Topical retinoids are very effective anti-acne AND anti-aging products. They transform your skin cells over time, speeding up the rate at which skin cells form and making them less "sticky". Retinoids also increase collagen production. Long-term retinoid use results in smoother, more even and glowing skin. Topical retinoids are not effective spot treatments, but are meant to be used all over your face, and on a regular basis.

A lot of people get started with retinoids but give up quickly -- usually because they have not been properly taught about how retinoids work, and what to expect in the early weeks.

Here are some key things to remember:

1) IRRITATION

Topical retinoids are irritating to the skin, and you MUST ease into them gradually. Here is a general schedule that I suggest people follow when first starting out:

Week 1: once every 3 days
Week 2: once every 2 days
Week 3: 2 out of 3 days
Week 4: daily

Pay attention to your skin! Red, sore, "sunburned"-looking skin and excessive peeling are signs of irritation. If you experience either, STOP using the retinoid until your skin has gone back to normal. Then pick up the schedule where you left off.

2) INITIAL BREAKOUT

Retinoids work by forcing the comedones that are clogging your pores to come to the surface. It takes about 3 months for your pores to clear, and during this time, you will probably see some breakouts. Blackheads may appear larger and more noticeable as they surface; small hard bumps may form; and if you are prone to inflammatory acne, you will probably get pimples. (A short course of antibiotics can help people with inflammatory acne get through this initial breakout, but I do not recommend taking antibiotics for more than 2-3 weeks.)

3) SKIN FRAGILITY

Retinoids make your epidermis thinner and more fragile (don't worry, though, because they actually thicken and strengthen the underlying dermis). DO NOT PICK AT YOUR SKIN! Trying to squeeze out a blackhead can leave you with a red mark for weeks. Be patient.

Be sure to use a very mild cleanser with no other active ingredients while you are getting accustomed to the retinoid, and cleanse your face with lukewarm water no more than twice a day. Once is probably better. Retinoids compromise your skin's barrier function, and excessive washing is going to result in dehydrated skin. You can reinforce your epidermal barrier and reduce dehydration by supplementing your diet with fish oil.

4) PEELING SKIN

Some peeling is normal. Not only are your skin cells regenerating very quickly, but they are not sticking together as cohesively, and you will see surface peeling. Gentle exfoliation can help get rid of the shedding layer of skin; you can use a soft facial brush or a silica microbead scrub. BE GENTLE! You can do a lot of damage if you aren't.

5) SUN SENSITIVITY

Retinoids increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun. Wear sunscreen during daylight hours. If you are getting laser or light treatments, be sure to tell them you are using topical retinoids; you may need to avoid product use for a week or so before a treatment.

6) PRODUCT APPLICATION

You should apply retinoids to clean, dry skin and wait at least 10-15 minutes before applying moisturizer. Many retinoids degrade in sunlight (Differin is an exception, as it's not a true retinoid), so it's best to use them at night.

Dr. Fulton answering a question about retin-a
I am using Retin A® but I do not seem to clear up.

When I developed Retin A® in 1969, it was quite an irritating formula. The more the skin peeled the better the acne would respond. However, during this peeling phase all the acne impactions are coming out so there may be an appearance of flare up of the acne condition as all of the impactions are being evacuated. Once all the pores are clear, the acne is under control and not visible . Also, if a patient is considering Retin A®, they should use the Retin A® gel and not the Retin A® cream. The Retin A® cream contains isopropyl myristate, which is an aggravator of the acne condition and sometimes patients will get worse because the formulation of the Retin A® cream. There are also new formulations of the Retin A® on the market, such as Micro Retin A® that are better formulated creams than the previous product. The key is to keep the skin visibly peeling in order to get a rapid clear up. If there is no peeling whatsoever, your particular formulation is not working very effectively on your skin. You should see at least a little peel once a week to know you are at the right therapeutic level. Also, you may need to work with your physician or esthetician during this early phase to help extract out all the acne impactions that are coming to the surface. This will lead to a more rapid resolution of the problem

hope this helps a feel people, maybe you guys ahve read it.
Particularly interesting part is that he wants deliberate irritation (visible peel) for acne to rapidly clear up.

If you want or need an acne prescription, see a doctor and get it legally. If you get prescriptions illegally online you could easily hurt yourself or waste your money.

- Independent studies have been performed on the sale of Internet-bought prescriptions. Often the prescription contains no active ingredient, little active ingredient, or in a worst case scenario toxic amounts of active ingredient.

- Drugs bought without a prescription can actually be a completely different compound from what the buyer intends.

Acne.org prohibits the illegal trade of any form of drug or prescription drug. If you see a post from someone selling a prescription, please report it immediately. Thanks.

