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(Image credit: @shawnasimonee)
This might be a hot take, but I’m not a fan of tretinoin. There, I said it. I had a bad experience with it trying to clear up my acne-prone skin and it hasn’t been the same since. It’s been a while since I stopped using it, but my skin barrier never really recovered and the journey to figure out how to heal it has been long. While I’ve been fortunate enough to have access to the best aestheticians Hollywood has to offer, I’m especially thankful to have worked with celebrity aesthetician Renée Rouleau. Rouleau has been a guiding light for me and my damaged skin. She’s extremely knowledgeable, trustworthy, and her list of celebrity clientele speaks for itself (she treats everyone from Sabrina Carpenter to Demi Lovato). She’s also spent over 35 years as an aesthetician so it’s safe to say she’s seen it all.
I came to her with an S.O.S. message about my now extremely reactive, inflamed, and compromised skin. I asked her for advice on how to fix it and decided to share because I knew I wasn’t the only one struggling with tretinoin damage. In fact, friends of mine who know I’m a beauty editor now come to me more often than not asking if I have any experience with it.
Rouleau, true to her educator ways, was kind enough to help us all out. Not only that, she gave me a whole routine from her suite of incredible products that honestly changed my life. It also happens to be National Aesthetician Day so it’s the perfect time to celebrate her knowledge and put it to good use. For everything she told me, keep scrolling!
Why Tretinoin Isn’t Always Great for Acne
According to Rouleau, it’s sometimes easy to make the mistake of going overboard on tretinoin. Like any vitamin A derivative, it works by speeding up cellular turnover so you would assume that it’s good to use when dealing with acne. However, Rouleau says that this isn’t always the case. “If you’re someone who’s dealing with acne, your skin is very biologically active,” she explains. “The analogy I like to use is acne-prone skin is going 100 miles per hour and we’re trying to get it to go 50 miles per hour.” Basically, in Layman’s terms, if you’re dealing with acne, your skin is already turning over really fast and an increase in the shedding of dead skin cells means your pores can clog easier. Adding a retinoid to the mix may just increase the problem.
Tretinoin is more helpful for things like skin aging and sun spots. For lower-level breakouts and congestion, a gentler retinoid can definitely help more. Rouleau says that it can clear smaller clogged pores, blackheads, and overall congestion, but for irritated, red, and inflamed breakouts, not so much.
I found that overusing tretinoin on my type of acne was the issue. When I used it, I had a dermatologist who prescribed it to me every night (yikes). It never actually cleared my skin—I would still break out while I was using it, but was afraid that if I stopped, it would get worse. If only Rouleau had been my aesthetician during this time. Sigh. Eventually, I did learn my lesson, but it left some damage in its wake. At that point, my moisture-barrier was totally shot. Even though I stopped using tretinoin a while ago, I’m still in the recovery process. My next question for Rouleau was how to go about fixing the damage.
How to Correct Tretinoin Damage
For starters, if you’re dealing with red and inflamed breakouts, I hate to break it to you, but it might be a good idea to stop using tretinoin. “Always listen to your skin,” Rouleau shares. If you’re still breaking out despite using a retinoid, it can’t hurt to try subtracting it from the equation for a while to help calm your breakouts. Rouleau also has a super detailed blog post about what to do if your skin is dry, flaky, and barrier-damaged due to aggressive topical treatments. She even has a handy quiz on her website that helps you to pinpoint your exact type of skin and the ingredients that will work best for you.
Rouleau also says it’s important to focus on calming, repairing, and soothing ingredients that are right for your specific skin type. As an example, my skin type on the Reneé Rouleau scale is skin type four which is really sensitive, oily (or combination), and prone to some breakouts. From there, Rouleau helped me to build a barrier-repairing routine that would soothe, calm, and mend without causing new breakouts. The key to this is selecting the right moisturizer. Rouleau’s Skin Recovery Lotion ($45) is a great option for those who are acne-prone because it’s designed to improve barrier function for breakout-prone skin without using heavy oils or other pore-clogging ingredients.
Renee Rouleau
Skin Recovery Lotion
It’s packed with water-binding hydrators to soothe dehydration, redness, and flakiness that can come with overusing a super strong retinoid. She even has some amazing before and after shots of what it can do. The formula contains two main ingredients that support recovery—Pentavin, a skin-identical complex that combines naturally occuring sugars to strengthen the battier and Aquaxyl, a sugar-derived complex that helps moisturize and restructure the skin.
Honestly, this moisturizer has been a game changer for me. It’s really hard to find a barrier-repairing moisturizer that isn’t too heavy for acne-prone skin, but this one is perfect. I don’t feel like I need to apply it a million times a day either like I do other oil-free moisturizers. It provides just the right amount of hydration without being greasy or causing breakouts. After a couple weeks of use, I noticed my skin was less red and inflamed with way fewer flare-ups. I still have a long way to go, but I could tell immediately that I did the right thing for my skin by using this—it’s already so much more hydrated. I also reduced the amount of times I exfoliate per week and have stopped using a retinoid altogether.
If you’re experiencing similar skin flare-ups due to tretinoin damage (redness and irritation at the smallest of things), I’d recommend stopping your tretinoin for at least a few weeks, using Rouleau’s gentle cleanser (listed below), and following up with this moisturizer.
