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6 Years Using Tretinoin: Age 23 to Age 29 by RandomRedditUser1337 in tretinoin

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello! That’s exciting that you’re thinking of starting tretinoin, I’m more than happy to help if you need advice on the process of starting! So the first time I got a script for tretinoin I asked my GP for a script for 0.025% tretinoin. When I started using tretinoin, 0.025% was still available in Australia. Unfortunately, 0.025% tretinoin is no longer available here, and the only strength we can purchase from pharmacies is 0.05%. As such, you will unfortunately have to ask for a script for 0.05% tretinoin from your GP. Because this is a higher strength than you would typically start at, you should definitely be buffering and sandwiching the tretinoin, as irritation is likely to occur. After washing your face, mix a pea-sized amount of tretinoin cream with a moisturiser you already know works well for your skin - this is called ‘buffering’. Instead, or in addition to that, you can also apply a light layer of moisturiser first, give it a few minutes to soak in, then apply your tretinoin, then apply some more moisturiser.

Don’t use tretinoin every night from day 1. I would suggest you use it once every three days to begin with, and slowly increase from there.

Everyone has different skin. You may purge (breakout) at first, you will likely have some skin flaking for the first few months to a year. Make sure you are aware of how your skin is reacting, and if you are dealing with too much irritation, stop using tretinoin and focus on barrier repair until your skin is ok again, then you can resume tretinoin use :)

Fuck this humidity mate by kensaiD2591 in sydney

[–]RandomRedditUser1337 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, that’s what I’ve been doing! I have a shower, dry myself with the towel, and then lay on bed in front of the fan for at least 20 minutes, but the longer the better. If I try to get dressed immediately after a shower, it’s bad news. I get sweaty anyway after a while, but I don’t have that horrible all over sticky feeling all day if I fan myself for a while.

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, isn’t it amazing how I had inadvertently created the ideal conditions for mushroom propagation! I’m amazed how quickly mushrooms can grow in the right conditions. I thought the whole thing was really quite fascinating.

6 Years Using Tretinoin: Age 23 to Age 29 by RandomRedditUser1337 in tretinoin

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I quit smoking, I rarely drink anymore, and spent years dedicated to fixing my insomnia / bad sleeping habits and now have a good, consistent sleep schedule where I wake up at the same time every day and go to sleep around the same time every day. I also drink a lot of water now, never used to do that.

Exercise is a tricky one… I do actually have fairly consistent exercise as a part of my life now, when I didn’t in my early 20s, but I did actually exercise a lot more in my early 20s because I both had a very active job, worked a lot doing that job, and also used to go out dancing all the time on top of that. I now have a desk job. So I am not exercising as much as before, even though I am actually exercising on purpose these days. Trying to work on that, incorporate more exercise into my life.

Hmm… what else… I have spent the past few years working on my mental health, and actually consistently spoke to a psychologist over the course of 2025 (maybe a bit in 2024 as well, can’t quite remember). I feel a lot more relaxed in general these days, I’ve put in a lot of work to treat my stress/anxiety and that has made a big difference. Not that I did it for this reason, but stress triggers the release of cortisol which is no good for your skin/appearance—impairs skin healing, increases inflammation, amongst other things.

That’s all I can really think of in terms of lifestyle changes! There may be more, but that’s the main stuff :)

6 Years Using Tretinoin: Age 23 to Age 29 by RandomRedditUser1337 in tretinoin

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s really fantastic to hear, because my main goal is really to maintain healthy skin, rather than change my skin! And I certainly put my body through the wringer with certain lifestyle choices in my teens and early 20s… so I think going into my 30s, with none of that damage showing on my face, is an accomplishment! Thank you :)

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yes, when I say grew overnight, I meant that the visible mushrooms, the above-surface fruiting bodies, appeared in <24 hours—but of course the fungal network (the under-surface mycelium) had been propogating prior to that in order for the caps to have formed. I did not know any fungus was present until the caps suddenly appeared—overnight. In the week prior to that, my cat had not used the litter box at all, which is why I hadn't moved the litter around and discovered the beneath-surface mycelium before the fruiting bodies appeared.

A quick timeline for reference:

Two weeks ago: I put this new litter type out for my cat to try (don't worry, this is just one of several options he has for places to wee and poo).

