Tretinoin (Retin-A, Retisol-A) Reviews

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Prescription summary (854 votes)

How well it works

:):):)
3.2/5
Agreeability

:):):)
2.9/5
Affordability

:):):)
3.6/5
Common brand names: Retin-A, Retin-A Micro, Retisol-A, Stieva-A, Avita, Renova

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kat, CA, USA
Feb 3rd, 2005
How well it works
:):)
Agreeability
:):)
Affordability
:):):)

used 0.025% tretinoin generic and it got rid of my pimples, but made me soooo red! I actually had clear skin but some areas are patchy and have a bit of bleeding. I'm going to switch to retin-a micro 0.04% and hope that works better. Anyone ever been in this situation? should i just go to differin instead? thanks

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Lisa
Feb 3rd, 2005
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:):):)
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:):):)
Affordability
:):):)

well i love that it really is helping my breakouts but i now have super oily flaky skin and have to powder my face ever half an hour! I'm getting very frusterated and can only use it every other day.

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Nadine, UK
Feb 3rd, 2005
How well it works
:):):):):)
Agreeability
:):):):)
Affordability
:):):)

I have had persistent acne for about 10 years now. My dermatologist prescribed Retin-A gel along with two oral antibiotics; Doxycycline and Dianette. Together they cleared my face completely, and even years after stopping the two antibiotics the Retin-A continued to work wonders by itself. It did make my skin dry and burn on application, but after a couple of seconds the burning stopped and as long as I moisturized and kept my skin supple this wasn't a problem. If I could feel a cyst like spot coming (the ones where the skin starts to swell and feels very tender), with Retin-A it wouldn't go beyond that. No spot/cyst would ever form. I was also reassured that if I had a spot, with Retin-A it would be guaranteed to be gone in three days. A severe break out would be gone in a week. Also over time (say a few months) it fades marks on darker skin tones. I had to stop taking it when I became pregnant, and recently suffered some raised Liver enzyme levels on a repeat course of the same combination of three. Now I can't use any because of the effect they had on my liver, though I think it was the antibiotics to blame for this, as I never experienced raised enzyme levels with just Retin-A alone. I thoroughly recommend this product and like the doctors say (yawn) with all acne medications you have to be patient and persistent.

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Anonymous, Oregon
Feb 2nd, 2005
How well it works
:):):):)
Agreeability
:):):):)
Affordability
:):):):):)

I posted on this site a couple of weeks ago, when I had been using Retin-A Micro .04% for only 3 weeks.
The boils/burns/massive peeling have gone away, leaving me with much nicer, clearer skin. I am still experiencing minor peeling, but the breakouts have stopped, and my skin is much smoother and more even-toned. It may not work for everyone, but I think it has begun to work for me--even though I was very dubious and miserable to begin with.

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Anonymous
Jan 31st, 2005
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i use obagi with retin a .025% at night,i mix it with the blender, and i use differin in the daytime with my obagi blender instead of the exfoderm glycolic step. the combination is fantastic. retin a does bring up spots pretty quickly, but using the differin in the daytime seems to calm the inflammation a lot, i don't peel at all anymore, but i am using a much lower strength of retin a than my derm recommended. mixing retinoids with blender, and using a full sunscreen in the daytime has both cleared my acne and the dark marks.

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Kaylee, OHIO
Jan 24th, 2005
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:):)
Agreeability
:):)
Affordability
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This stuff is horrible! I used it for over 6 months and all it did was break me out even worse, give me awfully dry skin and made my face look constantly sunburnt! I think Retina A chemically burned my skin even though I used sometimes even less than the recommended amount. I swtiched to Differin, which started to work for a while. I've been on that for about 2 months and it just quit working!!!

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Anonymous, Canada
Jan 23rd, 2005
How well it works
:)
Agreeability
:)
Affordability
:):)

This stuff freakin' sucks. I was on it for close to 2 months and it made my face extremely dry and red. It was a very irritating medication and is completely useless.

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..., US
Jan 19th, 2005
How well it works
:):):)
Agreeability
:):)
Affordability
:):):)

used in with tetracycline. good results, but i was really dry. my prescription ran out and i didnt get it refilled. now i use over the counter washes and benzoyl peroxide, and it works fine.

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Dan, VA LYNCHBURG
Jan 19th, 2005
How well it works
:)
Agreeability
:):)
Affordability
:):):):)

yeah been on it for a year now, nothing, should've done something by now, but no. same breakouts and blackheads and all that fun stuff.

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Jessica, AL., U.S.
Jan 19th, 2005
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:)
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:)
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:)

Retin A was the worst thing my doctor could have ever perscribed me! I used it about 3 years ago and did exactly as I was told with it but it mad my jaw/ chin area look like I put paint stripper on it instead of acne medication! It was awful!

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