I am a fair-skinned 57 yearold woman who has been on Retinoids since I was thirty due to adult female acne. I was on Renova for a few years, then Tazarotene, but now am on generic Retin-A 0.01% for cost reasons. My other meds are for mood, allergy, hypothyrhoid, cholesterol, and hormone-replacement therapy. My skin is lovely except for enlarged pores on my nose and flakes around my nostrils. I can pull them off one at a time with tweezers, but it's very time consuming. I used some Biore pore strips, but then my nose felt raw. I've tried to use my husband's razor to scrape them off, but it's hard to get into the little creases. I asked the spa lady if microdermabrasion would help, but she said I can't use both retinoids AND dermabrasion. I Have a home microdermabrasion kit from neutrogena that uses a sponge dipped into a sandy cream which I bought to save money on spa visits. I find a few scattered milia on my chin, forehead and hairline, which I pick out with a needle. They pull right out with no mashing or discomfort. I wash my face twice a day with dove soap and a washcloth and use lotion with15SPF on my face each day. I use a bit of eucerin on my lips and eyelids, and have tried it on my nose creases. I use retin-A at night. It works well and doesn't cause peeling anywhere but along my nostrils. I have no doubt that the pollen which has bombarding us for the last three months is making it worse. I'm nervous about using steroids on my face because I used a prescription-strength cream for perioral rosacea for years and it destroyed my collagen. I've had numerous treatments with IPL and PIXEL laser to regenerate the collagen with some success. Could I use my home dermabrasion kit once a week (or every other week) without injuring my skin? Should I use Biore strips?
I'd appreciate some advice.