I wanted to share my personal journey with retinol because I feel like the negative side effects and bad reactions are rarely discussed or are just dismissed as user error. I took a very cautious approach, starting with 0.2% once a week for several weeks, then moving to twice a week. When I tried to increase it to three times a week, the so-called “purge” simply never ended. I stuck with it for two and a half months before finally giving up. I used SPF 30 every day, kept my skin moisturized, and drank plenty of water. I even avoided the sun during the adjustment phase and watched my diet. I am positive I’m not allergic to any of the ingredients, but retinol still completely damaged my skin. I was breaking out, seeing more wrinkles, and lost my natural glow. I stopped using it this past Sunday, and my skin is already starting to recover. Don’t always believe the hype. If you feel like your skin isn’t reacting well to a product, it’s okay to stop—just because it works for the majority doesn’t mean it’s right for you! If retinol does work for you, just know I’m jealous and wish I had your skin.
I was wondering what brand you were using? I had a rough time with retinol as well. I used the L’oreal Revitalift Pure Retinol Serum and dealt with four months of awful purging. Then I got a minor sunburn and every product burned my face except for snail mucin and Vaseline. For me, focusing on soothing products was the only way to fix it. I have considered that I might have better luck with tretinoin, though.
Any active ingredient is really a “your mileage may vary” situation. Niacinamide is a miracle worker for some, while others see no difference or end up with a compromised skin barrier. Vitamin C does absolutely nothing for me, and hyaluronic acid causes me to break out. You just have to test things out to see what works for your specific skin.
In skincare, nothing is a universal holy grail. I completely ignore the hype around oil cleansing because any product with high oil content gives me painful, deep acne. I also can’t use benzoyl peroxide because it causes a rash. Surprisingly, tretinoin works fine for me, which was totally unexpected given how sensitive my skin is! Even my doctor didn’t think it would work. Skin is just very individual. Some products are more likely to be effective, but there are no guarantees.
I had the exact same experience. I started getting terrible acne on my neck and jawline from 0.025% tretinoin. I read that those areas can be too sensitive for tretinoin and to try retinol instead, so I did, and it totally ruined my skin. I’ve never had a breakout or a rash that bad before!