Irritation from Retinol

cddh · ‎03-17-2010

I applied ROC Retinol Deep Wrinkle Night Cream on two wrinkles on my neck, probably too many nights in a row! Anyway, I irritated my neck and now have horrible redness where I applied the retinol cream. Any suggestions as to how I can heal this area?

Colonel Meow · ‎05-25-2014

I've done the same thing before, but with Vitamin C. (Ouch!) The best and quickest thing that worked for me was basic hydrocortisone 1% cream. Took care of the redness, irritation, and flakiness. HTH!

cddh · ‎03-17-2010

Oh yes!! Thanks Colonel. Don't know why I didn't think of that. My neck looks worse now than before from irritation. Hope it doesn't dry out that area though.

Tigriss · ‎03-12-2010

Good lotion with oatmeal in it after the hydro-cortisone dries. Keep it moisturized.

Colonel Meow · ‎05-25-2014

On 3/1/2015 kleo said:
Oh yes!! Thanks Colonel. Don't know why I didn't think of that. My neck looks worse now than before from irritation. Hope it doesn't dry out that area though.

If you're worried about dryness, you could layer your regular moisturizer over the hydrocortisone cream. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I kept a tube of the HC cream with me and reapplied throughout the day. If your neck looks anything like mine did, then you might also want to do the same.

shiloh 81 · ‎09-03-2010

I read somewhere on the internet with retinol irritation to use Vaseline. I used it @ night and the next morning it felt better.

TuesdayTaylor · ‎11-02-2010

kleo, I did the same thing a while back! I put Josie Maran's Argan Oil on it and it was like putting water on a fire, it was the only thing that soothed the area. I'm not using straight-up Retinol anymore, I'm using Philosophy's Miracle Worker Retinoid Pads now - they're not as potent and take longer to work, but much gentler.

cddh · ‎03-17-2010

OK, going to try. Can't look worse than it does now! Hate turtlenecks so that's not an option! Can't stand the choking feeling turtlenecks give me so that area is visible. Hope it heals quickly. Thanks to all. Smile

Fluke67 · ‎01-24-2015

FWIW, I wasn't able to tolerate retinol. I started using the illumask (the anti aging one) plus isomers copper p concentrate, and that has helped tremendously - i can use retinol now without problems. To minimize irritation with retinol, make sure skin is dry (wait 15-20 min after washing) before applying. You can also dilute the retinol by mixing with a basic moisturizer. Aquaphor can help heal irritation. I'd back off the retinol and anything irratating for a few days, use aquaphor at night, and try again, slowly building up to undiluted retinol.