Retin-A cream

Depends on who you ask............but my answer is...........Yes it's ok to apply a light oil or moisturizer after your RA. I normally wait 45- to an hour after applying RA, before applying oil/moisturizer. This is really helpful in the beginning stages of using RA, until your skin adjusts.

At first glance, it can seem like there’s contradictory advice re Retin A, but you need to delve deeper.  The reason that its generally not advised to apply a moisturiser immediately after applying Retin A is that it will interfere with the absorption of the Retin A.  However, the absorption process usually happens within 40-60 minutes of applying the Retin A to the skin (and faster if you’re using micro versions).  So its fine to apply a moisturiser after that time, but not before it. 

 

Re derma-needling, I would advise not doing so yet, as you’re just beginning Retin A.  The needling can be used to either push it further into the derma (but that can cause major irritation if your skin isn’t used to it) or applying afterwards to lessen the intensity of it.  Depends what your goal is and where you’re starting from really!

A fantastic source of information on microneedling is http://owndoc.com/ I am sure she has covered concurrent Retin-A use on the main site or the forum if you run a search. Please don't post questions unless you are an Owndoc customer because Sarah herself answers most queries.

is there much of a difference between mesotherapy and microneedling then applying an active ingredient? or are the injections during mesotherapy actually real injections like botox, but 'mini'? just wondering!

This is an educated guess, NOT the facts so feel free to research and tell me I am talking out of my ample rear end! AFAIK deeper microneedling (1-2mm depending if face or body) is about triggering the healing cascade much more than allowing actives to penetrate, tho you can use small needle rollers (0.25-0.5mm) more often for product penetration. I believe only very small amounts of product get in BUT it is still substantially more than would cross the skin barrier with normal application. Mesotherapy is a hybrid of the two because it's about getting relatively large amounts of active ingredients into the deeper layers of the skin, the needle damage is inevitable but not part of the treatment. Mesotherapy has been used to deliver prescription type drugs, but not sure if only in trials or is actually licensed for use tho.

 

But that is AFAIK, I certainly haven't researched this in any depth.