StellaBlue

I have been doing that for about a week now,I have been peeling a moderate amount and my skin has been only very mildly irritated in certain spots. I have been reading different forums and now ...I have become concerned that I may be negating the effects of the Retin-A.
Does anyone know if it's ok to apply moisturizer after Retin-A (about an hour after)?

*FYI* I am using it for fine lines and skin tone.My skin is normal with dry tendicies.

Ivy

I use Retinol which I think is weaker than Retin A and I wait for 45-60 minutes before I put anything else on my face. I don't think I could use anything stronger because I use it every 3rd day and my face is peeling like crazy I look as though I'm shedding my skin so I use oils and creams to help with the dryness.

StellaBlue

Thanks for replying.
I have been using the 0.05% strength every night for about 10 days.
Up until last night I have been applying it and then waiting at least an hour to apply moisturizer.
I asked this same question on another forum and the lady that replied said I should not use moisturizer after and to wait until the morning to use it.
I am so confused.lol
Last night I didn't moisturize after applying the Retin-A and my face seemed fine.I have only been peeling a little and it didn't seem to change anything for not using my moisturizer..so maybe I'll try it that way for a bit.
My fine lines aren't any better yet of course but it seems like my tone is already improving.I have freckles..not red headed and fair skin freckles..but dark hair and olive-ish skin freckles..lol..if that makes sense and they seem a little lighter.
I am very hopeful about this stuff!

Ivy

I think that after a certain amount of time the product oxidizes and stops working which makes sense because if it kept on working and you left it all night on your face then you would have skin dropping off the next morning. I think it's probably less than 1 hour but you can use that as a guide.I can assure you that it will work if you put a moisture cream on top because that's what I do and my skin is peeling, the moisture cream is not going to cancel the effects of the Retinol. The moisture cream stops the redness which can develop as the top layer of skin peels off.

StellaBlue

Thanks Ivy.
I also read somewhere that you are able to wash your face about an hour after..so if that's true..it would make sense that you could apply moisturizer.
I do ok w/out it at night but I really prefer to use it.
I don't expect to see any real results until 6 mths to a year..so even if moisturizing slowed the process down a bit..it couldn't be that long..and what's a couple months after waiting 6 to a year? LOL

StellaBlue

Oh and I looked up the difference between retinol and retin-a .
So in case someone else comes along wondering what the difference is too.
Here's what I found:

Quote:

Retinol vs. RetinA By: Dov Oshri Many anti-wrinkle and skin rejuvenation products contain retinol, which is a form of vitamin A. Many people confuse retinol with Retin A, which is a brand of tretinoin also referred to as trans-retinoic acid or simply retinoic acid. Retinol and retinoic acid are related but distinctly different. Retinol and other forms of vitamin A, such as retinal and retinyl palmitate, do not have much direct effect on the skin. They first need to be converted by special enzymes into the active metabolite, retinoic acid. Only retinoic acid directly affects skin cells and helps reduce some signs of aging. In theory, you should be able to apply retinol to the skin, wait till it gets converted to retinoic acid, and eventually get the known skin benefits of the latter. In reality, the conversion rate is low and varies greatly among individuals. Besides, when exposed to air either during storage or use, much retinol may get oxidized or degraded even before it can become available for conversion to retinoic acid in the skin. As a result, significantly less people respond to retinol creams than to retinoic acid (tretinoin, Retin A), and the degree of response tends to be less too. It is true that retinol products tend to have fewer side-effects than retinoic acid (tretinoin, Retin A). The reason is the same: lower biological activity of retinol due to slow conversion and, possibly, degradation. Notably, some companies have developed stabilized high-concentration retinol formulas that seem to be more effective than run-of-the-mill retinol products. However, high concentrations of retinol can be almost as irritating to the skin as retinoic acid. (See our article on active retinol for more about such products.) Bottom line In my program ?How to Astonish Everyone with Wrinkle Free Young Look? which is a bonus with ?Change Your Body and Be Admired? I recommended Retinol as your first choice. This is what I used for the last 2 years especially because the side effects of Retin A. But after further research I changed to Retin A, with the same procedure as in my program (before bed time, after ALA and before moisturizer). Retin A (Renova and other brands) appears to provide a better shot at eliminating fine lines and reducing wrinkles than even the best retinol formulations. (Not to mention many virtually ineffective retinol products.) Retin A users who experience skin irritation and/or chronic peeling could try to eliminate the side effects by reducing the concentration and/or frequency of application. If that fails, a well-selected retinol product may be worth a try. In some countries, retinoic acid (tretinoin, Retin A, Renova) is available only with a prescription by a physician. So a trip to the doctor may be necessary. Caution: neither Retin A nor retinol should be used in the event of continuing chronic side-effects.

LittleEmmy

You should ask these questions to the doctor who prescribed you with the Retin-A. Seems pretty stupid to rely on people with no medical training to provide you with an answer that may be potentially damaging to your skin.

StellaBlue

There is always at least one of YOU in every forum.
Your comment is not relevant to the question and was posted only for the sake of self righteousness.
Besides...
Who doesn't know to ultimately get their doctors advice?

Ivy

Emmy I think that Stella was asking people who had tried this sort of product and there is no substitute for the experience of others. Don't you know that doctors are educated on the effects of drugs by the drug companies and the conflict that goes on between prescribing one drug over another is huge and well documented?
Your comments were not helpful at all, obviously Stella would have thought of asking her doctor but was just asking for the opinion of others!

StellaBlue

Exactly!
I like to hear other peoples experiences...and...it's good to have suggestions that you can ask your doctor about.
Also..it's just Retin-A..it's not like I'm having chest pains and rather than going to the ER ..I'm asking people on a forum if I am having a heart attack.
Granted ..you don't want to burn your face off..lol..but I feel my doctor and the information paper that came with my prescription gave me enough info to not be worried about that.

LittleEmmy

While it is true that doctors recieve their information from drug companies, I believe you receive actual information from no one, therefore I will happily be educated by my doctor over a forum when it comes to prescription medication. And while you are asking people for their own experience you neglect that their experience is based on the reaction of an element to THEIR body, while a doctor can give you information about the average user- which is much more applicable.

StellaBlue

I am not neglecting anything...I am fully aware of what I am asking and what the responses mean.Except for this back and forth between you and I which is again..irrelevant and has nothing to do with my original question.

EbonyDiva

seems like you keep responding stella- you should just ignore people if they annoy you

StellaBlue

I started this topic..I have a right to respond.

StellaBlue

In case anyone needs to know...I had my doctors appt today and he said to wait until morning to moisturize.

lola2008

When you use Retin-A, make sure your skin is not exposed to direct sunlight or else it will cause blemishes to your skin.