Yes, You Can Combine Chemical Exfoliants and Retinoids
I have been a religious user of Retin-A (I use generic tretinoin .05%) since I was in high school. I cannot recommend it enough. It fights acne AND wrinkles and if you’re getting it through your derm for acne it’s most likely covered by insurance. You can do whatever you want with your own skincare, but I really, REALLY recommend you see a dermatologist at least once a year - if only to get a mole check!
The big thing with Retin-A is that you should limit sun exposure and other exfoliants, but it’s well documented that I love a good face scrub. Sometimes you just need to slough off some skin, you know? But I know chemical exfoliants are better than physical ones. But I was frightened of using other chemical exfoliants because I already use the most powerful one. Then one day my skin just felt… cloggy? There wasn’t anything wrong, it just felt like I needed to revive it a bit. I had a little cluster of under-the-skin blemishes on my forehead, my nose was greasy as ever, and I felt simultaneously itchy and oily. It was just Not Great. So I pulled out a tiny bottle of Pixi Glow Tonic that I had in my cabinet for some reason. I put some on a cotton pad, swiped it on my face, and thought, “Well, ok. I did something.” Then, hours later, I looked in the mirror and I looked significantly better.
I started using Pixi Glow Tonic every morning, followed by my favorite Snail Sauce AKA Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. It’s been a few weeks and my skin is looking NICE. I don’t use Glow Tonic at night, only in the morning, because I use Retin-A at night. But, in my research, I found out that the advice against combining retinols and glycolic acid, not what I use, retinoic acid. This is a confusing distinction, but this article explains it (and combining with other chemical exfoliants) the clearest way I’ve ever seen:
“Retinoids are a family of natural and synthetic forms of vitamin A that are dermatology’s gold standard topical agent to prevent and treat early signs of aging. It has a long-standing, evidence-based utility in treating acne, photoaging, hyperpigmentation and mild acne scarring. The retinoid family is an umbrella term that includes retinols and other vitamin A expressions, though the retinol term has come to refer to over-the-counter forms of retinoids, while the word ‘retinoid’ now is mostly used to communicate prescription-strength variations, including retinoic acid (tretinoin), adapalene (formerly prescription only and now over-the-counter in forms like Differin) and tazarotene. ”
The basic issue with combining AHAs or BHAs and retinols is that they’ll cancel each other out, so you’re not doing yourself any favors by using them simultaneously. This isn’t true with retinoic acid, which will not cancel out an AHA like glycolic acid. So I could, theoretically, use Pixi Glow Tonic and just whack on my tretinoin right after. But I’m too chicken and also, I like having a “skincare” thing that I do in the morning besides Bioderma and Snail Mucin. That reminds me: I should mention, before I swipe on the Glow Tonic, I “wash” my face by using a cotton pad with Bioderma. I despise washing my face in the sink, and I don’t shower in the morning, but I want to get all my nighttime skincare off and also have a clean slate for my next round of products. I use washable bamboo cotton pads, reviewed here. I apply in upward strokes, but that could just be because my beauty habits are heavily influenced by a childhood and adolescence reading every women’s magazine I could get my hands on (magazines of the 90s/2000s were VERY into directives like, “Only apply eye cream with your ring fingers” and “Only apply things to your face in an upward motion”).
Using Pixi Glow Tonic has made my skin smoother, those pesky under-the-skin pimples on my forehead are virtually invisible, my skin feels firmer (this may be something i’ve imagined but it feels real), and it’s all thanks to a super affordable, easy to find product. Pixi by Petra is sold at just about every Target (every one I’ve been to, at least) and easily found online. It comes in the tiny baby size I first used, a big 'ol’ 8.45oz bottle, and a 3.4oz bottle, which is actually the best deal of the three (plus it fits in my medicine cabinet the best). The travel size bottle doesn’t have the cool dispenser, which I find makes early morning application much less wasteful (one morning I poured toner not just on my cotton pad, but my hand… and the sink). Don’t be afraid of combining acids, but of course, do a test patch first and know thy skin. My skin can take a LOT of chemical intervention, but we’re all different. Also, go to a dermatologist, they are angels.
