I'm a 28 y/o female with mild-moderate acne, as well as scarring/red marks from the acne I had in college. In March, I went to a dermatologist to get help with the few pimples I was getting and to try and clear up my scarring. The dermatologist put me on tretinoin cream 0.1% at night and aczone/clindamycin routine in the morning. (She also prescribed minocycline 2x/day which I stopped taking after 3 weeks due to nausea and dizziness.) At my 6-week check-up, my initial breakout for the tretinoin was horrible! Painful, cystic acne and whiteheads all over my cheeks, jawline, and under my chin. So, she then prescribed tretinoin GEL 0.1% because she said it is stronger than the cream. However, I never opened the gel... I've still been using the cream every night for 8 weeks because everything I've read online said to use tretinoin cream for AT LEAST 12 weeks before giving up, some even recommending at least 4 months.
My question is, will I lose progress if I switch from tretinoin cream to tretinoin gel after only 8 weeks? Or will switching to the gel help to speed up the initial breakout because it is stronger than the cream?? Thanks!
Hey!
I have never tried the cream version of 0.1 only the 0.025 version from time to time but it is true that the gel version acts quicker because it has less ingredients in it and so absorbs more easily (unless you use it with moisturizer)
I have been using the gel form in 0.1 strength regularly for about a year and a half and it has cleared up my moderate facial, chest and back acne so much that I don't even wear makeup and I get compliments about my skin which I've never gotten before.
It did initially break me out just like it did with you but that was part of the 'purging' stage of tretinoin use which you can't really avoid if you have blocked pores as it's the stage when all the gunk that's been hiding deep within your skin finally begins to surface usually all at once (pizza face alert) So don't worry about that part and just keep using it. (and don't pop)
I think the gel will definitely help speed up the process, without a doubt. So you should be fine. You will probably only flake a bit more and be a little more patchy (or maybe not) but as long as you follow the instructions and don't over use, you should see great results with continued use. I am not gonna lie I did feel very bad about my skin at times when i first started using it but over time I kind of adapted and 'accepted' my temporary pizza/ burn face and just kept using it every day and thinking about my goal which was - clear beautiful healthy skin. And I did get it! I started using in winter and by summer my skin was pretty much clear looking, so much so that people laughed at me when I said I had acne. Right now the dryness is the only (unavoidable) bad side effect i get from tretinoin and my patches are only mild so I can't complain.
so yeah
just go for it and PLEASE DON'T QUIT when you get break outs because those will disappear. Also I think you are better off only using the gel on its own as it is strong enough and it makes your skin pretty sensitive. I tried duac cream once while on 0.1 gel and i had the worst chemical burns ever! took three days to recover lol
good luck
Ive tried both and the gel is def stronger and more drying!!
I used retin-a cream nightly from the get go and i never had peeling or an IB from it
But one day with retin-a gel and I was a dry flaky mess
you might want to buffer it with moisturizer or start with every other night
GL
kim