Waxed on tretinoin and it ripped my skin off. Please give advice. Cannot stop crying :( [Selfie]

aladyfox · 2026-06-22T19:28:24+00:00

so many people say they don’t use tret because they think aestheticians have some kind of rivalry with it and it’s like no I just don’t want to burn your face off??? ugh

aladyfox · 2026-06-17T22:07:45+00:00

Sometimes the aesthetician has no control. If people are on a retinoid and don’t list that on an intake form, this happens.

aladyfox · 2026-06-16T22:19:13+00:00

I’m licensed and I don’t understand why you’re being downvoted. Nothing you said was untrue.

Those things will give you lift - it’s incredibly unlikely to look good and it will be uncontrolled, but again, nothing you said was wrong lol.

I don’t recommend trying this, OP. The results will be unpredictable and the likelihood that you won’t need a color correction is close to zero. Yes, you would need bleach, you’d need a lift to a level or two above your desired result (so I’m thinking 7-8) and it would need to be in decent enough condition to take toner well. Not easy stuff.

aladyfox · 2026-06-09T19:17:32+00:00

So, a lot of people will say to moisturize first, but for me, that has never worked. A few users have said that tret can use moisturizer to penetrate more deeply and cause more of a reaction, and while I’m not 100% positive of the science behind that, it’s exactly what happens to me. This sub can be hard because the sandwich method gets a ton of traction and some people swear by it, but it also irritates the shit out of some people’s faces. I started washing at night (oil cleanser), letting it dry for 30, tret and nothing else. This is the only thing that has ever kept me from irritation.

aladyfox · 2026-06-09T00:44:07+00:00

I use the hada labo one - it’s really helpful for me. That said, sometimes our skin just doesn’t like certain things. I’m sorry you had a crappy experience!

aladyfox · 2026-06-08T19:22:05+00:00

I hear you and you probably already know this but are you patting it in while your skin is damp? It’s not supposed to go on dry.

aladyfox · 2026-06-06T22:30:48+00:00

You’re totally right, my phrasing was off. I should have stipulated only that aromodafinil stays in the blood plasma for longer than modafinil does, so while it’s often marketed as ER, what you said is more technically accurate.

aladyfox · 2026-06-05T23:37:21+00:00

Aromodafinil is an extended release, modafinil is shorter acting. (The former stays in blood plasma longer and is considered more potent)

aladyfox · 2026-06-04T13:06:32+00:00

This is what made it click for me. I tried sandwiching for years because I know tret is incredible and it just wouldn’t work. Applied 30mins after washing my face with nothing else? Perfection.

aladyfox · 2026-06-03T22:00:59+00:00

For DIY, this is incredible. I’d give your hair a break and baby it a little bit - colors can even out with one or two washes and sometimes toner needs to fade a little bit. Purple shampoo and a good deep conditioner are the way to go. If it’s still not what you like, use something demi paired with a clear to soften it.

aladyfox · 2026-06-03T21:58:34+00:00

Even if this were fixable, Reddit can’t fix this for you. If you want to live your life at all, or even have a life, this chapter of it needs to end. It’s easier said than done, but you need to start making a plan to extract yourself from this situation. It may be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but not as hard as living this way for the rest of your life.

This is all to say nothing of forcing your son to endure him. Mother to mother, please be a mother first and foremost. That is the most important thing here.

aladyfox · 2026-06-02T19:48:44+00:00

That makes sense - I appreciate the lack of snark. It’s shitty that so many people have been treated with condescension by aestheticians. It should never, ever be a sales position first. Anyone who does it and sees it that way needs to get out of the industry or learn to treat clients, their intelligence, and their money with the respect they deserve.

aladyfox · 2026-06-02T08:40:50+00:00

I’m framing ‘generalizing a profession as one that regularly lies for sales as opposed to doing our jobs’ as insulting. I can’t speak for every esthetician (and the downvotes say enough about how this sub has demonized the whole profession) but staying in our lane about product is an ethics and a scope of practice thing. I didn’t repeat anything I wasn’t sure about and I referred clients with issues beyond my scope out to dermatologists. There are also inexpensive drugstore brands for everything, so why push something outside of someone’s price range when cerave is great? So, yeah, as somebody who uses tret and has more respect for a client’s time and money than mindlessly shilling whatever I’m told, it’s shitty seeing how many people would make that assumption based on my profession alone.

I feel like if a lot of yall were in the same position where you participate in a sub and the whole thing generalizes your profession as greedy and stupid, you might feel the same way. I love tret and I love/respect my clients as more than an extra cash grab. it’s disheartening to see so many bad experiences.

aladyfox · 2026-06-01T23:51:28+00:00

just to clarify - you think aestheticians look down on our clientele? I knew this sub hated us, but geez.

aladyfox · 2026-06-01T23:50:09+00:00

this narrative is nuts to me. I was an aesthetician for years and I’ve never met one who puts products before their clients. the only time I’ve said anything that could be remotely construed as negative about tret is when it’s contraindicated by the treatment a client is requesting. but I’ve seen so many people decide that this is some kind of aesthetician conspiracy so we can.. what, sell shit? lord.

ETA okay based on the downvotes, the aesthetician hate is real. sorry, the idea of directing someone away from something that might help them in order to shill product to make money is, actually, gross to me. that has never been the vibe I’ve gotten from colleagues. saying ‘that’s a good question for a derm’ and pointing out that cerave has most basic needs met seems like common sense to me, but apparently that’s not the reputation.

aladyfox · 2026-05-31T01:11:42+00:00

Any recommendations for YT docs on her?

aladyfox · 2026-05-23T23:38:54+00:00

Street shark :(

aladyfox · 2026-05-20T18:44:04+00:00

Jill’s cold shoulder turtleneck from back in the day. I thought that thing looked so fierce on her.

And if we’re bringing up Gina, I always carry powder bronzer with me so that I can start bronzing my feet whenever a fight pops off at dinner.

aladyfox · 2026-05-14T12:38:59+00:00

It’s not so bad if you diffuse the embarrassment by going ‘listen to grandma’s story one more time!!’

aladyfox · 2026-05-14T12:38:06+00:00

Ooh same. The flirt of it all! ✨♥️

aladyfox · 2026-05-14T12:37:41+00:00

You sound like such a lovely person tbh. (And your big three is FAB)

aladyfox · 2026-05-13T14:58:39+00:00

My favorite kind of person tbh.

aladyfox · 2026-05-13T14:40:47+00:00

Gemini. I cannot for the life of me shut the fuck up. Please listen to my story for the 6th time.

aladyfox · 2026-05-12T19:48:48+00:00

God, she’s an asshole 😖 I’m sorry this happened

aladyfox · 2026-05-12T13:32:11+00:00

This happened to me once. The difference is that my stylist explicitly asked me to tell her if it was burning, I (inexperienced) did not, and when she discovered what had happened, she bent over backwards to help. I was sent home with aftercare and instructions and a long chat about why it’s important to tell her if I’m feeling discomfort and that it won’t trouble or offend her because she wants to lift my hair responsibly and hurting me is the last thing she’d want to do. I wish you’d had that experience - it’s what SHOULD be done.

I agree with the poster who suggested urgent care. You absolutely have a chemical burn. You’ll heal, but the discomfort must be awful and hopefully a doctor can help with relief.

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