decayedlooks
Iron
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Every other day there's a new thread from some grey asking "how do I use tret" or "is 0.025% enough" or "I've been on it for 2 weeks and my face is falling off should I quit." I'm putting this in one place so I can just link it instead of typing the same shit 50 times a week.
Why Tretinoin Is The Only Topical That Matters
Tretinoin is a prescription retinoid (a vitamin A derivative). It's the only topical with decades of clinical data proving it actually rebuilds collagen, accelerates cell turnover, and reverses photoaging. Everything else you buy at Sephora is a footnote. A systematic review of 7 RCTs found tretinoin 0.025-0.1% consistently improves wrinkling, mottled hyperpigmentation, sallowness, and lentigines, with benefit seen as early as 1 month and maintained at 24 months. If you're not on tret, you're not skinmaxxing, you're just moisturizing.
Starting Strength and Frequency
Start at 0.025%. I don't care if you're a "boss" or a "chad", start at 0.025. Your skin barrier is not special and you will fry it if you jump to 0.05% or 0.1% on day one.
A randomized double-blinded study comparing 0.025% and 0.05% tretinoin creams found no significant difference in efficacy or local cutaneous irritation between the two groups. Both were well tolerated with only mild irritation. The higher concentration doesn't give you better results, it just gives you more peeling. Start low.
Use it 2-3 nights per week for the first 2-4 weeks. Your skin needs to build tolerance. After that, if no irritation, move to every other night. Then nightly. Don't rush this. The guys who rush are the same guys posting "tret ruined my skin" threads three weeks later.
The Sandwich Method (Mandatory for Beginners)
This is non-negotiable if you want to avoid the peel and the redness.
A 2025 study presented at the American Academy of Dermatology evaluated tretinoin and retinol bioactivity when layered with moisturizers in different "sandwich" configurations. The "full sandwich" (moisturizer, then retinoid, then moisturizer) significantly reduced bioactivity (p<0.05) due to dilution and penetration barriers. But the "open sandwich" (moisturizer applied either before or after the retinoid) preserved comparable bioactivity to the retinoid alone, measured via HBEGF gene expression.
So here's the protocol:
The moisturizer buffers the tret so it doesn't hit your skin barrier like a truck. You can drop the buffer later once your skin is retinized, but for the first 2-3 months, sandwich or suffer.
The Purge Is Real and You Have to Push Through It
Weeks 3-6, your face might look worse. The FDA label for tretinoin gel explicitly states: "During the early weeks of therapy, an apparent exacerbation of inflammatory lesions may occur. If tolerated, this should not be considered a reason to discontinue therapy". Tretinoin is accelerating cell turnover, pushing everything to the surface at once. Your acne might get worse before it gets better. Your skin might flake, peel, and feel raw. This is normal. This is it working.
The people who quit at week 4 and say "tret doesn't work" got scared. Push through. If your skin feels like it's stinging when you wash it, drop back to once a week until it calms down. If it's just flaking and dry, moisturize more and keep going.
Sunscreen Is Not Optional
Tretinoin makes your skin photosensitive and degrades under UVA light, which is why you apply it at night. The FDA label says: "When outside, even on hazy days, areas treated with tretinoin should be protected. An effective sunscreen should be used any time you are outside". The Iberia Consensus on retinoid irritation management specifically lists photoprotection as a key adjunct to prevent and manage irritation from topical retinoids.
If you're using tret at night to rebuild collagen and then walking outside without SPF 50 during the day, you are actively undoing everything. UV causes 80-90% of visible skin aging. Doesn't matter if it's cloudy. Doesn't matter if you're only outside for 10 minutes. Put it on.
Morning routine: gentle cleanser, moisturizer, SPF 50. That's it. Don't add actives in the morning while you're adjusting to tret. Vitamin C, niacinamide, exfoliating acids, save that for when your skin is fully retinized, 3-6 months down the line.
Timeline For Results
The FDA label states therapeutic results may be noticed after two weeks, but more than seven weeks of therapy are required before consistent beneficial effects are observed. If you expect results in a month, you're on the wrong compound. Tretinoin is a marathon, not a sprint. Six months minimum before you judge it.