Renee Rouleau
Moisture Protecting Cleanser
Another thing Rouleau says you’re going to want to grab is a super gentle cleanser that won’t strip the skin. She gave me this low-foaming option that helps preserve the skin’s barrier and moisture content ingredients like aloe vera, allantoin, and glycerin to calm irritated, sensitive skin.
This cleanser is Heaven-sent for extremely irritated skin. For a while, my skin could barely handle any exfoliants or other active ingredients at all because it was so damaged. But, after incorporating this cleanser and doing the routine I mentioned above, things are so much better.
Renee Rouleau
Moisture Infusion Toner
This toner is the step that pulls it all together for me. It’s packed with super hydrators and a few restorative, omega-rich oils to jump-start the barrier repair process. While this toner is definitely a little more rich, I’ve found it to be the perfect hydration step before serums since my skin needs a lot of moisture these days. Without it, my skin gets super dehydrated. It also contains a gentle form of vitamin C so it gives you a serious glow. Even if you don’t struggle with breakouts but need a little T.L.C. due to overusing tretinoin, this toner is exactly what you need.
Renee Rouleau
Skin Correcting Serum
This serum is another key component to calming and clearing breakouts without dehydrating or drying out the skin. It’s perfect for skin that’s red, extremely sensitive, and breaking out due to a compromised skin barrier. It works by creating an environment within the skin where future breakouts are less likely to occur. On top of that, it contains one of my favorite skin-strengthening and calming ingredients beta glucan. Phospholipids also balance hydration deep within the skin and superoxide dismutase helps to calm inflammation.
Renee Rouleau
Rapid Response Detox Masque
If you’re acne-prone, this breakout-clearing mask works wonders. Rouleau explained to me that smaller bumps and clogged pores are a different kind of acne than red and inflamed bumps. If you’re experiencing those, they’re infected and need to be treated differently. Rouleau recommended using this mask every other day for the first week and then decreasing to once a week after my skin calmed down. It interrupts breakouts in their early stages by reducing the impact of bad bacteria. It’s also great to use if you struggle with hormonal breakouts and it does it all without compromising the skin’s delicate barrier.
I love this mask. In fact, it’s my absolute favorite in the mask department from Rouleau besides the Triple Berry Smoothing Peel. If I ever have a super red, inflamed breakout, it takes care of it lightning fast. Even after one use I noticed a difference.
Renee Rouleau
Pore + Wrinkle Perfecting Serum
Instead of using a retinoid, I started using this serum that clears clogged pores and reduces breakout activity without causing any further sensitivity or dryness to my barrier. I use this twice a week, alternating using the Skin Correcting Serum on other nights. My skin is super sensitive ATM, especially because my barrier is still recovering so I use this sparingly, but when I do it really works. It really helps shrink the appearance of large pores and clears out congestion with a blend of glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acid.
Renee Rouleau
Vitamin C & E Treatment
Vitamin C can be a tricky ingredient when you’re dealing with barrier damage, but Rouleau’s serum is designed with compromised barriers in mind. It’s packed with antioxidants, hydrators, and several forms of vitamin C to protect and brighten the skin. Using this in combination with the Moisture Infusion Toner gives your skin a crazy glow without irritation. I was initially a bit worried about incorporating a vitamin C serum into my routine again, but after using this one for a few weeks, I’m so glad I did. I noticed how much brighter my skin was after just a few days and a lot of post-acne marks I had faded significantly.
Renee Rouleau
Triple Berry Smoothing Peel
Besides the Rapid Response Detox Mask, this is my favorite mask from Rouleau. I was worried it might be too strong for my skin as it contains a blend of pore-clearing acids like mandelic, glycolic, malic, and tartaric, but it’s just right for my sensitive skin. It never made it more red or inflamed like other at-home peels have in the past—I was amazed. I also noticed a visible difference in skin smoothness after just one use—it really is that impressive. You also only need to leave it on for five to 10 minutes—it’s truly a miracle in a jar. It also doesn’t cause dehydration to my skin which is key when you’re trying to heal your barrier.
More Complexion-Saving Products
CeraVe
Moisturizing Cream
If your budget is a bit tight, CeraVe moisturizer is super healing and noncomedogenic for the skin. And, you can buy it at the drugstore. Tretinoin can leave a lot of dryness, rough texture, and dehydration in its wake if you overuse it so this is perfect to use if your skin needs some time to recover.
DMK is one of my other favorite skincare brands. I always say it’s a bit of a best industry-kept secret because you have to buy it through an aesthetician. Beta Gel is rich in beta-glucan which stimulates the Langerhans cells in the skin. This kickstarts repair and healing so it’s great for a damaged barrier, burns—you name it!
Marie Veronique
Balancing Hypotonic
This balancing toner from Marie Veronique is another one of my favorite skin-healing formulas. It works to balance the water and oil content of the skin, making sure it all stays locked in rather than seeping out which can happen with a compromised barrier.
Marie Veronique
Barrier Restore Serum
For extra barrier repair, one of my favorite organic aestheticians Katie Sobelman recommended this serum to me. It replenishes the skin’s barrier layer with ceramides, plankton extract, and L-glutamine which helps promote the growth of fibroblast cells in the skin. It’s also great for dermatitis and rosacea-prone skin.
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