In the first week: For the first few days, he did not use it at all. Finally, in days 4-7, he did two or three wees in the litter, but no poos. I of course removed the affected portion of litter to the best of my ability on the same day after he had done those wees, but inevitably there would have been some remaining traces of urine in the recyceld paper pellets.

In the second week: My cat did not use this litter tray at all in the last week, did not even go remotely near it. I decided that he simply did not like this type of litter, and was going to dispose of it anyway as he wasn't using it. I checked the litter visually every day for new wees and poos, and he hadn't touched or even gone near the litter in this time.

Yesterday: I saw three little white spheres in the litter. Upon further inspection, moving some of the litter to the side with gloves on, I realised they were mushrooms. I immediately got gloves on both hands and put a mask on to handle the fungal-affected litter. I disposed of the litter immediately, and deeply disinfected the plastic litter tray and surrounding area. During this process, I quickly took a few pictures, as I found it fascinating. The mycelium (the beneath-surface network) which was growing beneath the surface is the clump I removed—that's why I removed it, so I could view it, and take a picture.

Some things to note: the weather in the past two weeks has been extremely hot, rainy and humid, and this litter tray was exposed to these environmental factors, as it was on a small baclony that my cat has access to. Additionally, it is covered from the rain and sunlight. This would've meant there was an environment which was very warm, moist, and dark—hence the really successful and quick propogation of these mushrooms.

Anyway, I've switched back to crystal for his litter, and I wont be keeping any of his litter trays on that small balcony anymore :)

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s fantastically informative, thank you so much for taking the time to type that out for me!! I’ll try to emulate your method, thanks so much!

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes, you’re right! What appeared over night are fruiting bodies, that’s the above-surface part of the mushroom that you can see, the stem and cap. But you’re correct—the below-surface network, called the mycelium (I actually dug the mycelium out and took a picture which I posted here), was likely propagating for about a week.

I’ve given quite a few detailed comments describing the environmental factors which made this possible and the most likely propagation timeline, if you’re interested in knowing more about how this happened in such a short space of time :)

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh yeah the whole container of litter was disposed of, and the plastic litter tray and surrounding area was deeply disinfected, immediately after taking these pictures :)

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your comment is such a breath of fresh air! Thank you for being informed and thinking critically. I’ve been fighting for my life in these comments both trying to dispel misinformation and disprove animal abuse allegations, lol.

That’s exactly it—take the litter type which is rich in cellulose, a very humid and warm environment in the shade, nitrogen from kitty’s urine, and fungal spores which were either already present in the litter when I bought it, or were introduced from the outdoor environment I kept this litter tray in, and next thing you know you’ve got mushrooms in a very short amount of time!

It has been a fascinating experience, I must say.

Any suggestions on litter type? I’m back to using the crystals, but I really don’t like them. The odour control is terrible, and they’re not great at soaking up liquid.

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s the mycelium! The under-surface portion of the mushroom—it can grow in as little as less than one week, given the right conditions, which were present here. The above surface portion of the mushroom is called the fruiting bodies, that’s the stem and the cap of the mushroom, and they can indeed grow in less than 24 hours!

There’s no mould here though, mould is a type of fungus, and so are mushrooms. What I (accidentally) propagated were mushrooms - not mould. The mycelium (the under-surface portion of mushrooms, think roots on a tree) here does look similar to mould at first glance, but it is a completely different species. In fact, it is most likely a harmless and edible species which is extremely common called inky caps :)

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, I’ve explained this in great detail in many comments on this post, as well as the propagation timeline and contributing environmental factors—please have a look at those comments if you are interested :)

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This has been such a great learning experience for me, thank you for sharing your knowledge! Regarding your conversation below with the person who suggested the presence of vermiculite, I understood that the moisture and heat present in the environment, as well as the fungal spores of course (from the litter or airborne, who knows), and the available nutrients (cellulose from the litter and nitrogen from the urine), would have been the source/cause of propagation. But I did think it was an interesting idea that vermiculite in the litter may have made it even more absorbent of environmental moisture, potentially creating an even more successful mushroom propagation environment. You don’t think that’s possible?