What The Actual Collagen Data Says
This isn't bro science. The NEJM published a study in 1993 (yes, 1993) where researchers treated photodamaged skin with 0.1% tretinoin cream daily for 10-12 months. Results: 80% increase in collagen I formation in the tretinoin group, compared to a 14% decrease in the vehicle group (P = 0.006). Collagen I formation was 56% lower in photodamaged skin compared to sun-protected skin, and tretinoin partly restored it.
A two-year randomized placebo-controlled trial of tretinoin emollient cream 0.05% showed a significant increase relative to placebo in facial procollagen 1C terminal (a marker for procollagen synthesis) at month 12 (p = 0.0074). Long-term treatment was safe and effective in subjects with moderate to severe facial photodamage.
So when people say "tret doesn't do anything for anti-aging," they're either not using it consistently or haven't given it enough time. The data is unambiguous.
Common Mistakes That Make Me Want To Bang My Head Against A Wall
TL;DR: Start at 0.025%, use the open sandwich method, 2-3x/week increasing slowly, pea-sized amount, moisturize and SPF like your life depends on it, and don't quit during the purge. Six months minimum.
DNR? Then stay ugly.
RECEIPTS (For the autists who want to check):
Why Tretinoin Is The Only Topical That Matters
Tretinoin is a prescription retinoid (a vitamin A derivative). It's the only topical with decades of clinical data proving it actually rebuilds collagen, accelerates cell turnover, and reverses photoaging. Everything else you buy at Sephora is a footnote. A systematic review of 7 RCTs found tretinoin 0.025-0.1% consistently improves wrinkling, mottled hyperpigmentation, sallowness, and lentigines, with benefit seen as early as 1 month and maintained at 24 months. If you're not on tret, you're not skinmaxxing, you're just moisturizing.
Starting Strength and Frequency
Start at 0.025%. I don't care if you're a "boss" or a "chad", start at 0.025. Your skin barrier is not special and you will fry it if you jump to 0.05% or 0.1% on day one.
A randomized double-blinded study comparing 0.025% and 0.05% tretinoin creams found no significant difference in efficacy or local cutaneous irritation between the two groups. Both were well tolerated with only mild irritation. The higher concentration doesn't give you better results, it just gives you more peeling. Start low.
Use it 2-3 nights per week for the first 2-4 weeks. Your skin needs to build tolerance. After that, if no irritation, move to every other night. Then nightly. Don't rush this. The guys who rush are the same guys posting "tret ruined my skin" threads three weeks later.
The Sandwich Method (Mandatory for Beginners)
This is non-negotiable if you want to avoid the peel and the redness.
A 2025 study presented at the American Academy of Dermatology evaluated tretinoin and retinol bioactivity when layered with moisturizers in different "sandwich" configurations. The "full sandwich" (moisturizer, then retinoid, then moisturizer) significantly reduced bioactivity (p<0.05) due to dilution and penetration barriers. But the "open sandwich" (moisturizer applied either before or after the retinoid) preserved comparable bioactivity to the retinoid alone, measured via HBEGF gene expression.
So here's the protocol:
- Wash your face. Pat dry. Wait 20-30 minutes until your skin is completely dry. Applying tret to wet skin increases irritation.
- Apply a thin layer of your regular moisturizer. Let it absorb. This is the "open sandwich" buffer.
- Take a pea-sized amount of tret. That's it. A pea. Not a grape, not a blob. A pea. The Mayo Clinic explicitly states a pea-sized amount is enough to cover the whole face. Dot it around your face (forehead, cheeks, chin, nose). Avoid the corners of your nose, the corners of your mouth, and your lips.
- Rub it in gently.
- Wait 3-5 minutes. Apply another layer of moisturizer on top.
The moisturizer buffers the tret so it doesn't hit your skin barrier like a truck. You can drop the buffer later once your skin is retinized, but for the first 2-3 months, sandwich or suffer.
