6 Years Using Tretinoin: Age 23 to Age 29

I’ve been using tretinoin for 6 years now. I started at 0.025% and worked my way up to 0.05% in the second year, which is the strength I’ve been using ever since (0.1% is hard to source in Australia, otherwise I might’ve moved up to that by now as my skin is well and truly used to the 0.05% now). I’ve never had many skin issues other than dryness and slight sensitivity; have only dealt with very light acne throughout my life, which peaked in my late teens / early 20s. I’m mostly using tretinoin for the anti-ageing benefits. I know my results aren’t dramatic. I’m trying to keep my skin healthy and elastic for as long as possible, that’s my main goal—I’m well and truly in it for the long term benefits! I wanted to share my results because, while I am happy with my skin now, I know my results aren’t night and day, as I started with already healthy skin. I was already fairly happy with my skin before tretinoin. I often see very dramatic transformations with tret before and afters, so I wanted to show my less dramatic results, for anyone else like me who wanted to start tret for the long term benefits, despite not having any major skincare concerns to solve initially. I also want to note that tretinoin is not the only thing contributing to the state of my skin, I use a few other products that I think are pretty integral to getting my skin looking how I like it to look. My skincare routine is below for anyone interested…   In the morning: 1. Splash face with water in the morning. I do this every day. 2. Apply vitamin C serum, I use Medik8 C-Tetra Luxe (I actually ran out of this a couple months ago, haven’t repurchased yet because it’s pricey—I’ve have tried a few more affordable alternatives but haven’t really liked any of them). When I have the Medik8, I find it gentle enough for daily use, so I use it every day. 3. Apply heavy moisturiser, I use La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5. I do this every day. 4. Apply lots of sunscreen, I use a thick layer of Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice + Probiotic SPF 50+, followed by a thick layer of a cheaper sunscreen (whatever drugstore sunscreen I have on hand, usually Cancer Council, always SPF 50+). I do this every day. 5. Use high quality sun protective wrap-around glasses and a sun hat whilst driving during the day (my main sun exposure time is when I’m driving), I use Cancer Council Fitover Glasses and Solbari Ultra Wide Cotton Linen Hat UPF 50+ (yes I look really daggy when I’m driving). I also try to wear normal sunglasses and hats whenever I am out and about, as often as possible. During & after early evening shower: 1. Cleanse my face with oil cleanser, I used Hada Labo Gokujyun Cleansing Oil for many years and loved it, but they stopped manufacturing it a while ago and my backup stock ran out last year. Since then I’ve been trialling different oil cleansers, my favourites so far are Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil and Bioderma Atoderm Shower Oil (the big 1L bottle that is for body, face, hands). I prefer the Bioderma formula, but it stings my eyes a bit. This is another thing I do every day. 2. Use a gentle exfoliating powder, I use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. I do this most days, but occasionally skip. 1. Use LED red light therapy mask, I use Omnilux Contour Face. I try to do this every day. 1. Apply a tiny amount of BHA toner to spots where I struggle with prominent sebaceous filaments (middle of eyebrows, nose, chin), I use Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant. I don’t do this every day. 1. Apply a hydrating toner, I use Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner. I only started doing this step in the past couple weeks, and this is the first product I’m trying. I don’t think I’m going to stick this particular product, as it seems to break me out, which is a shame because I like it otherwise. I’m currently doing this a few times a week, experimenting with this new step in my routine. 6. Apply heavy moisturiser, I use La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5. I do this every day. Before bed: 7. Apply tretinoin, I use prescription cream 0.05%. I usually do this every day, but sometimes skip it. 8. Apply a thick occlusive to lock in the tretinoin, I use Vaseline. I don’t do this every day. Some things to note… \- My skin type is dry, sensitive, and eczema prone. \- I use tretinoin around my eyes. I know lots of people warn against this due to issues with dry eye/eye irritation. I am careful about the application around my eyes, and I did a lot of experimentation and working my way up to using tret around my eyes. Please do your own research on this before you decide to do it. A lot of people have reported eye issues from doing this. \- I have a couple of little breakouts on my face right now—you can see the little pimple on the left side of my forehead, and a couple of little red spots on my right cheek. This is really rare for me, I don’t really get any acne at all anymore. These popped up when I started using the Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner very recently, which I’m probably going to stop using soon after a bit more experimentation. \- As mentioned above, I don’t do this whole routine every day. There are a few steps that are more occasional use. I don’t follow a strict routine with the occasional steps, but rather tailor it to my current skin needs and concerns. I will go harder on the actives when I think my skin can handle it, but will reel it in when I feel I need to focus on skin barrier care. \- My most important steps/ingredients are my sunscreen, moisturiser, cleansing oil (to get the sunscreen off), and tretinoin. Those are my tried and true products that I stay the most consistent with, and are most important to me. \- My skin is bare in both pictures, though I have mascara and lip tint on in the recent pic. Hope this helps anyone who is looking into starting tretinoin even if though not dealing with major skin concerns and are just looking at long term benefits, or just for anyone interested! :)