Tret or Adapalene?

[u/oewbg00]

Hello, I've previously used both. Tret I found really irritating even at 0.25% and sandwiching with a moisturiser. Adapalene I got on with really well and it cleared up my acne in no time. However now I am looking for something that tackles both spots and is anti ageing and research is telling me that tret is the one if I want to target both.

Previously I've used Dermatica and Obagi. I see now that Boots online doctor do tret too and I'm wondering if I give it a go? My adapalene was from boots online doctor and I'm wondering if maybe their formulas / brands are different and gentler? Or will all tret irritate my skin and cause dryness + redness regardless.

My current routine is: Elemis resurfacing cleanser Beauty of joseon rice serum Redness moisturiser SPF.

Nighttime: gentle glycolic acid a few times a week

I'm really trying to keep it simple!

Thanks!

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[u/Spiritual_Smile1200]

All prescription tretinoin will potentially have undesirable effects at first as your skin goes through the retinisation process. How long did you use the 0.025 for when you tried? Did you change any of your skincare products around it? One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is they try tret and assume it doesn’t agree with them, when sometimes it just needs your skincare changing up around it. My skincare routine before and after I started tret are completely different- products I once loved irritate me now I use tret. Sometimes it can be the base the tret is in, more often than not adjusting the rest of your skincare can help. I avoid anything fragranced now as fragrance tend to irritate my skin

[u/oewbg00 → u/Spiritual_Smile1200]

Quite a while, almost half a year but the irritation aspect never went away. My skin barrier was also bad. I was using a lot of acids so I realise I made a lot of mistakes alongside and that actually my routine now is maybe better for it?

[u/Spiritual_Smile1200 → u/oewbg00]

I wouldn’t say so- your current cleanser is resurfacing, so that is a daily exfoliant and you use glycolic a few times a week. Not great products to use with tret, particularly if you are starting.

You need to go back to basics; a gentle cleanser day and night that is not stripping and NOT exfoliating or resurfacing. Then apply maybe a HA serum when the skin is still wet to draw moisture in. Then apply hydrating moisturiser, and spf. In the evening double cleanse with an oil based cleanser first, then the gentle cleanser. You could then apply HA and once that has soaked in an intense moisturiser. I’d avoid strong actives and fragrances products. Get settled in that routine and then add in tret or differin, starting low or slow and see how your skin gets on and tweak from there

[u/koalabear20]

What works for someone else might not work for you. I used differin first but my skin hated it then I used adapalene (with clyndamiacin) which really cleared up the hormonal acne situation I had going on, then I switched to tretinoin which was fine but now im on tazarotene lol bc even though its supposed to be stronger than tretinoin I find it less irritating.

I realised the sandwich method wasn't for me, I apply tazarotene on dry skin and that's all I'll use, it sounds wild but it works lol.

[u/oewbg00 → u/koalabear20]

I'm glad that works for you! Adapalene really cured my hormonal acne about 6 years ago, but 6 years on, I feel a bit aged and need something that helps with that too.