Ok, I've had a lot of people warn me that if I stop StievaA/RetinA, acne will come back with a vengence....I'm wondering what happens if I don't stop (I have no plans of stopping)....the drug costs me less than 5$/month (MUCH less than i was paying on OTC junk) so I have no problem staying on it as long as necessary (forever?)....do I ever become immune to it?? has anyone been on RetinA for a long time and found it to work continuously??
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
I have been using Retin A for at least 10 years....not for acne, but for wrinkles, age spots etc. My skin looks GREAT ! The only thing I've noticed is it does "thin" your skin. And I do have to be careful what kind of products I use. I use mild face wash and good moisterizers etc. The same kind of things that would be good for acne prone skin, which I most definately had when I was younger. And I have to be very careful in the sun. I use a good sunscreen, minimum of 30 SPF EVERYDAY. I've had NO problems whatsoever!!
So, if it's working for your acne, I'd say keep using it and it will help your skin "agewise" as you get older.
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
thanks for the response! ive found that i dont need to use any other products while i am using it so im saving a TON of money! if my skin ages more gracefully as a result that is even better! the whole sun thing is a drawback for me though as i love to tan...ive found that my face now goes more red then tan but i will continue to do it for now...perhaps if my skin gets that great i wont feel the need to tan anymore, but i dont know about that..
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
I had a really bad experience using Retin-A. My face peeled horribly..Like, HORRIBLY, and then after a week using it my face turned permanently red. So I stopped using it altogether and my face got better. But I went back to my derm and he said to just keep using it. Even it's only 2x a week because it helps. So I went back on it 2 days ago and so far, so good. I guess I just got past that initial inflammation period because my face doesn't peel now or anything. I also think I was using way too much of it before. Silly me
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smartpants
acne will come back with a vengence....
yup this happened to me.
i think using retin a for a long term is very harsh for your skin. it would also thin your skin, make your skin more and more sensitive, you'll always peel, and worst of all (from my experience) your face will be slightly red all the time and it makes it more obvious that your using some topical medications. try to work it internally. good luck.
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smartpants
perhaps if my skin gets that great i wont feel the need to tan anymore
You shouldn't be tanning while you're using any kind of retinol product! Besides thinning your skin, it also makes it more susceptible to the sun (= skin cancer, wrinkles, sun spots, excess aging...).
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
The thing is....everyone's skin is different and will react differently to the same products. I have pretty tough skin....I never had any irritation or redness when starting or using Retin A. I do peel, like once a week, but this is not a bad thing, it's called exfoliation. I softly rub my face when in the shower and get all the peely skin off and it's done for the week.
If your skin is more sensitive, you can probably still use Retin A, you just have to use common sense and start slowly...letting your skin build up a tolerance. Maybe some people have allergies etc. but I think most people who have terrible problems with Retinoid creams tend to either overdo it and use too much too often OR are combining them with harsh cleansers or masks et. I use NOTHING on my skin except a mild facewash and a moisterizer at night and a moisterizing sunscreen in the morning...nothing else, so it does save you money in the long run.
My daughter uses Doxycycline and Taz right now and certainly should NOT be tanning, but still does and has NO problems. She gets a great tan and never burns. But probably someone with more sensitive skin would burn and peel !!
I think she inherited my skin toughness and being acne prone too !!!!
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evey55
My daughter uses Doxycycline and Tax right now and certainly should NOT be tanning, but still does and has NO problems. She gets a great tan and never burns. But probably someone with more sensitive skin would burn and peel !!
I think she inherited my skin toughness and being acne prone too !!!!
Just because she doesn't burn does NOT mean that damage isn't being done to the skin!! A tan in and of itself is damage! Say someone never burns, never really tans, but spend lots of time in the sun. They have the same (if not more) risk for skin cancer as someone who burns and peels really bad. And tanning beds are even WORSE for skin than regular sun.
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
Evey,
Some very good points you made! Everyones skin is different and reacts differently....my face also peels at times but like you said, it is not necessarily a bad thing - i just peel off the skin....my skin has always been VERY thick so a little thinning cant hurt...i was just looking up close at my skin and it is raelly looking good...the texture of itself appears to be different, not jsut an absense of acne...im really happy so far with it and hoping it continues....
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
I have been using retin-a for about five years. If I stop using it for a couple days, I break out really bad. I figure I'll just have to keep using it. On a different note, I was originally prescribed the retin-a straight version, but then I got switched to the retin-a micro, which is a lot better on my skin. I rarely peel with the micro.
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
Alright, I understand. You were pointing out that even though she's using these medications, her skin isn't reacting badly, while someone with more sensitive skin might. Not that because it's not reacting badly to tanning, it's OK for her to tan. My bad.
VielaBob: What kind of acne do you get? (Blackheads, cystic, etc?) I'm hearing lots of good things about Retin-A and Retin-A Micro, and am considering trying that. For some reason, I've never had a derm suggest I try it. (The last one I went to didn't even listen when I said I DIDN'T want to be on an antibiotic, and prescribed me minocycline and also prescribed me Differin even after I said it NEVER helped me in the past. I won't be going back to her...)
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
I would be VERY careful with tanning on retinA. I talked to someone once who ended up getting hyperpigmentation all over her face from using retinA and too much sun. She said she thought she was OK at the time because she wasn't burning.
Re: Long-term RetinA - If I DON'T stop using it...
Well, I think most people start out with a low dose of tretinoin and build up to every night use. Once using it every night for a period of time, you can increase the dose or % of tretinoin. Than you can increase to morning and night... This can take years and years. If you go to the Green cream website and look at the MD who founded it, you can see how someone can look with long term use of tretinoin. She is gorgous and in her 70ies!!!
Besides thinning your skin, it also makes it more susceptible to the sun (= skin cancer, wrinkles, sun spots, excess aging...).
A tan in and of itself is damage! Say someone never burns, never really tans, but spend lots of time in the sun. They have the same (if not more) risk for skin cancer as someone who burns and peels really bad. And tanning beds are even WORSE for skin than regular sun.
I won't be going back to her...)
