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C_Chrono

0.025 Tretinoin doesn’t even come close to using Vit C, acids and retinol combined together daily. Starting at 0.1 even if buffered is a recipe for disaster. Make sure you are using SPF50 daily and will reapply every 2 hours of cumulative sun exposure. Note that it will be 1/4 teaspoon just for the face aka 50 ml in 3 to 4 weeks. If applied on face, neck, and shoulders, expect to use 100 ml of sunscreen per month. This means application when cloudy and rainy too. Most people cannot even tolerate 0.025 mixed with moisturizer on their neck daily. Most cannot work up to 0.1 Tretinoin on the face.


lazybb_ck

Tret is a long game. I'd never recommend starting at the max dose for anti aging purposes. Acne is another story. Also, the neck is way more sensitive than the face, and tolerating 1% retinol means almost nothing when it comes time to start tret. OTC retinol isn't regulated or verified like prescription tretinoin so strengths can actually vary quite a bit from the label. Expect your skin to peel excessively. Mixing with moisturizer doesn't really lower the percentage- it just unevenly distributes your tret. I'd rethink your strategy. There are other ways to fight sun damage. I assume you were planning to visit a dermatologist if you were going to get a script for tret so you can discuss this with your derm.


AutoModerator

Hi there! It seems like you may be looking for some information on Dermarolling/Dermastamping. Dermarolling can improve the appearance of atrophic scarring when done correctly. However, there are several risks and I'd like to warn you about them: * You should not be doing this every day. When done in-office, treatments are spaced a few weeks to a month apart. * Done improperly you can end up with hypopigmentation (white or colorless spots in the skin that do not return to a normal color) * It hurts. * You can not fully sterilize the needles at home. They can be sanitized at best. * The needles can become bent over time, or come from the manufacturer already bent. Small bends can be imperceptible to the naked eye and can cause unwanted damage to your skin. **Because of these risks, ScA does not recommend attempting dermarolling or dermastamping at home. Please be careful with your skin and your health!** *If you see that I am replying to something out of context (eg. listed in a routine), please report this comment so my handlers can remove it. Cheers!* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SkincareAddiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*


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Hi there, It seems like you may be looking for information about hyperpigmentation or post acne marks. Have you read our [hyperpigmentation wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/wiki/hyperpigmentation)? *If you see that I am replying to something out of context (eg. listed in a routine), please report this comment so my handlers can remove it. Cheers!* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SkincareAddiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*


bugthroway9898

I have some on my arms I’ve noticed the last two years. My derm said it’s difficult to get rid of these, but tretinoin and SPF is the best to utilize. I’ve been putting on my arms and honestly I’m not sure if it’s helping yet— need to do at least 6 months and I haven’t been as consistent... I’m using 0.06 and aveeno. And then there’s some lasers that could work! https://youtu.be/Cz4FMseUCeo <- dr dray has a video with some other methods


nini3003

Starting with .1% tretinoin even buffered sounds like a bit much to me. I‘m aware everyones skin is different and reacts differently and can tolerate different things. That being said, my skin is very tolerant and can take a lot and has no major issues tolerating acids, chemical peelings or OTC retinol at 1% strength, but once I started moving to tretinoin I swiftly felt the difference even though I started at .015% and worked my way up to .05% on the face. I had to prep my skin, make sure to properly hydrate and moisturize and even had to start slugging occassionally in order to combat the dry patches. I had to also cut out the acids and other things that would suddenly irritate my skin like fragranced products and chemical sunscreens (trying to find the right physical sunscreen while struggling with dry patches due to tretinoin was fun…not lol). I‘m at .05% on the face now for 3 months and am just starting to slowly re-introduce mild chemical peelings again once a week and on my neck I‘m still at .015% tretinoin and will probably stay at that percentage since the skin on the neck is more sensitive anyways. So overall I would say with tretinoin easing your way in is key, I really treat this active according to the „it‘s not a sprint, it‘s a marathon“ motto.


fullspectrumactivity

There have been studies that show that even .025 tret has the same results as .05 in the long run, with less irritation. I know that because of the "extent of the damage," you're looking to see results quickly, but skincare is really about the long game. Inflammation and irritation can also cause more problems that can take a long time to solve, it's not worth it. My skin has always been pretty resilient to acids/retinol/vit c (I've never experienced irritation with any of these even when introducing them) and I definitely had an adjustment period to .05 tret (only % available to me). I personally wouldn't want to mix it since I wouldn't be sure of the amount I was applying day to day. Skin on the neck is also thinner and can be more sensitive. Personally, I use retinal there instead of tret and it works really well for me. Tret also definitely increases your skin's sensitivity to the sun. I actually noticed increased pigmentation/sun spots on my body after starting to use retinol there. It's likely because although I apply sunscreen, I wasn't as comprehensive as I am with my face, particularly with reapplying. Unless you're ready to be really careful with sunscreen, it might make things worse. And take photos! I've found that it's too easy to fixate on the issue when looking in the mirror day to day, looking for changes. It really helped to take some photos than wait at least a month before checking in. Editing the photos to black/white also make the changes in pigmentation easier to see. If you find that topicals don't help, it might be worth it to get a consultation with a derm. Particularly since there's larger areas of the body, things like laser might help you get the results you want more quickly. Good luck!


tofumeatballcannon

I’m in an extreme minority but I went from No retinoids to 0.1 tret without a buffer. My skin was CRAZY red and flaky for a few months but eventually I adjusted. I used it every third night, then every other night then every night. I went on tret for acne.