What Causes Redness And Itching On Sking After Using Retin A?

Posted on Sun, 10 Aug 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 10 Aug 2014 Answered on

Tue, 2 Sep 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been using retin A prescription for several years with great results but over the last week developed a bad reaction to it. Burning, redness, itching. Did a test area on my face to see if this was the culprit and only the area I put in on became inflamed. Why am I developing this all of a sudden and will I ever be able to tolerate it again

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (15 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Retinoid dermatitis

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to healthcaremagic

I am Dr. Kakkar. I have gone through your query.

I would keep a possibility of retinoid dermatitis. Retin-A contains tretinoin, which has inherent irritating potential. Overenthusiatic use of it or concomitant use of other topical irritants e.g AHA's might cause redness, peeling and discomfort. This is known as retinoid dermatitis.

Moreover, while you are using topical tretinoin, you must avoid sun exposure because the skin is sensitive and may easily get sunburnt.

Now that you have developed a reaction to it, I suggest you to discontinue it temporarily for a week.

You may use a mild topical steroid e.g hydrocortisone 2.5% cream, which is available OTC. Use it twice daily for a week.

Once you restart retin -A after a week, always use it sparingly (just a pea-sized amount for the entire face).

Avoid using soaps. Rather you may use cetaphil cleansing lotion which is a very gentle cleanser.

Use a broad spectrum sunscreen, that which offers UV A as well as UV B protection throughout the day.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar