Something Strange I've noticed about Retinol
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free skin care · Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:18 pm

Hello,

Has anyone else noticed this: You cannot really "spot treat" with retinol. Based on my experiences, if you put it anywhere on your skin, it affects a much larger area than where you've actually applied it. For example, I decided to use SkinCeuticals' retinol 1.0 underneath my eyes only, and I woke up with light peeling above my eyebrows and on my eyelids. Last night, I used a very thin layer only on my face, avoiding my neck, which is more sensitive, and today I awoke with a red, peeling neck. I'm not sure if others have had similar experiences, but you have to be careful with any retinoid, so it might be good to know that a day "off" really means a day off!

--avalange

free skin care · Mon Jan 15, 2007 1:33 pm

Now, THAT is interesting. I never knew that. It explain why my eyelids are peeling today after using PSF Retinol Nite Repair on my cheeks last night.

Ari

free skin care · Mon Jan 15, 2007 3:14 pm

I relate! I had to stop using Renova because my skin was burning and peeling around my mouth right along the lipline and slightly ON my lips as well! I looked like I was overzealous with the jug of cherry kool-aid and yowza did it hurt!! I couldn't even wear lip balm - it was crazy...and I wasn't putting the Renova near my lips at all! I'm using Tazorac now and am not experiencing any odd, disruptive side effects (thank goodness!).
Pudoodles

free skin care · Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:48 am

Hmm...I have been using Retinol product for almost two years. First skinceutical then PSF's. I have never experienced any peeling that I can attribute to retinol use. Maybe my skin is too tough.

free skin care · Tue Jan 16, 2007 12:16 pm

Hi
I have been using for 6 months now and the only time I notice peeling, is if I apply too much of it. And even with that, I only get peeling on the skin I applied too, not any surrounding skin. I get in a rush sometimes and start rubbing it in all over my face and forget that I don't want to hit the corners of my mouth or around my eyes. I guess I have thick skin too.

free skin care · Tue Jan 16, 2007 12:56 pm

That's really interesting. I've used retinol off and on, but never tried it as a spot treatment. Apparently, there is a reason for not using it that way. Smile

free skin care · Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:05 am

I always use it all over, may as well let my whole face get all the benefits of retinol Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:38 am

I use Retrinal all over, but I spot treat with a higher strength (currently using up Green Cream to do this). I've been getting good results doing this -- no peeling in other areas of my face -- quicker healing of the spots. I will continue doing this.

free skin care · Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:01 am

That is an interesting observation. So far, I have not noticed a thing. I apply it on my chest.

free skin care · Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:30 pm

Hi Ms. A,

Are you sure you're not scratching or rubbing over those areas you've applied Retinol to during the night? I don't think Retinol "spreads" by itself sweetie. I know you can't be sure you're not scratching when you're sleeping but I bet you are. Retinol can make those areas itch.

Patty

free skin care · Thu Jan 18, 2007 3:50 am

Hi Miss P! Wink

It's certainly a good theory! I might never know! I just thought that retinol is absorbed by the skin, and not necessarily locally...

It doesn't happen, I might add, with Avene's Eluage, which IS a spot treatment, equivalent to Retrinal, used by a poster above. But Eluage, in my opinion, doesn't do a darn thing except plump the skin a little when you put it on.

--avalange

free skin care · Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:05 am

so strange!
i never have such a experience.maybe because i only use retinol on the spot just like a blemish clear gel.
and could you kindly tell me about the acutual effect that retinol works on eye area wrinkles?
thank you and thank you Rolling Eyes

free skin care · Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:54 am

Tge 1% your using is powerful stuff. When I started using it years and years ago, nobody told me how to use it. Has anyone told you?

free skin care · Thu Jan 18, 2007 10:22 am

Is anyone who experiences this reaction applying another product over the retinoid? Maybe by doing so, retinol/tretinoin is being spread to other areas. It takes longer for it to be absorbed/converted/whatever than some other treatments like Vit.C for example, so it may still be in an active-enough state if something like HA, emu, or any moisturizer is applied afterward.

free skin care · Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:26 pm

OK, now that you mentioned it... the spot-treating I was doing with the higher strength GC did cause a ring of dry skin around the zit that I was trying to get rid of (like a big donut). I don't think it was due to the retinol product moving; I noticed that I was scratching several days ago (when I stopped spot-treating until things clear up for good), so I agree with the itchiness theory causing the irritation, at least in my case. Smile

free skin care · Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:53 am

Ok Miss A sent me this link because I have been using a retinol peel (apeel light-night) and am experiencing pain and itching at the corners of my mouth where i shouldn't have applied the apeel as warned, but i did anyway! the corners are itchy, sore and cracking and i cannot open my mouth. of course, i didn't follow the apeel light directions at all, so this is also another reason.