Time to call in the real expert!

LabGirl ... could you please explain, in your usual awesome level of detail, what goes on with people's skin during the initial 3 months on retinoids?

There has been quite a bit of discussion about this lately ... someone actually went so far as to call the initial breakout a myth. She basically said that any pimples that show up during that time were going to show up anyway. Do you think that is true?

Also, do you think the severity of the IB (assuming it isn't a myth) correlates to the severity of the acne someone had going into the treatment?

Any and all information would be much appreciated ... thanks, hun.

(I am not entirely sure this thread belongs in the Research section, but I'm reasonably certain of finding you here.)

So I just came back from the derm with no avail to getting onto accutane. I tried my hardest, but he said accutane is really only for people with Cystic acne, which I don't have.

He wants me to stick out the Retin-A for another month since I'm only about a month and a half into it. So far it hasn't doesn't anything at all so I'm skeptical, but we'll see.

My question is about applying the Retin-A and moisturizing.

My derm prescribed me to put on one "pump" once a day. Now, I always had a lot of trouble getting one pump to cover my entire face. Partly because I have some thin facial hair, but mainly because I have enough acne on my face that it's not as easy to spread as if it were being put on smooth, calm skin.

As a result of this, I've been putting on three (yeah, whoops) pumps a day. I did this because I thought it'd be better to get a good coverage all over my face. My skin has been really dry lately and I've had no results. Should I try and just use one pump? Will this help the dryness or improve the results? Any tricks to getting one pump to cover the entire face?

Secondly, is it ok to moisturize afterwords? I was reading on the Retin-A site that the Micro version works by having these "spheres" that sit on the top of your skin and slowly release the medicine. The site also says that is easily washes off if you so wish. Am I removing the medicine by moisturizing afterward? I generally wait a good 5 minutes or more before moisturizing to let the medicine sink in.

Thanks for any advice

Ive just been prescribed Isotrexin. I currently have it on my face for the first time and its quite nice to know that you have something actually there on your skin doing its thing haha.

Anyway I have been told by my doc that I can use it twice a day. So I will definatly use it at night and I wont bother with moisturising unless I really need to. If I put it on in the mornings and then moisurise I feel like I would be taking away the affectiveness of the gel. Obviously ive rubbed it into my skin. But as I can feel it there on my face wouldnt it just get 'washed' away? Or am I being paranoid?

This question would go for any topical application really.

I just started taz.01% yesterday and upon doing some research (many thanks to LabGirl81) I came across the notion that it's recommended to be on oral antibiotics during the beginning of it. I got off antibiotics 4 or 5 months ago because they stopped working and I still have an almost full bottle sitting in a drawer. Should I take them to aid in dodging the initial breakout period? I currently have loads of whiteheads on my chin and around my mouth, thus the reason behind starting taz, and I'm scared they'll morph into pimples or I'll get more. I'm also using finacea during the day and I'm not currently seeing a derm.

I am a first time poster but LONG time reader as I have struggled to find any sort of regimen that has worked. I did the BP thing twice a day with gentle cleanser/moisturizer for two years and my face always had at least 3-4 pimples on it at a given time.

I decided to give the derm a try and they gave me differin .1 cream with duac/doxycycline. This worked right away actually and I was clear as anything for about two weeks. Then I had a terrible breakout that seemed to last 6+ months (off and on).

On one of my follow up appointments the derm gave me differen .3 gel. I used this for a while but it didnt really do anything(tried for about 3-4 months), so I got off the differin completely for 3 months and went back to the old bp twice per day regimen. Of course, my face was in the same state it was before ever going to the derm in the first place so I went back to the drawing board.

So what did I do? Well, I still had a bunch of refills left on the differin so I decided to get a new tube and start applying the stuff TWICE per day while using aveeno skin brightening moisturizer(discontinued unfortunately but I had a leftover bottle). I also started using panoxyl 10% wash at night as well because I don't think my face responds to gentle cleansers even though I have sensitive skin. But nonetheless, My face has cleared DRAMATICALLY. I mean red spots, brown spots, scars, acne...all fading at a RAPID pace. I still get a pimple every week but they are TINY ones that go away in 1 or 2 days. I have been on this regimen for around two months. I did not see results until around week 3, but every day I wake up my face is a little more clear. Before this regimen I had over 15 pimples spread all over my face. I now have ONE PIMPLE that hasnt even surfaced yet. I now actually wake up in the morning expecting NOT to have a pimple and am surprised to actually get one when I do.

I am posting because I keep seeing threads about Differin not working so I figured this may be a good thing to try for some.

My regimen is as follows:

Morning:
Wash with something .