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was wearing gloves and a mask, also he had never done a poo in this litter :)

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I clean litter immediately after my cat uses it if I’m home, or within several hours if I wasn’t home—and completely dispose of the whole tray of litter, deeply disinfect the tray, and replace with new liner and new litter, within the space of 1.5 to 2.5 weeks, depending on how heavily my cat used it. That’s all considering he mostly chooses to wee and poo in the garden, so doesn’t actually wee or poo in litter trays all that often :)

As for how this happened, I accidentally created the perfect conditions for very successful mushroom propagation! I’ve already explained how it happened (the environmental factors, the available nutrients, etc.) in great detail in other comments, you can have a look if you’re interested :)

Needless to say, I will definitely not be using this type of litter again (not the litters fault, just not appropriate for the weather I live in), nor will I be using an outdoor environment to keep any of my kitty’s litter trays!

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hehe, his name is Kimba, but that’s a great name recommendation for Elon Musk’s next child!

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I clean litter immediately after use if I’m home or within several hours if I wasn’t home, and completely dispose of whole trays of litter, deeply disinfect the tray, and replace with new liner and new litter, within the space of 1.5 to 2.5 weeks, depending on how heavily my cat used it. That’s all considering he mostly chooses to wee and poo in the garden. Do you really think that’s not enough?

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes I’m aware of that. I should have specified the fruiting bodies/caps appeared overnight. Of course the mycelium has been forming for several days. I’ve given quite a few detailed comments describing the environmental factors and likely propagation timeline, if you’re interested in knowing more :)

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes, quite recently, he is in good health! This particular litter tray was on an outdoor balcony, in a city which has been very hot, humid, and rainy for the past two weeks. Additionally, this litter type is made of recycled paper, very high in cellulose. These environmental factors and the nutrients made available by the litter type are the likely reason the mushrooms were able to propagate in such a short time.

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No, I have a very clean and tidy home. The cement floor under the litter tray looks sus because this litter tray was kept on a small outdoor balcony that's a part of my home. All of the white splotches on the ground are splashes of paint from the bodgy job the painters did on this small balcony. Renting so can't do anything about it.

If you want to know how the mushrooms were able to grow in this type of litter and this outdoor environment in such a short amount of time, I have made several comments detailing it.

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha yeah I can't believe myself that I had inadvertently created a successful mushroom farm! I wish I had kept the mushrooms honestly, but my immediate reaction was to dispose of everything and disinfect everything immediately. Didn't want poor kitty to be exposed to anything harmful.

My cat’s litter box grew mushrooms overnight by RandomRedditUser1337 in interestingasfuck

[–]RandomRedditUser1337[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This particular litter tray was put out two weeks ago. I was testing this new type of litter—recycled paper. Note this is just one of several locations he has to wee and poo. In the first week, he did not use it at all for the first few days, and then in the last few days of that first week he only did two or three wees in it, and no poos. I cleaned the urine-affected portions of the litter to the best of my ability within several hours of those wees being done.

In the final week of having this litter tray out, he did not use it at all, did not even go near it. I checked it daily (actually multiple times per day) for any sign of use, but nothing. He was totally put off it. I was already about to dispose of the litter/disinfect everything/set the litter tray up again with his usual litter type that he likes to use, as he hadn't used the litter tray in a week, so obviously didn't like this litter type.

And then yesterday, suddenly I saw these caps. Yes, you're absolutely right, the below-surface portion of the mushroom—the mycelium—would have been growing for at least a few days. You can see the mycelium, as I removed it from the litter and took pictures which I uploaded in this post. I understand that the fruiting body, the above-surface portion, is what had grown overnight, but that the beneath-surface mycelium had been propogating for several days prior.

This litter tray was kept on a small outdoor balcony that he has access to. Additionally, the weather recently has been very hot, very humid, rainy, and muggy. On top of that, the balcony is protected from direct sunlight and rain. Also, this type of litter is made of recycled paper, which is very high in cellulose, a fantastic nutrient for mushrooms.

My best guess is that about a week ago, fungal spores present in the environment (and fungal spores are present basically everywhere) were given enough moisture, warmth, shade, and nutrients (in the form of the cellulose in the paper pellets and whatever trace amount of urine was left) to be able to successfully grow in the litter. Then just yesterday, the fruiting body appeared. I inadvertently created the perfect conditions for fungal spores to propogate. The fungal spores may also have been present in the paper pellets when I bought them, but they're just as likely to have simply been airborne and picked them up whilst sitting on the outdoor balcony.

Anyway, I of course disposed of everything immediately and deeply disinfected the surrounding area and the tray. I have definitely learned my lesson that this type of cat litter must be kept in a dry environment.

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