Clindamycin and tretinoin

[kizaaa]

Hi, 

I was prescribed clindamycin and tretinoin and wanted advice. I have combination, sensitive and acne prone skin. I am using the first aid beauty face cleanser, Cerave am&pm moisturizer, and garnier micellar water before washing my face(night only). Are these products okay? Also, what should I know or do before using these two? Please let me know and thank you! 

[rachelk218]

Be sure to use a ladder method for the Tretinoin (which I’m sure doctor told you)...

week 1: use every 2 nights

week 2: use every other night

week 3: use every night

... if at any point the irritation or purging becomes too much go back to less use & follow the prior week’s protocol for another full week. 

slow and steady!

spf spf spf 🧴

invest in a great moisturizer! 

[fatimamummy]

@kizaaa  A few most important things you must take care of with these prescriptions as I am sure your Dermatologist may have mentioned as well. 
- Must wear sunscreen

- Do not combine with any other strong chemicals

Other than that use a hydrating serum and/or Moisturizer and for cleanser see what you skin likes. Any cleanser that doesn’t dry out your face and isn’t too strong or exfoliating will do fine.

[NikkiBib]

This is a great routine, especially for sensitive skin. As someone who has also used a clindamycin and tretinoin cream, I definitely have some tips for you!

First, try to ease your skin into the cream. I started using it about three times a week, then I slowly started using it more until I was using it every other day.

It's really important to wait for your skin to dry off to at least 90% before applying your cream. When you apply tretinoin on wet skin, it can cause a lot of skin peeling since tretinoin and water aren't really supposed to mix.

Also, I would HIGHLY recommend only applying your tretinoin cream at night. It can make your skin a lot more sensitive to the sun. NEVER FORGET YOUR SPF!

Try not to use too much! A pea size is all you need for your whole face.

Tretinoin is really effective but it can be a pretty drying ingredient. If you find that it's drying out your skin, here are some things you can do:

1. "Sandwich" your tretinoin in between two layers of moisturizer. So, apply a thin layer of moisturizer, apply tretinoin, wait a few minutes for the tretinoin to absorb, then apply another layer of moisturizer on top of that. However, this might be a bit heavy for your combination skin, so bear that in mind.

2. Try to find a hydrating serum to use before your tretinoin. I'd recommend The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum with Ceramides . It's really inexpensive and it's free of fragrances, drying alcohols, and other harsh things, so it's great for sensitive skin.

I really hope this helps you! Happy skincare. :3

[kizaaa]

Thank you this was very helpful! If you don’t mind, I have a question about making sure ones face is 90% dry before applying tretinoin. It’s okay if you are not sure of the answer. Usually, I airy dry my face instead of using a towel. Do you think it’s better to air dry or lightly wipe my face with a towel before using tretinoin? 

[NikkiBib]

Great question! Honestly I would recommend that you NEVER wipe your face with a towel, and instead pat it dry as gently as possible, especially around the eye area since the skin there is very thin and sensitive. Personally, I like to pat my face with a CLEAN microfiber towel just to get it to stop dripping, then I let it air dry. However, I think it’s fine to do whichever one you feel like! 

[WinglessOne]

@kizaaa  Rather than worry about drying your face enough for tretinoin, consider applying tretinoin after your moisturizer. Wash your face, then apply moisturizer while your skin's still damp to give your moisturizer some hydration to seal in. Once your face has air dried post-moisturizer, apply tretinoin. This method ensures your face doesn't lose all its hydration before you apply tretinoin. It'll also help buffer irritation. You don't need to apply a second layer of moisturizer over tretinoin, but you can if you want; there's no harm in that. 

[Mikhayla28]

Since those products are used for acne, they can be quite drying. I would make sure that your moisturizer will keep your skin hydrated and make sure you’re wearing an SPF during the day! They can make your skin more sensitive to the sun so protection is key. I wouldn’t use any other actives except maybe hyaluronic acid to help retain moisture, just until your skin clears up. Ingredients like ceramides and lipids will be great to have in a moisturizer, as they focus on hydration and repairing and protecting the skin barrier. 

hope this helps! 

Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin™ Cream Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Face Lotion 1.7 oz/ 50 mL