanser (DHC olive oil cleanser) a couple years ago and it's really been great, keeps my skin from ever feeling stripped after cleansing.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 2:33 PM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I use a prescription treatment from Dear Brightly, 0.06% strength and combined with 0.5% hyaluronic acid. I usually double cleanse with an oil cleaners and Cerave cleanser in the shower at night, then moisturize with Cerave in the tub. Wait for it to dry, then apply the tret. I might be using too much, but I don’t think I use much more than a pea. I can try using a little less and moisturizing afterward, though!

I do all this before bed and don’t use anything else but sunscreen and the aforementioned cleansers and sunscreen.

Probably the best my skin ever looked was when I was using Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream and Sunday Riley Tidal, which is annoying because I switched to my current regiment to reduce fragrance and random additives. Maybe I should try the Neutrogena ultra gel again, I was for awhile.
posted by stoneandstar at 4:32 PM on February 23, 2023

Perhaps short contact therapy might help?
posted by mydonkeybenjamin at 5:27 PM on February 23, 2023

Just don't use it. There is a whole host of people using anti rejection drops in their eyes for dry eye caused by retinol.
posted by Oyéah at 7:25 PM on February 23, 2023

Have you tried putting an occlusive over the super dry spots as a last step? My dermatologist suggested petroleum jelly over my moisturizer.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 8:22 PM on February 23, 2023

0.06% of tretinoin? There’s also 0.025% tretinoin formulations sold generically as a first tier of tretinoin then 0.05% tretinoin as the next step. Maybe the Dear Brightly service can lower your dosage to 0.025% or even lower to accommodate your dryness.

Or maybe they can get you a prescription dose of adapalene instead, which might be less irritating. There’s also the OTC adapalene sold under the name Differin that might be even gentler.

Also, none of these could be the solution for you if your skin hates it.
posted by limbicdigest at 5:38 AM on February 24, 2023 [2 favorites]

Another vote for decreasing the dosage. I've been using the prescription .025% generic for about 2 years and haven't experienced what you have. I started out with twice a week, and now do every other day, as that is sufficient for my needs.
posted by Caz721 at 6:30 AM on February 24, 2023

Just adding to the chorus here of trying a lower dosage - I was experiencing the dryness and flaking you describe on 0.025%. 0.06% seems like a lot to me.
posted by rhythm and booze at 9:17 AM on February 24, 2023

I was unable to use retinol without the dryness and flaking due to my rosacea in case you or someone reading also experience that.
posted by ellieBOA at 10:20 AM on February 24, 2023

Similar to ellieBOA, I have had a lot of difficulty with retinols despite all the aforementioned tricks and it is probably because of rosacea.

With that said, since you mention you are using it for acne as well as anti-aging effects, I will say that I had an incredible experience with isotretinoin (Accutane)—although my skin has never really tolerated topical retinol before or since, isotretinoin completely cleared my acne. I still have other problems (scarring, texture, redness, etc) but knocking out the acne without continuing to struggle with topicals was worth it for me. I took a lower dose for about a year, rather than a more typical course which would be a higher dose for a shorter period, to reduce side effects (for me I mostly struggled with dry eyes) and had great results.
posted by telegraph at 4:31 PM on February 24, 2023

I used to have this same problem--I started and stopped Retina-A several times over the years due to peeling--but here was/is my path to current success:

I used Differin (mentioned above) for about two years before starting Retin-A (0.025%), which I have now used for a little over a year and can absolutely see positive results. Differin is kind of like Baby Retinol (and what my derm suggested when I lamented past peeliness from retinols) so I think my skin had a better chance to get used to it.

I now use the 0.025% Retin-A, every other night. As part of my nightly routine on these nights (linking some products because I always like to know what people are using):

1) I use make-up wipes if I've worn make-up (which is rare these days).
2) Cleanse in the shower with a glycolic acid face wash (which is a chemical exfoliant--I don't see any mention of this and wonder if this would help with peeling if you found something gentle), and gently wipe off with a facial sponge.
3) Wash one more time with a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil or Vanicream.
4) Immediately on shower exit while my skin is still damp, apply snail mucin (yes it's exactly what it sounds like but I LOVE IT and I think it's become super popular for a reason). This locks in moisture really well for me and my skin has not peeled once since incorporating it. If you're interested, do your homework first--it seems to cause reactions in people with shellfish or dustmite allergies (?!)
5) Apply a night serum.
6) Wait 15 minutes for that stuff to soak in and my skin to get plenty dry, put Aquaphor (which i prefer to Vaseline) on my lips and around the creases of my nose to protect those areas, THEN apply a pea-sized amount of the Retin-A (totally avoiding the eye area--I skip anywhere my sunglasses would cover. I was nervous about the dry eye risk too and my dermatologist said "Don't put it around your eyes and you'll be fine". I also avoid my upper lip because I get monthly waxes for my Tom Selleck).
7) Apply a decently thick moisturizer (I like this or this).

So as you can see, I put a moisturizing base down first, and moisturize again AFTER the Retin-A--I think the youths on Tik-Tok call it "sandwiching", if you want a search term. (Some people say it makes the retinol less potent or effective, but I think if you're sensitive to it and easing in, that's exactly what you want.) On the other nights, I just do everything here minus the Retin-A. I also drink a ton of water, which I am sure helps things.

I am not a dermatologist or shill--just a skincare enthusiast who has tried a lot of different things--and I'm confident that most people can have great results with retinol products. You just need to find the right combo of products and routine. I definitely encourage you to see your dermatologist and assuming you find something that works, I will conclude by imploring you--if you aren't already--to wear a good, daily sunblock (ideally 50 SPF or above--this is my current favorite) or you will undo any damage you're repairing with these products and actually cause further damage, as they make your skin extra-sensitive. I know you said you're wearing sunscreen, but it bears repeating: WEAR IT RELIGIOUSLY! Good luck.
posted by lovableiago at 3:28 PM on February 25, 2023