<p>haha…I bought some Mederma today, MomLive. Thanks for all the help. After the menopause thread I thought this question was rather tame :-).</p>
<p>ek4, Would it be worth looking for a doctor who is easier to deal with?</p>
<p>Probably- but breaking in a new Dr who would want to go over me nekkid with a jewelers loupe gives me the willies!
:o
( it’s not bad if they are younger or even a lot older- but something about being scrutinized by a man my age in way that even my husband doesn’t do is 
)
just got a referral who is a woman Dr by a friend though, cause I know I have to go in- I have a actinic keratosis on my chin that should be looked at.</p>
<p>[whinge] Life is not fair to redheads. Not only do we not tan, but we are more prone genetically to skin cancer?[/whinge]</p>
<p>Vitamin E (tocopherol) (not Vit A (retinol) as mentioned by someone here) was suggested by my doctor for scar healing. Just break a capsule and rub some in the skin. Retinol is supposed to stimulate collagen growth and yadda yadda, but I’d be really curious where one can buy it in pure form without authorized access to the Sigma/Aldrich catalog of chemical reagents or similar sources. I can tell you from personal experience that pure retinol decomposes in a flash when exposed to air and light (it is supposed to be stored at at least -20oC, under inert gas, and in the dark).</p>
<p>[R7632</a> Retinol synthetic, ≥95% (HPLC), crystalline](<a href=“http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/ProductDetail.do?N4=R7632|SIGMA&N5=SEARCH_CONCAT_PNO|BRAND_KEY&F=SPEC]R7632”>http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/ProductDetail.do?N4=R7632|SIGMA&N5=SEARCH_CONCAT_PNO|BRAND_KEY&F=SPEC)</p>
<p>Most creams that say that they contain “retinol” either have it as retinol acetate or palmitate, have stabilizers such as BHT, or are purely scams.</p>
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<p>My gastroenterologist said I was good to go for 10 years or 50,000 miles, whichever came first! :)</p>
<p>I am a redhead and I get checked every 6 months. I’ve had 2 basil cell carcinomas removed. One was on my eyelid and required plastic surgery repair. I don’t mess around anymore. I also see my dermatologist for regular chemical peels, I dont’t think anything is going to be missed.</p>
<p>Yesterday I drove my friend to & from her colonsc. She last had one 5 yr ago & they removed a (benign) pyp. Yesterday they took out another polyp & said come back in another 5 yr.</p>
<p>I have an autoimmune disease & saw a new gastro last week. He says I need to have colonsc every year instead of every other year, from now on. Will have one in Feb.</p>
<p>Haha to the girl who objected to the pimple talk! She certainly redireected this thread, didn’t she?</p>
<p>My colonoscopy was fine - they didn’t find a thing but I did have an uncle who had colon cancer at about my age, so that may be the reason for every 5 years.</p>
<p>Actually, I don’t mind having it more often than every ten years, now that I have been through it and realize it’s no big deal (except for the prep 
). We have several friends who are battling stage 4 colon cancer. One is my age and it’s recently showed up in her lungs, one was first diagnosed at 40 and has a colostomy bag and one is in his 20’s (and has been given 2 years to live). The issue with colon cancer (and malignant melanoma) is that frequently you don’t have symptoms until it’s at stage 4 (meaning it’s spread to other organs).</p>
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<p>Bunsenburner- that’s very interesting, I’ve never heard that. My dermatologist recommends ROC retinol creams and it claims to have pure retinol in it. I started using it a few months ago and have been very pleased with the results. I use it at night and then a gylocic acid cream in the morning (plus Vitamin C and B products). My skin looks great compared to a few months ago. FWIW, ROC does list it as ‘retinol’ not retinol acetate or palmitate. </p>
<p>If pure retinol decomposes so easily, is it even practical to buy it and store it?</p>
<p>OP–I had something very similar, although mine became something that resembled a blood vessel right under the skin’s surface, rather than a depressed scar. It was right on the tip of my nose, and whenever it would flare up, I looked like Rudolf! It would also bleed, probably because I messed with it.</p>
<p>GP said it looked fine, but I didn’t look fine with it Went to dermo. He zapped it with a laser and magic, it was gone! Insurance paid for it too. Diagnosis was non-healing something or pre-cancer condition (can’t remember). Anyway, I’m really glad I did it and would have done it without insurance coverage. I think it was ~$250 before insurance.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks sryrstress. If it doesn’t get better with this stuff I will try that.</p>
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<p>Which glycolic acid cream do you use?</p>
<p>My friend who is a plastic surgeon said he (yes he) uses uses glycolic acid cream every day too.</p>
<p>“Bunsenburner- that’s very interesting, I’ve never heard that. My dermatologist recommends ROC retinol creams and it claims to have pure retinol in it.”</p>