I have not found a good morning cleanser yet so I am doing some trial and error with certain products. I have tried Cetaphil, Dans, and a clearasil SA cleanser. I feel I get the least pimples with the SA cleanser but since I am using differin twice a day I feel it may be a bit much. The hunt continues...

Apply differin and wait 10 minutes
Apply BP to spot treat ONLY (I do not slather it all over my face!, this is key)
Use Aveeno skin brightening moisturizer (Only moisturizer EVER to not break me out)

Night:
Wash with 10% BP wash
Apply differin (its actually a little painful for 10 minutes because the skin is so TIGHT from the 10% wash)
Spot treat with BP again
Use Aveeno (Ahhh feels good )

My main goal is to get off BP completely so I am slowly phasing it out. I used to use it twice a day slathering it all over. Now I only spot treat with it and wash with it once per day. Eventually I am going to remove the spot treating and only wash with it. Then hopefully I will be off it completely once I phase out the wash. I am still searching for a good A.M cleanser that doesn't break me out so if you have any suggestions let me know. I hope this post was helpful in some way.

i was wondering if anyone knows what happens if you mix retinoids? for example, what were to happen if i used differin gel 4 nights a week and retin-a 3 nights a week? would that be a bad idea? or what about an rx retinoid a few nights a week and a retinol product the other nights?

why is differin not considered a true retinoid? does it have collagen building properties? can it fill in acne scars?

I've been on benzaclin and differin 0.3 for 6 months, and I have to say im relativly happy with the results. But, my face is SUPER red, and it looks horrible. It's always been this way and I really want to know what should I do to decrease this redness. Maybe use sunscreen more often? Or what..?

My derm prescribed tazorac cream 0.1% around 3 months ago. I made the mistake of trying to use tazorac for a whole night which resulted in a bright red face for 3-4 days and then a week of peeling. After that ordeal I looked online to see how others apply tazorac and for the past 3 months I have been applying tazorac every night for 2-3 hours with mosturizer, then washing it off and reapplying mosturizer. After a month, I felt like I was getting fewer breakouts and my skin was beginning to even out. Shortly after, I began to breakout worse and worse. I had maybe 2-3 cysts EVER before I started using tazorac but I currently have 3 on my face and have at least 3-4 in the past 2 months. I peel sheets of skin off my face every other day and my skin is not getting any better. I swim everyday which also dries out my skin and putting tazorac on top of that is killing me. My derm also wants me to use benzaclin during the day but I don't feel like my skin has truly adjusted to tazorac and I am scared to try it in addition to tazorac because I don't want to end up with a red face and horrible peeling again.

What do you guys have to say?
What have your experiences been and do you have any advice?

Thanks

I started using Differin begin July, and by the time of September I didn't really get any real acne attack anymore. Sometimes a zit on my chin, but hey..happens to anyone. So yes, it worked for me.

I still use it everyday for the past months, sometimes skipped a few days, and my face still stays clear. My skin does get a little bit irritated of Differin, it's not noticeable but it sometimes feels ichy especially in the morning.

My question is: is it ok to stop using Differin now ? Or is there a chance I will get worser acne attacks again comparable to the time before I started using it in July ?

If there's a chance I will get acne again once I stop using it, no doubt I will continue using Differin.

Thanks !

So i have been using it since about october 23rd 2008 and its made my jawline and cheeks break out like no other, every single non inflamed clogged pore i had (that wasnt a problem) became inflamed and red, and disgusting, and now i have at least 30-40 small red pimples on both sides of my jawline.

I havent even seen 1% progress its actually WAY worse...kinda makes me mad. so im thinking of just getting something new.

opinions?

I finished Accutane in mid-November and have recently started Tazorac for the scars. I've been using Cetaphil right along while on Tane but now on Tazorac, my skin is so dry the Cetaphil burns.
Does anyone have any suggestions on moisturizers that won't burn my face? The Cetaphil worked so well on the Accutane I hate to have to find something else but I also cannot use something that burns.

What would you say is the best retinoid in terms of acne fighting, and limited irritation?

If you have had luck with retinoids working on your acne scars, could you please share which one has helped and what kind of scars you have? (I am currently using Differin .03 gel among other things and am really hoping that it will help with my scarring too.)

How do you guys apply tarzorac? I have the 0.1 gel, and the instructions to say to apply a thin film, wait 2 minutes (or longer if you can tolerate it), and then rinse off with a cleanser. ive bee\n reading threads where people say they apply tarzorac, a moisturizer... but don't rinse it off... am i doing something wrong? rinse it off or no...?

i have been using retin a micro 0.1% for a little over 2 years and take minocycline 100mg once a day sometimes 2 times a day if i need it and i still break out about 4 or 5pimples a week...if it were you would you change to another medication or keep using it?... is retin a mico .0.1% the strongest or the weakest ?im not sure how the numbers after the retin a work.and why does it make my skin bright red like i been out in the wind all day is this normal?i wash my face an hour and a half before with neutrogena cleansing Bar for Acne Prone Skin.I really dont know what more to do my skins really dry and red but i still get pimples its really odd...any info will help thanks.