The Purge Is Real and You Have to Push Through It
Weeks 3-6, your face might look worse. The FDA label for tretinoin gel explicitly states: "During the early weeks of therapy, an apparent exacerbation of inflammatory lesions may occur. If tolerated, this should not be considered a reason to discontinue therapy". Tretinoin is accelerating cell turnover, pushing everything to the surface at once. Your acne might get worse before it gets better. Your skin might flake, peel, and feel raw. This is normal. This is it working.
The people who quit at week 4 and say "tret doesn't work" got scared. Push through. If your skin feels like it's stinging when you wash it, drop back to once a week until it calms down. If it's just flaking and dry, moisturize more and keep going.
Sunscreen Is Not Optional
Tretinoin makes your skin photosensitive and degrades under UVA light, which is why you apply it at night. The FDA label says: "When outside, even on hazy days, areas treated with tretinoin should be protected. An effective sunscreen should be used any time you are outside". The Iberia Consensus on retinoid irritation management specifically lists photoprotection as a key adjunct to prevent and manage irritation from topical retinoids.
If you're using tret at night to rebuild collagen and then walking outside without SPF 50 during the day, you are actively undoing everything. UV causes 80-90% of visible skin aging. Doesn't matter if it's cloudy. Doesn't matter if you're only outside for 10 minutes. Put it on.
Morning routine: gentle cleanser, moisturizer, SPF 50. That's it. Don't add actives in the morning while you're adjusting to tret. Vitamin C, niacinamide, exfoliating acids, save that for when your skin is fully retinized, 3-6 months down the line.
Timeline For Results
- Weeks 1-4: Adjustment. Possible purging, dryness, flaking.
- Weeks 4-8: Purge phase peaks. Skin might look worse.
- Weeks 8-12: Purge subsides. Texture starts improving.
- Months 3-6: Real anti-aging endpoints. Collagen remodeling. Fine lines softening. Pores look tighter.
- Month 6+: The "glass skin" effect. This is where you see the real payoff.
The FDA label states therapeutic results may be noticed after two weeks, but more than seven weeks of therapy are required before consistent beneficial effects are observed. If you expect results in a month, you're on the wrong compound. Tretinoin is a marathon, not a sprint. Six months minimum before you judge it.
What The Actual Collagen Data Says
This isn't bro science. The NEJM published a study in 1993 (yes, 1993) where researchers treated photodamaged skin with 0.1% tretinoin cream daily for 10-12 months. Results: 80% increase in collagen I formation in the tretinoin group, compared to a 14% decrease in the vehicle group (P = 0.006). Collagen I formation was 56% lower in photodamaged skin compared to sun-protected skin, and tretinoin partly restored it.
A two-year randomized placebo-controlled trial of tretinoin emollient cream 0.05% showed a significant increase relative to placebo in facial procollagen 1C terminal (a marker for procollagen synthesis) at month 12 (p = 0.0074). Long-term treatment was safe and effective in subjects with moderate to severe facial photodamage.
So when people say "tret doesn't do anything for anti-aging," they're either not using it consistently or haven't given it enough time. The data is unambiguous.
Common Mistakes That Make Me Want To Bang My Head Against A Wall
- Using too much product. A pea. One pea. For your whole face.
- Applying to wet skin. Wait until dry or you'll get irritation.
- Skipping moisturizer. Tret is drying as hell. Moisturize.
- Using other actives at the same time. Don't layer tret with benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or glycolic acid. The FDA label specifically warns about concomitant use of OTC acne preparations containing benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, resorcinol, or salicylic acid. One thing at a time.
- Applying under your eyes. Stop. Tretinoin under the eyes can thin the skin and make eyebags worse. Keep it on the face proper.
- Quitting at week 4. You haven't even given it a chance.
TL;DR: Start at 0.025%, use the open sandwich method, 2-3x/week increasing slowly, pea-sized amount, moisturize and SPF like your life depends on it, and don't quit during the purge. Six months minimum.
DNR? Then stay ugly.
RECEIPTS (For the autists who want to check):
