Seeking2012

Hi guys, after over a decade of using Tretinoin topical cream for acne, I wonder if I need to be using it anymore. After starting a low-carbohydrate diet about 3 months ago, I rarely get new zits. I still do have blackheads though, and I'd like to make those stop completely but not sure how.

I'm wondering if I should stop using this medication. If I were to stop using it, what would that do to me? How long would it take for my skin to normalize? What would the new normal be like? Would I have more oily skin than I do now? Would I start breaking out? Would I continue breaking out? It scares me to think about it but in a few years I plan on having children and I'll need to stop it anyway because I just read today that there is a risk that it will cause a fetus to get a birth defect.

How long does tretinoin stay in the body after discontinuing it's use?

Thanks guys.

I've been doing some reading on the internet about acne. I came across a website called ScienceOfAcne.com, which has a lot of information that other sites do not. It really goes deeper into the scientific side of things. This website seems to say that most forms of acne share at least one thing in common, and that is overactive sebacious glands or enlarged sebacious glands, or both.

This condition is called "sebaceous hyperplasia," and it is either solely caused by, or mostly caused by, excess of the androgen hormones in the body. Those of us who use retinoids with success have this condition. I am one such individual.

http://scienceofacne.com/in-depth-the-sebaceous-glands
One of the most effective treatments for overactive or hyperplastic sebaceous glands are retinoic acids.

Retinoic acid causes sebaceous glands to decrease in size and reduces their growth rate, resulting in dramatically decreased sebum production. In some cases, treatment with retinoic acid can decrease the production of sebum by up to 90%.

That is astounding. It can reduce sebum production by up to 90% and yet I still have oily skin. Imagine how oily our faces would be if we stopped using retinoids. I can't even imagine. My face would nearly be dripping with oil...that is scary...

And if you think that is scary, wait till you read this part, which I have never heard about until now:

http://scienceofacne.com/in-depth-the-sebaceous-glands
The most troubling side effect of retinoic acid is its effect on the developing fetus. Retinoic acid dramatically disrupts normal embryonic development and leads to severe birth defects. For this reason, retinoic acid treatments are tightly controlled in many places, particularly for women.

Tightly controlled, especially in women...hm... As a woman who has been using Tretinoin cream for over a decade, I must admit that I don't recall ever having been told this by a doctor or a pharmacist before. This has me very worried now. Anyone care to comment on this?

And this brings me to my next question. Doctors always seem to want to treat the symptom instead of the core problem. You have overactive sebacious glands, so lets treat the symptom--acne. But why don't we address the underlying issue: the overactive sebacious glands? What is causing them to be overactive in the first place? Research suggests that excessive androgen production plays the leading role. Well, ok, why does the body produce too many androgens? During adolescense, hormones are imbalanced because the body is maturing, but diet and other stressors probably exacerbate the problem. I don't know what people can do to successfully bring their hormones into balance during adolescence--perhaps someone out there has the answer to that one. Or perhaps a high-glycemic diet and sedentary lifestyle fuel the hormonal imbalance.

During adulthood, however, if the body is still making too many androgens, there is a problem. Research suggests that adults who produce too many androgens either have a cancer that is causing it, or their diet is too rich in high-glycemic foods, which spikes insulin and triggers the body to produce too many androgens. Women have even more to be concerned about because we often use birth control pills, which interfere with our body's natural hormone levels and causes imbalances.

http://scienceofacne.com/in-depth-the-sebaceous-glands
The well documented increase in acne rates that occurs during adolescence, particularly in males, is due largely to hormonal changes. The high levels of androgen hormones that begin circulating during male adolescence stimulate the growth of the sebaceous glands. Women with elevated androgen levels can also experience problems with androgen dependent sebaceous hyperplasia. Excessive levels of androgen hormones can be treated with androgen inhibitors, which suppress their effects. Sebaceous glands also appear to respond to non-androgen hormones, like Insulin Growth Factor (IGF), a hormone that has been loosely tied to milk consumption.

Another strike for milk (darnit, I love milk!) So you don't have to be allergic to milk to have a problem with it; it can worsen your acne just because it has IGF in it.

What do you guys think about retinoic acids causing birth defects? Have you ever heard that before?

Ok I'm really confused about something. I have always had an oily complexion and last night while I was in the shower I ran hot water over my face for 5 minutes and it was still oily and even itchy, so I of course washed it with body wash. I can't imagine just using water to wash my face. But I've read some posts here on the forums by people who claim that they do not wash their face with a cleaner or a soap, or even that they ONLY wash their face with water.

So, for you folks out there who have oily skin and who never use cleansers or soaps on your face, how are you getting rid of your excess sebum? Surely you aren't just letting it stay there.

Oh and putting an essential oil on your unwashed, rinsed-only face???????? I can't even begin to fathom that...that's like adding more oil on top of oil...

Somebody please enlighten me.

Ok so I've come across plenty of lists of items that are declared to be "pore clogging." A lot of these items are found in just about every single soap and shampoo in existance and they are VERY hard to avoid.

Examples: sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate

These items are given high pore-clogging scores. So this brings up the question of, how do people know they are "pore clogging?" Is there a test you can do? I read somewhere (and I can't find it again) that there is some type of test that is done under a microscope; perhaps someone knows more about this?

If there is a scientific test that can be done under a microscope which proves that certain things clog up pores, where can I read more about this?

Thanks guys.

I've been using Retin-A (tretinoin) for 13 years. Am I destined for wrinkly skin early in life?