Tretinoin (Retin-A, Retisol-A) Reviews
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Prescription summary (761 votes) |
How well it works

     3.2/5 |
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Agreeability

     2.9/5 |
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Affordability

     3.5/5 |
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Common brand names:
Retin-A,
Retin-A Micro,
Retisol-A,
Stieva-A,
Avita,
Renova |
Read reviews
74 pages
0 of 1 visitors found the following comment helpful.
trying2Bpatient, hoover, AL Jun 19th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | my acne was mild and 95% is already gone. smoother skin smaller pores |
| Cons: | my skin is peeling like crazy! and it does hurt to appply mosterizer |
| Bottom Line: | well i have only been using this for about 2 weeks and from the other reviews i can tell im going to have to be patient. im in high school and im gonna be a junior. b4 my sophomore year i had no acne. this year my skin started to break out even though people thought i was crazy cuz they saw nothing. however, my confidence went way down. i decided to go to the derm and she recommended that i use atralin every other night. the nights im not using atralin, im using duac. the first week evertying was fine then this week my skin started to peel like crazy! however, i can tell a difference already and my skin does seem smoother(after i scrub my peeling skin off) i am going to continue with it cuz the ppl who stuck with it said they say increadible results. i want to walk out of the house w/o makeup and feel pretty. hopefully my skin will adjust soon to atralin and will stop peeling. |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Usage: | trying2Bpatient has used this item for a few weeks. |
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1 of 1 visitors found the following comment helpful.
Anonymous, Canada Jun 19th, 2008 |
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| Bottom Line: | Just started using it a few days ago, haven't got any dryness, flaky, or redness happening to my skin, was wondering how long it took for effects like that to happen. I know it takes weeks to clear up acne. |
| Usage: | Reviewer has used this item for a day or two. |
| Price Paid: | 40.00 |
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vanessa, houston,TX Jun 18th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | get rid of pimples and whitehead |
| Cons: | reddness, become worse in the first 2 weeks, get a while to see the improvement |
| Bottom Line: | you have to be patient with this product. I wait for 2~3 months to see the improvement, but that doesnt really work for blackhead and oily face... This product is good cause it really pushes pimples and whitehead to the skin surface and completely cures them. i tried proactive which mostly contain benzoly peroxide(not sure about the spelling), and what it does is just dry skin and does not clear the pimples and whitehead completely, and so did salyidic acid. So, if your main problem is whitehead and pimples, try retin-A and be patient $54 is just a tube of retin-A without insurance I used half of the tube in 3~4 months |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Usage: | vanessa has used this item for a few months. |
| Price Paid: | 54.00 |
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0 of 2 visitors found the following comment helpful.
Anonymous Jun 17th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | works for other people. |
| Cons: | I used it for just over a month and it was STILL breaking me out. I was told it would only take a couple of weeks for my skin to get used to it, but this was not the case. |
| Bottom Line: | Did not work for me. |
| Recommended: | No |
| Usage: | Reviewer has used this item for about a month. |
| Price Paid: | 20.00 |
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0 of 1 visitors found the following comment helpful.
Anonymous, Brisbane Jun 16th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | It dries out the pimples so they seem to go away faster |
| Cons: | It does in deed make the acne worse. I've been using this for 2 months now, this is the 3rd month, and I have yet to see improvement. |
| Bottom Line: | Although it makes the acne worse, I think what its doing is peeling away the skin so that the hidden acne underneath will be treated. I'm sticking to this product basically because I know someone who has used it for a few years and she has gone from having acne to having beautiful, perfect and clear skin. It does cost quite a lot of money and it does make your skin peel and become dry. Although, I think the peeling and dryness can be dealt with with a decent oil free moisturiser and cleanser for oily skin like those made by Cetaphil. |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Usage: | Reviewer has used this item for a few months. |
| Price Paid: | 30.00 |
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Anonymous, Morgantown, WV Jun 15th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | Works well to get rid of whiteheads. |
| Cons: | Takes a while before you see results. |
| Bottom Line: | I've used this product for about a year and got wonderful results after a few months. It got rid of all of my whiteheads and bumps, though I still have the occasional breakout. Peeling isn't bad, I just rub off all of the dead skin when I wash my face in the morning. Remember, though, DO NOT USE TOO MUCH!!! |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Usage: | Reviewer has used this item for about a year. |
| Price Paid: | 130.00 |
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0 of 1 visitors found the following comment helpful.
lala, canada Jun 15th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | none |
| Cons: | dryness,redness,more pimples |
| Bottom Line: | îts my 7th month using this f**king sh*t all it has done is irritate my skin and im breaking out like i never have before in places ive never had pimples! some days it would get better n i would think that it was finally working n then it would get worts again. i feel so stupid to have used this cream so long. im ready to go f**king hang myself. |
| Recommended: | No |
| Usage: | lala has used this item for a few months. |
| Price Paid: | 10.00 |
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Rebecca, Connecticut, USA Jun 12th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | Ughhh none so far. |
| Cons: | Really really REALLY bad breakouts. BAD. Worse than I have ever had in my LIFE. Not predictable, looks awful with makeup, dry dry dry, red, flaming. |
| Bottom Line: | I've been using it for 2 months. I've read that the 2 month part is the worst. Mannnn I really hope you guys are right with the fact that it'll get worse before it gets better because this is just nast. Both sides of my cheeks have visible dark spots that I'm praying won't scar. My forehead was really clear for the first month and this past week it is god-awful. I went on this because my acne was getting a bit bad...not THIS bad. I'm also on Duac gel in the morning for the red bumbs and for the first two months I was on an antibiotic. I go see my Dr. in about 6 days and jeez I hope some good comes from this because I feel like CRAP. |
| Recommended: | No |
| Usage: | Rebecca has used this item for a few months. |
| Price Paid: | 90.00 |
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Gloria, Columbus Ga Jun 11th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | Worked great |
| Cons: | Made my face red until I got use to it. |
| Bottom Line: | Worked good. My Tri-Care insurance payed for it all. |
| Recommended: | Yes |
| Usage: | Gloria has used this item for a few months. |
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John, UK Jun 8th, 2008 |
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| Pros: | Works quickly on individual spots, if left over-night. Smoother skin. |
| Cons: | Highly erratic. Severe 'initial' breakout' which leaves you with scars and red marks. Makes skin red, raw and sensitive, so even if it does eventually clear your acne - you are left with a nasty complexion. |
| Bottom Line: | I've been on Retin-A for 3 months now, and It has been a painful and depressing journey. I can honestly say, it is one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made.
Seeing success stories has motivated me to continue putting this stuff on my face, but it has destroyed my once mildly clear skin and given me cystic acne, when I have never had it before. The "it gets worse before it gets better" was rubbish in my case, as the Retin-A caused so much acne to surface.. there was no way Retin-A would be able to clear up both the spots IT CAUSED and my original acne.
Some people are willing to go through 6 months of the destruction Retin-A causes, but in this modern society it is primitive to think that a drug can make your condition worse for 6 months before it starts to heal it, IF it heals it at all.
It may have just been my skin not reacting well to Retin-A, but I would never use this stuff again! |
| Recommended: | No |
| Usage: | John has used this item for a few months. |
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74 pages
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