29 replies to this topic

[hope2011]

My skin isn't peeling or anything bc of the retin a but i just feel the scars may be getting more apparent (and by scars I mean the indents). I'm confused as retin A is the only anti acne medication i'm on at the moment and cannot afford to have a breakout again. Will go speak to my dermatologist next week but I think he's run out of ideas since it's now post acne issues. ARGH!

What is my next step? Who do I see? What if i don't want to get a surgery done for the indents but just want them to slowly fade away - which doctor would be the best to help me out? I just don't want to make things worse.

This sucks! I feel so lost.

[PimpleFree]

hope2011, pls let us know what your dermatologist says. Me too, retin-a seems to be my only best solution to keep acne from coming back. But I don't want my face full of indented scars!

I am not going to ask my dermatologist, I think he probably will just nod his head and change the cream to other types of tropical acne lotions or creams -.-

[SpeciousHope]

Honestly, I've been on RAM for about 8 years now and it really hasn't done anything to "improve" my skin other then give me enlarged pores. Everyone's skin is different.

[Timehealsall]

just curious, but if retina is enlarging pores, why keep using it?

I think benzoyl peroxide is having a similar effect on me, and i will stop using it by slowly weening off of it.

[PimpleFree]

just curious, but if retina is enlarging pores, why keep using it?

that is you run out of solutions to control acne.

[carryingmycross]

Yahs, I am using it. It cleared my acne. Now I have no acne. But like what they r saying, it causes enlarged pores.

Hi there, I totaly gree with you, as i have tried retin A gel and my pores/pitted scars widened and im realy confused about sticking to see if i will see improvements in the end, but from what i hear the longer the pores are stretched they can become permanent and only get worst with age but retin is supposed to refine the skin????

[hope2011]

I'm still using mine (Stieva A 0.05%) only at night. Somehow I feel it helps? I've been using it since February so it's been 7 months. I don't think it's doing any harm and don't feel it's widening the pores (the way i thought it may have been earlier).

[supplementfrenzy]

I got a chemical burn from retin a recently and have no idea what to do about it! Retin A also seems to have made my hiperpigmentation work.. sigh. idk what to do

[howlovelyouare]

I am experiencing something similar. I started off gradually, using a very small amount of .04% every other night. (I had previously used .1% every other night with duac but didn't like the retin-a so i just used the duac and that worked ok) I'm on my 10th week of Retin A and there are ZERO signs of improvement. I have so much inflammation from the initial purging period (weeks 2-3 for me but i could argue that i'm still going through it -_-) My skin really was not that bad before I started Retin A. I wanted a more permanent fix to my acne, however, so my derm prescribed Retin A. I am so so so discouraged by the progress, or lack thereof. I'm meeting with my dermatologist next week and I'm going to tell her how upset I am and how Retin A has ruined my skin. Before I went on Retin A I had some small breakouts and the OCCASIONAL cystic acne breakout. I would get maybe one blemish every month around the time of my period. Now I get about 5 or 6 every week and they show no signs of slowing down. It has really made me so angry. I don't even know what to do anymore because I have so many acne scars from Retin A. If I look at the bright side, at least I never went through any burning, peeling, dry stage.....Instead I just get even more pimples and my skin is constantly itchy and it's super oily.

[aWorldWithoutAcne]

AcneSlayer, on 08 May 2011 - 11:40 PM, said:

Because I believe that the drying and the irritation is what really causes these terrible breakouts that people are experiencing.

That's why I'm going to ease into using it so that my skin has the chance to get used to it. That way I can avoid it just ruining my skin like others have experienced.

It's true ... I am thinking of starting myself and it makes sense to slowly introduce your skin to it. Like Accutane, because of it's power, it can aggrevate your acne before it gets better. Start slowly. I know I will if I decide to try it out.