LONGECITY

I noticed that the 0.5% cream (from inhouse pharmacy) tends to cause a little more irritation than the 0.5% gel (from AllDayChemist) I have. Is this normal? Shouldn't the Gel cause more irritation because it penetrates more deeply?

Note: I only used the Gel Once thus far and the cream a total of 4 times.
Edited by TheFountain, 26 March 2009 - 08:37 PM.

You mean 0.05% I guess? Personally I'd also expect the gel to be more aggressive, I'm currently using the cream, but I never used a gel form of tretinoin so I can't compare them directly (I used isotretinoin gel, though). I believe you should start with a mild retinoid that you personally tolerate well and once your skin got used to it switching won't cause any irritation.
Edited by kismet, 26 March 2009 - 10:06 PM.

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You mean 0.05% I guess? Personally I'd also expect the gel to be more aggressive, I'm currently using the cream, but I never used a gel form of tretinoin so I can't compare them directly (I used isotretinoin gel, though). I believe you should start with a mild retinoid that you personally tolerate well and once your skin got used to it switching won't cause any irritation.

Yes I am referring to the 0.05% cream and gel. With regard to my skin adapting to it it has only been a minor degreee of irritation and itching, nothing dramatic. I attribute this to the fact that I had been using retinol for about 2 months prior which I am assuming may have unwittingly prepared my skin for the tretinoin as it is also a vitamin A derivative. I also have 0.1% Gel which I intend to step up to in about a month, or maybe even intersperse its use with the 0.05% stuff.

Note: It might just be that I haven't used the gel long enough, I didn't experience irritation with the cream the first night either now that i recall.
Edited by TheFountain, 26 March 2009 - 10:19 PM.

Anyone else want to chime in here or what?

are you using it everyday? i use 0.05% retin A cream from alldaychemist 2 nights a week, i was using lower strength before and up to the 0.05% these two months. i also got occasional irritation , may be coz i am also using other type of exfoliation, so now , to be more careful, i dillute teh 0.05% retin A with some aloe gel, or some other plain lotion

are you using it everyday? i use 0.05% retin A cream from alldaychemist 2 nights a week, i was using lower strength before and up to the 0.05% these two months. i also got occasional irritation , may be coz i am also using other type of exfoliation, so now , to be more careful, i dillute teh 0.05% retin A with some aloe gel, or some other plain lotion

I am using it almost every day. I am now basically alternating between the cream I acquired from inhouse pharmacy and the gel I acquired from alldaychemist.

are you using it everyday? i use 0.05% retin A cream from alldaychemist 2 nights a week, i was using lower strength before and up to the 0.05% these two months. i also got occasional irritation , may be coz i am also using other type of exfoliation, so now , to be more careful, i dillute teh 0.05% retin A with some aloe gel, or some other plain lotion

I am using it almost every day. I am now basically alternating between the cream I acquired from inhouse pharmacy and the gel I acquired from alldaychemist.

now you have been using 0.05% for some time, i think your skin becomes pretty thin (overexfoliation) and are more sensitive and prone to irritation. you might try reduce to 3 times a week. let your skin get some rest.

I have been using the .1% cream from Inhouse for about 5 months. I havent seen alot of peeling from it but it has caused some irritation, mostly a kind of itchy sensitive sensation. I recently got the .1% Gel from ADC and oddly it has caused quite a bit of peeling and flaking but very little irritation. Strange. At first it caused a stinging feeling when applied but now I only feel a warmth when applying it. Must be the alchohol base.
Edited by tman7, 01 April 2009 - 02:45 PM.

now you have been using 0.05% for some time, i think your skin becomes pretty thin (overexfoliation) and are more sensitive and prone to irritation. you might try reduce to 3 times a week. let your skin get some rest.

I do not agree. Really he hasn't even started using that stuff constantly. There is no overexfoliation using retinoids, they are rather weak exfoliating agents and I'm sure the skin achieves some sort of equilibrium. I do not notice any unusual irritation when using my retinoids (as soon as your skin got used to it). I'm never going to stop. 
Edited by kismet, 02 April 2009 - 10:40 AM.

now you have been using 0.05% for some time, i think your skin becomes pretty thin (overexfoliation) and are more sensitive and prone to irritation. you might try reduce to 3 times a week. let your skin get some rest.

I do not agree. Really he hasn't even started using that stuff constantly. There is no overexfoliation using retinoids, they are rather weak exfoliating agents and I'm sure the skin achieves some sort of equilibrium. I do not notice any unusual irritation when using my retinoids (as soon as your skin got used to it). I'm never going to stop. 

Quite right. Infact thinning the epidermis whilst thickening the dermis is the intention of retinoid use, it's what gives the skin greater true elasticity and reduces sagging and deep wrinkles. Old people have both a thin dermis and epidermis, hence the "papery" looking skin we are trying to avoid.

Who said that gel penetrates more? Companies who created it? yeah that's "really" truth. The more skin reacts to tretinoin -the better is penetration so gel is less effective.
Also micro versions also is bullshit. people use tretinoin mainly at night so micro versions is told to release slower than ordinary cream.. BUT after we go to bed we tend to move and all that shit on our faces is left on pillows. so because of slower release you lost like 50% of tretinoin on pillow, that's why it's less irritating..cause you only getting little amount of stuff.