u/KeyCountry9

So I’ll try to make this short, but basically, I’ve always had very clear skin with no skin issues all my life. I would mostly use any basic lotion mixed with a little rose oil mix my mom gave me, barely even really washed my face, never thought about it. I also started using Mizz Koreas 5- step in Nov 2025 and it made my skin very nice.
During the winter, I started losing my left eyebrow and had no idea why. My pcp took my blood work and sent me to a derm for the first time. In March, The derm told me about tretinoin and I thought “well okay I don’t get acne but this might help my brow to grow back.” (Turns out, my bloodwork came back and I had a severe vitamin d deficiency, and with pills, my brow grew back).
Anyway, I continued tretinoin while doing my 5- step routing and everything was fine until the summer. When it started getting warm, I remember I started to break out a little on my forehead for the first time. I kept going with the tret and Mizz Korea, even switched out the toner once with vegan kombucha essence and moisturizer with aestura. I was wearing sunscreen but idk if it was enough. It kept on getting worse as I was outside and I decided to stop tretinoin on July 18 before a 9 day trip to Brazil. My derm gave me salycilic acid because I told her about my issues, and I used it every other day while in Brazil and a few nights before the trip too. On the plane back, I realized my skin was like sandpaper and I was seeing buddings of more pimples. I tried azealic acid from the same derm on Aug 4 and 6. Now I have an annoying breakout between my eyebrows and a huge pimple right in the middle of my face. Since the 10th, I’ve been keeping things really simple water, CeraVe daily lotion, sunscreen (if I go out, because that was breaking me out too I think) and gentle cleanser at night follower by lipikar triple repair cream. My skin feels smoother and better, not sand like anymore, but the pimples are still there in the middle of my forehead and won’t flatten. Im also not sure if my skin is getting worse or better, but im trying to just go back to doing less. I’m new to breaking out and I’m freaking out. It looks horrible.

Did the tretinoin and acids disrupt my skin barrier or was it something else? Again, I’ve never had any skin issues until this year with Tret.

So I’ll try to make this short, but basically, I’ve always had very clear skin with no skin issues all my life. I would mostly use any basic lotion mixed with a little rose oil mix my mom gave me, barely even really washed my face, never thought about it. I also started using Mizz Koreas 5- step in Nov 2025 and it made my skin very nice.
During the winter, I started losing my left eyebrow and had no idea why. My pcp took my blood work and sent me to a derm for the first time. In March, The derm told me about tretinoin and I thought “well okay I don’t get acne but this might help my brow to grow back.” (Turns out, my bloodwork came back and I had a severe vitamin d deficiency, and with pills, my brow grew back).
Anyway, I continued tretinoin while doing my 5- step routing and everything was fine until the summer. When it started getting warm, I remember I started to break out a little on my forehead for the first time. I kept going with the tret and Mizz Korea, even switched out the toner once with vegan kombucha essence and moisturizer with aestura. I was wearing sunscreen but idk if it was enough. It kept on getting worse as I was outside and I decided to stop tretinoin on July 18 before a 9 day trip to Brazil. My derm gave me salycilic acid because I told her about my issues, and I used it every other day while in Brazil and a few nights before the trip too. On the plane back, I realized my skin was like sandpaper and I was seeing buddings of more pimples. I tried azealic acid from the same derm on Aug 4 and 6. Now I have an annoying breakout between my eyebrows and a huge pimple right in the middle of my face. Since the 10th, I’ve been keeping things really simple water, CeraVe daily lotion, sunscreen (if I go out, because that was breaking me out too I think) and gentle cleanser at night follower by lipikar triple repair cream. My skin feels smoother and better, not sand like anymore, but the pimples are still there in the middle of my forehead and won’t flatten. Im also not sure if my skin is getting worse or better, but im trying to just go back to doing less. I’m new to breaking out and I’m freaking out. It looks horrible.

Did the tretinoin and acids disrupt my skin barrier or was it something else? Again, I’ve never had any skin issues until this year with Tret.