Pudoodles--how long did it take for you to recover? i know we're not using the same product but i am curious anyway.

Thanks, K

free skin care · Wed Jun 20, 2007 11:53 am

avalange, I believe you are right and retinol does "spread". I read that on the boards where people talked about greencream.

I do think that it might spread a bit out of the "boundaries" of the treated area but I also think that the biggest spread is because of sleeping. It gets rubbed on the pillow and that spreads it to other areas, more distant areas (from under eye to above brow or from face to neck and so on). Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Jun 20, 2007 12:20 pm

good point, lbianca, although, i've waited until the retinol absorbs before going to bed (say, like 1.5 hrs before htting the pillows), and this still happened to me!

--avalange

free skin care · Wed Jun 20, 2007 12:30 pm

I noticed that too!!!!! I was using skinmedicas retinal cream but NOT on my chin or nasals and on the side of my mouth and its all red and peeling there. I have stopped using it for now and just trying to put lubriderm on it very heavy to take the red away. It looked awful yesterday but I piled on the lotion 24/7 yesterday and its slightly better today.

free skin care · Wed Jun 20, 2007 12:37 pm

avalange wrote:

good point, lbianca, although, i've waited until the retinol absorbs before going to bed (say, like 1.5 hrs before htting the pillows), and this still happened to me!

--avalange

But that's exactly it. I don't think it matters how many hours you wait (assuming the stuff is strong enough). Some of it remains on the surface or is emitted by the skin back to the surface (and then to the pillow and rubs off on other areas and so on). Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Jun 20, 2007 1:59 pm

skincareaddicted wrote:

Ok Miss A sent me this link because I have been using a retinol peel (apeel light-night) and am experiencing pain and itching at the corners of my mouth where i shouldn't have applied the apeel as warned, but i did anyway! the corners are itchy, sore and cracking and i cannot open my mouth. of course, i didn't follow the apeel light directions at all, so this is also another reason.

Pudoodles--how long did it take for you to recover? i know we're not using the same product but i am curious anyway.

Thanks, K

Hi K - what a friggin' nightmare it was for me!!! I tried hydrocortisone from the drug store, polysporin and several other natural and not-so-natural potions and ointments to get relief. Nothing worked! I actually gave up and went to the doctor who gave me something called Dermatop (Prednicarbate emollient cream 0.1%)..This stuff did the trick, I no longer have a permanent kool-aid smile!
puds

free skin care · Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:14 pm

Ok I totally experienced this. I started Taz 3 weeks ago and I mainly concentrated the application on my cheeks, forehead nose and the peeling occurred the MOST around my lips and on my chin. The corners on my lips are horrible and I'm still getting mild flaking there. I sometimes get very mild flaking on the corner of my eyes too when I don't even get the Taz near my eyes. I also don't usually sleep until 3-4 hours after I do my night routine since I'm not an early sleeper so I can't really relate to the pillow rubbing to other locations theory.

free skin care · Wed Jun 20, 2007 2:20 pm

sormuimui wrote:

Ok I totally experienced this. I started Taz 3 weeks ago and I mainly concentrated the application on my cheeks, forehead nose and the peeling occurred the MOST around my lips and on my chin. The corners on my lips are horrible and I'm still getting mild flaking there. I sometimes get very mild flaking on the corner of my eyes too when I don't even get the Taz near my eyes. I also don't usually sleep until 3-4 hours after I do my night routine since I'm not an early sleeper so I can't really relate to the pillow rubbing to other locations theory.

So, I'm not crazy!!!!! You should have seen me when I was using Renova...It was WAY worse than what I experienced with the Taz! I wonder why this is happening...very strange...I'm using PSF 0.1% now and I'll alternate with Taz - but I'll only use Taz on the centre of my cheeks where the pores are a bit larger and between my brows....I'm a total PSF convert...
puds

free skin care · Wed Jun 20, 2007 3:33 pm

I've always heard that this can happen with Retin-A - for example, many more sensitive skins would get chapped and peeling lips even if they only dabbed Retin-A in their T-zone proper, and avoided the mouth area. The stuff really is quite strong, so it wouldn't surprise me if the skin reacted even if it wasn't exactly local. Have you tried diluting it with something when you spot-treat? I've always been sensitive to it, and that's what I used to do. Good luck!

free skin care · Wed Jun 20, 2007 4:10 pm

Thanks Pudoodles! Though i am trying to avoid going to the doctor--no insurance at the moment Sad

.

Sormuimui--i don't mind the peeling and flaking on my lips, but the cracks at the corners of my mouth are killing me. It seems like the retinol is preventing them from healing up. so much pain Sad

~Kristen

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