u/cherrycolalipbalm

I’ve used tretinoin in the past for acne. I don’t remember what strength my dermatologist prescribed, but I used the entire tube and never got a refill. After that, I switched to the CeraVe retinol and used it for quite a while.
Recently, I started getting bad breakouts on my chin, so I picked up Differin (adapalene) gel. Unfortunately, my skin didn’t seem to like it, so I asked my primary care doctor for a prescription for tretinoin since my skin seemed to tolerate it well in the past. Right now, I’m giving my skin a bit of a break to recover from the adapalene because it’s been somewhat dry and a little red.

I’d love any advice on how to ease back into tretinoin safely and whether the products I’m currently using are okay. My routine is very simple: I use the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser only in the evening, followed by the CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion. In the morning, I just rinse with water and apply moisturizer. I’ve used CeraVe products for years because that’s what my dermatologist originally recommended, and I’ve never felt the need to switch.

Unfortunately, I lost my insurance, so I can no longer see a dermatologist and had to get the prescription through my primary care doctor. I asked for tretinoin 0.05% because I have previous experience with retinoids and didn’t feel I needed to start with the lowest strength, but I also wanted to avoid the strongest option. The middle strength seemed like a reasonable choice. Do you recommend using the sandwich method? Are the products I’m using okay to continue with? Would you suggest starting once a week and gradually working up to twice a week and beyond?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have a bit of anxiety about starting tretinoin again, but I really miss how my skin looked when I was using it.

I’m almost finished with the tenant of wildfell hall and these are the books I have on my physical tbr!

My Husband - Maud Ventura

Rouge - Mona Awad

Out - Natsuo Kirino

I have a profound love for Charlotte Brontë because I love Jane Eyre (it is my favorite novel). Jane is the sort of heroine who never quite fits society’s standards of what is considered “normal.” She is thoughtful, independent, and unapologetically herself. I have a particular fondness for “weird girl” literature, and I think Jane Eyre fits perfectly within that niche. There is something so deeply relatable about Jane’s character, even though she lived in a completely different century.

or the year is ambiguous and isn’t obvious it’s our current timeline

My Husband by Maud Ventura or Boy Parts by Eliza Clark?

Plans got canceled so perfect opportunity to watch something :))