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How To Treat Skin Damage Caused By Excessive Tretinoin Usage?
Dear sir, I used Tretinoin (Retin - A 0.05mg) a year back as i had pimples and spots on my face. Due to my carelessness, i used a lot of amount of it in a single usage at night. Now my forehead and a part of both my cheeks are very dull and black as compared to my normal skin. Please suggest how can I transform this skin to new. Currently i am trying tretinoin with moisturizer and sunscreen to repair the skin. Will it help ? If not please suggest what should i do?
Fri, 1 Aug 2014
Hello and welcome to HCM.
It seems you have got local irritation to the tretinoin cream you have used. It called Contact irritant dermatitis.
Nothing to worry as your skin will be fine soon.
I would advise you a week course of oral prednisolone in low dose (5-10mg).
Apply a mild corticosteroid like desonide and antibiotic like fusidic acid twice a day.
After good quality moisturiser like cetaphil DAM twice a day over full face.
Avoid use of tretinoin for 10 days and restart it only alternate night basis with only pea-size application gently over full face and face it off after 1 hour.
Avoid use of any cosmetics/facewash for few days.
Avoid direct sun exposure and use water-based sunscreen before stepping out in sun.
Hope this was useful.
Take care
Dr Hardik Pitroda
It seems you have got local irritation to the tretinoin cream you have used. It called Contact irritant dermatitis.
Nothing to worry as your skin will be fine soon.
I would advise you a week course of oral prednisolone in low dose (5-10mg).
Apply a mild corticosteroid like desonide and antibiotic like fusidic acid twice a day.
After good quality moisturiser like cetaphil DAM twice a day over full face.
Avoid use of tretinoin for 10 days and restart it only alternate night basis with only pea-size application gently over full face and face it off after 1 hour.
Avoid use of any cosmetics/facewash for few days.
Avoid direct sun exposure and use water-based sunscreen before stepping out in sun.
Hope this was useful.
Take care
Dr Hardik Pitroda
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