Just curious. I've been using it for a little over a week and have had no redness, peeling, stinging....anything. Is everyone *supposed* to experience the irritation or can it be successful without it, anyone know?
Just wondering if perhaps I need a higher strength or if my skin has just been "toughened up" by years of BP use.


Thanks!

I have had good success with the BP regimen, along with erythromycin gel but the derm gave me a rx for retin a to try to help with the clogged pores I'm still prone to.....so now I'm using the retin a every other night.
Anyway, does it matter whether I apply the erthro first, or the retin a? ANyone know if it matters at all?



Thanks!

Hey all,

I was on Tazorac about 2 years ago at this time. I began using it for the first time in probably September or October of 2006, and was almost completely clear by Mid December. I had cysts on my back, forehead, chin and just acne in general. I was also on Minocycline at the time. Well, now after being on Mino+Differin for a year, it sucks. It doesn't do what Tazorac did, and I finally took initiative and used Tazorac for the first time on my face in probably a year and a half. I've got a month break from college, so why not just get over with the worst part now if I break out? I will keep a log of each day if people want me to! Just want to share my story here since people here understand and empathize. I really hope it can clear my face, because I'm not going to make the mistake of stopping tazorac again.

At the moment I'm using Tazorac .1% and have just ordered a TCA Peel. My question is that when I get the TCA Peel should I still use the Tazorac cream at night or wait until my face completely heals? I would really appreciate the advice I should be receiving the TCA Peel in about 2 days. Also will it make my acne worse or help it out?

Hi all-

I have always used Cetaphil but I have made a recent discovery on something better that I thought I would share with those of you using a drying medication for your face. I am currently 3 weeks into using Retin A Gel 0.01% (this is not my first time using Retin A, so I know about the dreadful dry skin) and about a week ago I discovered Emu Oil. I am telling you, this stuff is awesome. I do have a few, very, very small patches of dry skin still, but this emu oil is still the best moisturizer ever! I can even wear makeup and I dont look like a freak show. It actually absorbs into my skin.

A few facts:

1.Hyper-oxygenated properties. Emu Oil effectively draws the blood supply to topically applied areas thus accelerating circulation. This speeds up healing time for wounds and is helpful for anti-aging. This makes it ideal for skin creams, massage creams and muscle salves.

2.Anti-bacterial. Emu Oil has shown anti-bacterial properties.

3.Hypoallergenic. Emu Oil is ideal for people concerned about skin conditions or reactions.

4.Non-comedogenic. Emu Oil does not clog pores.

5.Emu Oil contains EFA's (Essential Fatty Acids), an important essential oil for a healthy lifestyle.

I just wanted to share a great product worth looking into. Has anyone eles used this? What are you currently using that you have had sucess with?

EDIT: sorry, posted in wrong forum. this can be deleted

I know this has been brought up before, but how the hell can a pea size amount of retin a cover my entire face. There is no way, iv tried and had to use a good amount more than a pea size. Maybe a pea size for my cheeks and nose, but theres still forehead and chin. Any1 have ideas to help me (

Backstory:

Started using Retin-A Micro 0.04% four weeks ago, only at night. Weeks three and four brought massive irritation and new breakouts everyday, so I stopped to try to recover my skin barrier. I slathered Vaseline all over my face every night for five nights, and finally the redness and inflammatory acne is gone. I didn't use any other topicals. Not even spot treatments.

I want to restart the Micro. Thinking about putting it on at night like I did, a pea-sized amount, and then carefully applying Vaseline on top of it to retain moisture.

What do you think? Would this affect the absorption of the Micro?

I have been getting irritated bumps in my neck/beard area, and i am convinced it is Staphylococcal Folliculitis that is the culprit. I looked around online for treatments, and i found this product.

Has anyone used it before for anything at all similar? I am going to call my derm's office on monday and request a prescription, but i was curious if there was anyone on here who had experience with it.

I wanna hear from all the current Tazorac users... i want to know how ur coming along.. i think ill be posting here to see my improvement and share it with u guys.. but i would like to know about ppl who are currently using the medicine.. ive been using Tazorac gel (0.1).. and erythromicin, and cephalexin (antibiotics).. and ive been on this treatment for 3 weeks now.. i think its working for me :] YAY. But i have a LOT of improvement to make.. i have moderate acne.. mostly scars and stuff.. is anyone here having success with TAZORAC??