6 replies to this topic

[Ben]

Hi all. I've been using a tretinoin alcohol gel for the past week (it's 0.1% tretinoin) and I'm a little bit worried as to the effects of continually applying this gel to my face. It is a very potent alchohol gel, so potent that the fumes from simply applying it make me dizzy and it has to therefore be done quickly. Is it possible that this gel could cause a dermatitis or a some kind of de-fatting?

In addition, the paper that came with the gel mentioned that I should wash my face, throughly dry it, and then wait 20-30 minutes before application. I also wonder if anyone knows why this is.

[Fredrik]

Hi all. I've been using a tretinoin alcohol gel for the past week (it's 0.1% tretinoin) and I'm a little bit worried as to the effects of continually applying this gel to my face. It is a very potent alchohol gel, so potent that the fumes from simply applying it make me dizzy and it has to therefore be done quickly. Is it possible that this gel could cause a dermatitis or a some kind of de-fatting?

In addition, the paper that came with the gel mentioned that I should wash my face, throughly dry it, and then wait 20-30 minutes before application. I also wonder if anyone knows why this is.

The alcohol won´t cause chronic damage. But it will strip your skin of lipids and impair the barrier which can decrease your tolerance to the retinoid (more redness, flaking etc). The 0.05% tretinoin gel is olive ester based and very nice in this weather. I alternate it with taz and only use the alcohol version every 3 weeks as a "mini-peel".

The 20-30 minute wait is to decrease skin absorption = decrease irritation. Humid skin absorb drugs easier, just like you wet a dry sponge to make it more absorbent.

[kismet]

 The 20-30 minute wait is to decrease skin absorption = decrease irritation. Humid skin absorb drugs easier, just like you wet a dry sponge to make it more absorbent.

Mhmm, do you think if one's hardcore enough (this separates the men from the boys, no?) to withstand the irritation this may provide a tangible benefit? Reaching deeper layers of the skin sounds pretty good to me to be honest.

Edited by kismet, 28 November 2008 - 08:33 PM.

[Fredrik]

The 20-30 minute wait is to decrease skin absorption = decrease irritation. Humid skin absorb drugs easier, just like you wet a dry sponge to make it more absorbent.

Mhmm, do you think if one's hardcore enough (this separates the men from the boys, no?) to withstand the irritation this may provide a tangible benefit? Reaching deeper layers of the skin sounds pretty good to me to be honest.

Absolutely, but only after you experience no irritation at all. When you´re past the retinoid dermatitis phaze and your skin is retinized you can apply it straight. I do, and I´ve done for several years. But retinoids reach the skins deeper layers whatever you do. They´re extremely lipophilic. Tazarotene even works with short contact therapy. Leave it on for 5-10 minutes then wash it off until you´re tolerant to it. I prefer the every third day approach in the beginning though.

[Ben]

Hi all. I've been using a tretinoin alcohol gel for the past week (it's 0.1% tretinoin) and I'm a little bit worried as to the effects of continually applying this gel to my face. It is a very potent alchohol gel, so potent that the fumes from simply applying it make me dizzy and it has to therefore be done quickly. Is it possible that this gel could cause a dermatitis or a some kind of de-fatting?

In addition, the paper that came with the gel mentioned that I should wash my face, throughly dry it, and then wait 20-30 minutes before application. I also wonder if anyone knows why this is.

The alcohol won´t cause chronic damage. But it will strip your skin of lipids and impair the barrier which can decrease your tolerance to the retinoid (more redness, flaking etc). The 0.05% tretinoin gel is olive ester based and very nice in this weather. I alternate it with taz and only use the alcohol version every 3 weeks as a "mini-peel".

The 20-30 minute wait is to decrease skin absorption = decrease irritation. Humid skin absorb drugs easier, just like you wet a dry sponge to make it more absorbent.

I find I am tolerating this 0.1% gel really well. I don't really have any irritation and my skin is hardly peeling at all. I should mention that I've been using a retinoid for the past 6 months almost every day.

Like you I was also using taz most days and interspersing its application with tretinoin. Also like you I sourced it from ADC. The reason I stopped was that I believe either the tazarotene cream was giving me pimples or that it was too weak and therefore not able to prevent their occurance.

I tried the tazaroten gel from ADC but I found it's consistancy really oilly and yuck. I would apply it before bed and it would be so oily that it would just sit on my face and rub all over my pillow. It wasn't very pleasant. Perhaps I recieved a bad batch. I think you use their taz gel, how are you finding it?

[Fredrik]

I tried the tazaroten gel from ADC but I found it's consistancy really oilly and yuck. I would apply it before bed and it would be so oily that it would just sit on my face and rub all over my pillow. It wasn't very pleasant. Perhaps I recieved a bad batch. I think you use their taz gel, how are you finding it?

I didn´t care for the taz gel either. I use the cream, very light consistency. I highly doubt it could give you any pimples because of it being a cream/lotion formula. Taz is the most comedolytic retinoid known. But irritation can cause pimples, either from the taz or something else in your routine. Or maybe taz caused you to "purge", but if so it would have stopped in about two-three weeks.

[Ben]

I tried the tazaroten gel from ADC but I found it's consistancy really oilly and yuck. I would apply it before bed and it would be so oily that it would just sit on my face and rub all over my pillow. It wasn't very pleasant. Perhaps I recieved a bad batch. I think you use their taz gel, how are you finding it?

I didn´t care for the taz gel either. I use the cream, very light consistency. I highly doubt it could give you any pimples because of it being a cream/lotion formula. Taz is the most comedolytic retinoid known. But irritation can cause pimples, either from the taz or something else in your routine. Or maybe taz caused you to "purge", but if so it would have stopped in about two-three weeks.

I'm pretty sure it's not a "purge" as there are pimples on my face that have been there for over three months now. I think I have narrowed down the source of these pimples though. I was reading Leslie Baumann's blog on hair products and their potential in causing pimples. One of the ingredients she mentions are silicon derivatives and I think I can trace back this current outbreak to when I started using schwarzkopf's Dust It which contains, I think, silicon silicate.