Derm said retinol for smoother skin - what is everyone actually using?

[Stace_wow]

Skidude said:

HereKittyKitty said:

Tretinoin is amazing. Texture and tone improve, fine line and wrinkles too, and pore size (or how it appears) comes down.

Usage guidance - did she give you any? If not, the guidance my derm gave me is something I can share.

She did not, and the more I read, the more the dosage amounts seem to shift with what you need>?

Calling on Monday is the plan. More info will get posted back here once I have it, though tretinoin definitely has my interest.

Cheers everyone!

The ladies got me onto the Tret train too! A skincare habit has built up over the years that I add to now and then, which makes staying consistent easier lol. Too many changes at once is not something I can do . Sunscreen matters so much! K Beauty-Beauty of Joseon is what I use….technically made in the USA (for some fuk all reason) and before that, the Neutrogena Face Shield was my go to

A retinol from The Ordinary is also in my routine, and before K Beauty entered the picture, Cerave could NOT be pried from my cold dead hands! Cerave products are a favourite! The moisturizer still gets used on my body! ***my BF always compliments how soft my skin is.

 

[Stace_wow]

moodymama76 said:

HereKittyKitty said:

moodymama76 said:

Also irrelevant to men but... the estradiol cream is going on my face as well now. One thing led to another. The GHK Cu cosmetic powder came first and I used that, then the HRT arrived and I figured why not put that on my face too. Then came the trentoin.

For something like 20 years my skincare game sat at 0. Good skin was probably a gift, and I did keep out of the sun or wear sunscreen. Acne was never a problem beyond the rando pimple. My face comes out blotchy, dull ect in a photo. In the mirror, though, it looks good. So maybe this will help with pictures.

Some cautionary info on topical estrogen for the face was posted not long ago by someone. Should I come across it again - it may have been elsewhere - I will share it.

The reason is that estradiol is systemic whereas estriol is not. Mine is a low potency cream, but estradiol it is.

Not that long ago HRT was also off limits to women. So risk tolerance may vary.

If you find it, I would like to read it.

Mama, search for 'pretty ladies' and that thread has it!

 

[HereKittyKitty]

Grateful as ever, @Stace_wow.

Per FDA OTC drug classification, any sunscreen made here in the US has to conform to FDA guidelines. In other countries, sunscreen counts as a cosmetic. Where you purchased it is not mentioned. For Korean product, buying direct from Korea is the way.

 

[Stace_wow]

HereKittyKitty said:

Grateful as ever, @Stace_wow.

Per FDA OTC drug classification, any sunscreen made here in the US has to conform to FDA guidelines. In other countries, sunscreen counts as a cosmetic. Where you purchased it is not mentioned. For Korean product, buying direct from Korea is the way.

It came from the Beauty of Joseon website….the cosmetic status of it never even crossed my mind.

 

[HereKittyKitty]

Through their US online storefront, only the made in USA version is available, to conform with FDA regulations.

 

[Skidude]

HereKittyKitty said:

Through their US online storefront, only the made in USA version is available, to conform with FDA regulations.

I picked up Glutaone from this shop, and they carry a pretty broad selection of Korean Cosmetics


https://glow-unique.com/collections/suncare?_pos=1&_psq=sunscree&_psid=bd6526d93&_ss=e

 

[Silver]

Altreno is what I am on currently, and for me it is less harsh than straight tretinoin. The health AI thing on Amazon was the route I took, and a 3 month supply was in my hand the next day. Once I knew it suited me, other places got my orders for a better price/oz.

 

[Angelique]

At 56, seven years of tretinoin has left me with less fine lines than I began with. A little sagging had started in my eyelids and over time the tret lifted them somewhat. Results take a few months, and daily use is NOT how I would start, your skin has to build up to it! Irritation can be significant, with a face that goes red and peels. Derms in my experience tend to skip over these details about starting slow. The hotandflashy website guidelines were what I followed, though my start was 2X/week rather than 1X/week. Because I went slow, irritation was almost never an issue and daily use has been my norm for years now. alldaychemist is my source, and the last order was six tubes plus 20 dollars shipping.

