Best alternative to Retin-A (Tret.)?
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

Mon Jul 23, 2012 12:24 pm

On Obagi nuderm maintenance for couple of yrs. now. Was recently told to eliminate last step(tret. & blender)because my skin is still a bit red. What alternative would you recommend? Thanks!

free skin care · Mon Jul 23, 2012 2:59 pm

According to Dr. Des Fernandes, it is retinyl palmitate (but in far higher does than is commonly available OTC...see the Environ products.) Retinyl palmitate is the form of Vitamin A found most in skin cells.

Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:35 pm

Thanks,will look into it. I was thinking of adding some sort of retinol in its place(something less irritating on the skin at night rather than the last step)? Obagi completely changed my skin so I"m scared to mix it up, but feel I need to.

Any other suggestions out there on specific products to try/change to?

free skin care · Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:40 pm

Chris Ann wrote:

Thanks,will look into it. I was thinking of adding some sort of retinol in its place(something less irritating on the skin at night rather than the last step)? Obagi completely changed my skin so I"m scared to mix it up, but feel I need to.

Any other suggestions out there on specific products to try/change to?

Chris Ann, I am curious how often you were using the blender/RA combo on maintenance? Have you thought about just using the RA alone 1-2 nights a week to see how it goes?

free skin care · Mon Jul 23, 2012 4:52 pm

Are you sure the redness is being caused by the ret a? What other products do you use? Have you tried buffering the retin a?
When you say retin a cleared your skin, do you mean acne, or wrinkles or something else?

Mon Jul 23, 2012 5:55 pm

rileygirl- That was my other thought, instead of changing product, reduce last step 5X per wk to maybe 2. Do you recommend I not use the blender with the tretinion or still combine the two? You don't think the clear could be the culprit do you?

kmrmv8- Obagi nuderm took care of everything...wrinkles,hyper-pigmentation,acne. Still have a bit of redness to my face. This Oct. will mark two yrs. on system. Can you tell me what you mean be "buffering"? Thx

Any other products out there rather than Tretinoin/Retin A worth a try, w/out the irritation?

Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:08 pm

I use Retin-A every other night to avoid irritation. If reducing the frequency of application doesn't fix your redness issue, you could also try switching to Retin-A Micro or Tazorac.

free skin care · Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:18 am

Have you tried spending a few weeks working on barrier repair and laying off most actives? You may find you can return to the more aggressive actives after this.

free skin care · Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:26 pm

Chris Ann wrote:

rileygirl- That was my other thought, instead of changing product, reduce last step 5X per wk to maybe 2. Do you recommend I not use the blender with the tretinion or still combine the two? You don't think the clear could be the culprit do you?

Chris Ann, I think you should try to reduce the Retin A to twice a week. I am not sure with the Blender, to be honest. I would check with whoever care your under and see what they think. The redness for me was caused by the Exfoderm, so you might want to think about reducing the use of that, as well and see how your skin is looking. Though, again, I would definitely check in with the people who are monitoring you and run this stuff by them!

free skin care · Sat Sep 01, 2012 9:46 am

The redness is caused by too much of the product you are using. To counteract redness, I would suggest Obagi ACTION moisturizer, to control redness. Use sparingly, don't overdo by using too much of the products. Try to cut in half (or quarter) of what you are using altogether.
Don't forget your sunscreen when going out (very important!).... Good luck!

Chris Ann wrote:

On Obagi nuderm maintenance for couple of yrs. now. Was recently told to eliminate last step(tret. & blender)because my skin is still a bit red. What alternative would you recommend? Thanks!

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.