<p>I used to analyze retinoids and retinol in the past - these compounds are very unstable in pure form because they rapidly react with atmospheric oxygen and decompose. Light and heat accelerate this process of oxidative decomposition. I’m sure that ROC has retinol; I’m also sure that there is at least one stabilizer in the formulation to keep it from rapid loss of potency. I would recommend keeping the cream refrigerated and tightly capped to prevent decomposition of the active ingredient.</p>
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<p>From what I have read, Gycolic Acid and Retin-A are the most effective against wrinkles. Unfortunately, you need a prescription for Retin-A and my dermatologist won’t give me one due to my rosacea - which is why she recommended RoC. But now that BunsenBurner has pointed out the issue with retinol, I plan to ask her about it.</p>
<p>I use Reviva Labs 5% or 10% Glycolic Acid cream. I get it at Ulta (around $15-20). You want to start with the 5% for a while and then work your way up to the 10% because it will sting and slightly irritate your skin at first. Or you can get the 10% and cut it with a good moisturizing lotion - I’ve done that before. I also use their Glycolic Acid Facial Cleanser every morning and night. You have to leave it on for a few minutes but it makes your skin very soft.</p>
<p>You have to be careful because as BunsenBurner pointed out, there are a lot of products out there that state they have Glycolic Acid or AlphaHydroxy Acid or Retinol in them but it’s negligible at best.</p>
<p>BB- I know they’re not the same thing but does Retin-A have the same stability issues as retinol?</p>
<p>AllThisIsNewToMe: I had exactly the same problem! I felt like I had a crater in the middle of my face. The dermatologist lanced it very slightly and put one stitch in it. I wore a dot bandage to hide the black stitching thread that they use, and when the stitch was removed, the “crater” was 90% better. I can still tell where it was, but it is much better. If you are really bothered by your pore, as I was, I highly recommend doing it.</p>
<p>MomLive, you can safely use ROC - it is a tinytube, not a huge wide mouth jar, which minimizes air contact. In addition to that, the formulation of ROC cream has stabilizers (nothing wrong with that; even pharmaceuticals taken orally have something to stabilize the active ingredient). Because of the size of ROC container, the user will go through an open tube quickly. I would get a new tube every month or so. If Roc works for you, keep using it. Your body processes retinol into just the right amount of the active molecules similar to Retin-A. Retin-A (aka Tretinoin) is the acid form of retinol and is a teeny-tiny bit more stable to oxidative degradation, but that is not important. What is more important is that it is a very potent compound (there is a reason it is not sold OTC) - a close relative of Accutane. [Tretinoin</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tretinoin]Tretinoin”>Tretinoin - Wikipedia) </p>
<p>It is actually a good idea to store face creams cold - chilled creams stimulate skin to absorb them better (let me see if I can find a reference to that in the unbelievable amount of garbage related to skin care that is posted on the web)…</p>
<p>“Life is not fair to redheads. Not only do we not tan, but we are more prone genetically to skin cancer?”</p>
<p>Finally another perk to being a black woman, besides the dreaded “top college bump”! I have ( what the NP calls) vitiligo, but am not prone to skin cancer! I have never seen a (real) dermatologist.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap, I expect we also are more prone to eye damage ( with blue eyes)- my grandfather had macular degeneration- which doesn’t have a quick fix & I am seeing signs of it myself, I guess I won’t be retiring to the southern hemisphere.</p>
<p>( Better get D2 lots of extra dark sunglasses for Australia)</p>
<p>It is true that I have friends with darker skin, that you would be hard pressed to guess their age- they could be 60 or 30!</p>
<p>“my grandfather had macular degeneration”</p>
<p>I think I have a BIL with that…he is pretty “fair”, compared to most of “us”. Best wishes!</p>
<p>Thanks for the information, BunsenBurner. I do go through about a tube a month. It comes in a small metal container with a pump on it instead of a plastic tube or in a jar. I just thought it was a cool packaging design but it sounds like it’s like that to preserve the quality of the Retinol. </p>
<p>I’ve heard that about keeping facial creams in the fridge. It’s just too inconvenient for me but I do keep them in a dark drawer.</p>
<p>An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of treatment. A good pair of sunglasses is the best and cheapest defense against future age-related eye diseases. The photoreceptors in the eyes are neurons, and just like many neurons, they do not regenerate or replicate, so if they die, the eyesight deteriorates.</p>
<p>(It really does not matter what brand your sunglasses are - as long as they block UV, you should be fine. Just make sure that you like the fit and the feel of your sunglasses - if you do not wear them becuse they rub into your face, they are no good for sun damage prevention. I read somewhere that more than 70% of designer “sunnies” (Gucci, Prada, D&G, etc.) are made by the same manufacturer - Luxottica, who also makes Rayban and other less expensive brands).</p>