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09-21-2015 08:27 PM
I sort of like that tight, shiny, translucent look. I think.
09-21-2015 11:30 PM
Haha, Suzy! Btw, I just wanted to say that when I say "translucent" I'm talking about Retin over-use! I don't want to make anyone feel bad about Retin because I'm totally interested in upping mine!
09-22-2015 06:27 AM
Thanks so much for your responses! I will look into PTR mattifying gel and Deslick....the shiny skin is related to Retin A use....which has made my skin drier, but it did not change my oily t-zone that I've always had.
09-22-2015 12:14 PM
@TuesdayTaylor wrote:Haha, Suzy! Btw, I just wanted to say that when I say "translucent" I'm talking about Retin over-use! I don't want to make anyone feel bad about Retin because I'm totally interested in upping mine!
Got it, @TuesdayTaylor. Thinned-out skin is not a good thing, especially for those of a certain age.
09-22-2015 06:04 PM
retina does not thin the skin! it causes cell turnover. I see the chief of dermatology at Mass General Hospital. His eyes rolled in his head when I asked him.
I started using retina micro twenty years ago for a type of acne called sebum hyperplasia. My skin was so oily I said I could solve all the problems in the Middle East. I was fifty.
I'm seventy and now have normal skin (finally) except in the winter when I do get dry. I am also living proof that it works.
For me it's like Botox in a tube. I am constantly told I don't look my age and I don't have wrinkles. A P.A. in the E.R. asked my my secret. Right after an EKG.
09-22-2015 06:16 PM
@lavendar wrote:retina does not thin the skin! it causes cell turnover. I see the chief of dermatology at Mass General Hospital. His eyes rolled in his head when I asked him.
I started using retina micro twenty years ago for a type of acne called sebum hyperplasia. My skin was so oily I said I could solve all the problems in the Middle East. I was fifty.
I'm seventy and now have normal skin (finally) except in the winter when I do get dry. I am also living proof that it works.
For me it's like Botox in a tube. I am constantly told I don't look my age and I don't have wrinkles. A P.A. in the E.R. asked my my secret. Right after an EKG.
Amen @lavendar. My dermatologist told me the same thing. I don't understand where people get the idea that Retin-A thins the skin. To the contrary, since it helps to build collagen, it's actually helping to thicken the skin.
09-22-2015 07:35 PM - edited 09-22-2015 07:36 PM
Interesting about whether it thins the skin. I found this little "debate" on webMD. I'll go with the dermatologist over the skin "gurus."
For years, prescription retinoids (face medications like Retin-A, Renova, and Tazorac that contain the vitamin A derivative) have been assumed to be the best antiaging products. Indeed, decades of clinical research show that they speed cell turnover to smooth wrinkles, fade sunspots, and build collagen. But now there are claims that they can also thin the skin and cause chronic inflammation (peeling, lobster-red faces), actually leading to premature aging. The issue is dividing the beauty world. Who's right? Read on and make up your own mind.
For Retinoids:
It's hard to argue with the science behind retinoids, says Miami dermatologist Dr. Leslie Baumann. "They are prescription drugs. For FDA approval, drug companies have to do scientific studies that absolutely prove retinoids get rid of wrinkles. It is the only thing on the market that has such concrete evidence." (Over-the-counter products with the vitamin A derivative retinol are similar but less powerful, and don't require FDA approval or undergo the same stringent tests.) Dermatologists balk at the idea that retinoids thin the skin because, as New York City derm Dr. Eric Schweiger argues, retinoids actually increase the thickness of the dermis—the deep layer of skin where wrinkles form. Since patients have to build up a tolerance to retinoids over several weeks before they can use them daily—and slathering on more than the recommended pea-sized amount results in a guaranteed flake-fest—using them too often or applying too much can give the impression that your skin is getting thinner, says Schweiger. Washington, D.C. dermatologist Dr. Tina Alster concedes that too much skin inflammation will break down collagen—which translates to lines and sagging. "But it's only a problem if people are chronically rip-roaring red and itchy," she says. "If you're on retinoids for a long time and you don't have that intolerable inflammation, you're not destroying your skin. You're helping it."
Against Retinoids:
Most skin gurus who dislike retinoids are not dermatologists and see skin research in a different light. According to New York City facial plastic surgeon Dr. Michelle Yagoda, "The key is looking at the retinol studies and understanding how much collagen can really be built," she says. "It doesn't matter if it gives you 10 percent less of a wrinkle—that's so microscopic, our eyes can't distinguish it." Says Yagoda, retinoids are easy to prescribe, so patients are rarely offered an alternative. (In her experience, glycolic acids are just as effective and better-tolerated.) While most experts agree that retinoids do produce quick results, many claim they might not be worth it. "Sure, your discolorations and lines might be getting a little better," says Simon Erani, lead researcher for the skincare company Somme Institute, "but you're not noticing how your skin looks papery and thin." Erani believes any inflammation (detected in his subsurface skin photos of people who'd been using retinoids for at least eight weeks) will damage skin in the long run, which is why he's excluded it from Somme's formulations. New York City aesthetician Susan Ciminelli says she can spot retinoid users right away: "Their skin looks brittle because it has lost its cushion." She believes that retinoids strip the skin, while the path to a youthful glow involves adding natural moisture and emollients. (For her own product line, she favors the hydrating power of seaweed and algae.) "What you want is thick, juicy skin," she says. "Juicy skin is young skin."
The bottom line: There's one thing everyone agrees on: Excessive inflammation should be avoided to slow down damage and aging. So if using retinoids makes your skin uncomfortably flaky, red, or irritated, seek out gentler measures. The point is to soften, not deepen, those worry lines, after all.
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