If your DermClick formula is your first prescription retinoid, the dermatologist reviewing your case will start you with a calibrated ramp-up protocol designed to build tolerance without damaging your skin barrier. The pattern most patients experience — your specific schedule may be slightly different:
- Weeks 1 to 2. Apply two or three nights per week, at most. Pea-sized amount for the entire face. Always at night, never with another active. Always followed by a barrier moisturizer.
- Weeks 3 to 4. Increase to three or four nights per week if tolerated. Mild dryness and light peeling are normal at this stage; visible irritation, stinging, or burning is a signal to slow down, not push through.
- Weeks 5 to 8. Increase toward nightly application as your skin adapts. This is also when the period sometimes called the purge can occur; see the purge entry in the Formula and Ingredients section.
- After week 8. Stable nightly application for most patients. The dermatologist on your case may step strength up at the 4-week or 8-week check-in.
What helps a first ramp succeed: a non-foaming gentle cleanser, a fragrance-free barrier moisturizer applied immediately after the prescription (the "sandwich" method works for many sensitive starters), no other active products in the same routine, and daily SPF 30 or higher every morning without exception. If you are getting more irritation than expected, message the team before stopping — adjusting the schedule is almost always the right move, and the dermatologist on your case can recalibrate your protocol.