Tazarotene is preferred by a lot of people, and I gave it a few months, but my wrinkles did not respond as well so tret is what I returned to.

Oily skin here, and a very gentle Korean oil cleanser does a lot for my skin texture.

Straight to tret .025 rather than an over the counter retinol is what I would do. Worth knowing that it changes our skin texture and makes us shiny. The "glowy" look is loved by those who use it though!

 

[moodymama76]

Stace_wow said:

moodymama76 said:

HereKittyKitty said:

moodymama76 said:

Also irrelevant to men but... the estradiol cream is going on my face as well now. One thing led to another. The GHK Cu cosmetic powder came first and I used that, then the HRT arrived and I figured why not put that on my face too. Then came the trentoin.

For something like 20 years my skincare game sat at 0. Good skin was probably a gift, and I did keep out of the sun or wear sunscreen. Acne was never a problem beyond the rando pimple. My face comes out blotchy, dull ect in a photo. In the mirror, though, it looks good. So maybe this will help with pictures.

Some cautionary info on topical estrogen for the face was posted not long ago by someone. Should I come across it again - it may have been elsewhere - I will share it.

The reason is that estradiol is systemic whereas estriol is not. Mine is a low potency cream, but estradiol it is.

Not that long ago HRT was also off limits to women. So risk tolerance may vary.

If you find it, I would like to read it.

Mama, search for 'pretty ladies' and that thread has it!

Yeah, I went through it. Nothing in there beyond the sort of thing a general search would hand you. And a general search will equally tell you to avoid grey-market peptides.

Melasma isn't something I deal with, and my skin has never been sun damaged.

Schmidt and colleagues, 1996: a 0.01% estradiol plus 0.3% estriol cream, tested on 59 women over 6 months on face and neck - firmness and elasticity both rose noticeably, with wrinkle depth and pore size shrinking across both arms; Type III collagen rose significantly in each group

 

[FartfulCodger]

Skidude said:

So I am 59, sunblock was never really my thing, the outdoors is where I like to be, and some skin imperfections have turned up on my cheek bone around the nose area.

Not quite acne, closer to pore issues and some bumps?

Asking for the technical name is something I should have done, maybe next week I will.

A Korean site had a few things I was looking at, but whether it is what I need is unclear.

If I have it right, first the serum than the creme.. am I overthinking this? will it work?

An orbital sander with some 220 grit paper is also in my possession, is that better?

Seriously, for a guy who will not be spending much more than 5 minutes, what would everyone recommend

The ceraVe is already bought and started today..





View attachment 212

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EDIT

Sebaceous hyperplasia is what I think it is, like 99% sure.. I was in for another treatment and forget what she said.

Here is what it resembles

View attachment 214

Strictly speaking this likely falls outside what's officially approved, and a search engine or a chatbot will tell you flat out not to try it - but for a spot like that I just burn mine away using the electrocautery device (marketed as a "plasma pen") that I picked up. Amazon carries them. There was a raised brown patch beside my nose, and these days there's no trace of it.

Plenty of daring creators on YouTube film themselves zapping off spots and fine lines the same way.

First step is picking up an over-the-counter 4% lidocaine ointment, smoothing it across the target area, and sealing it under a small square of cling film. Give it roughly 15 minutes, peel the numbing patch away, switch the device on, and begin along the outer rim. Quit once the discomfort gets too much, or once the smell of scorched tissue becomes unbearable.

Give the area a week to close up (a copper peptide ointment may help that along), then take another look and work out what still needs doing in round 2. Expect a month or two of cycling through this burn-and-heal routine.

Heads up: dermatology isn't my field, I simply resent the size of those bills. Attempt this entirely at your own risk, and have a plan to see a professional if it goes wrong.