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The purge of Tretinoin Round 2

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(@jpgranier)

Posted : 06/11/2016 12:03 pm

Hello, I stopped using tretinoin for about 2 weeks becuase i was breaking out (now I realize it was due to the fact i was wearing a hat), and I switched to the Acne.org Regimine. I love it for my bacne, keeps it all clear, but it did not work for my face. I started breaking out more and more, not just on my forehead and temples, so I switched back. Now my acne is worse than ever before and it reminds me of whenever I first started tretinoin about 2 years ago. Is that what could be causing this? Been back on tretinoin about a month and a halfnow. Was freaking out, so i went to my derm and he wanted to switch my antibiotics, which has only made it worse.

I was put on Cipro for a month and now im a week into Solodyn( which I'm positive i took at a different derm with no results. In the process of checking for records.) My doctor said if a month of solodyn doesnt clear it up hes putting me on accutane. I want accutane so I wont have to worry about acne anymore.

Could this just be Pt. 2 of the purge? The changing of antibiotics sure did not help anything. I'm going to start back on bactrim (the one I have been taking for 2 years) and hope that clears it. Almost positive I will still do accutane if I end up clearing, but how canI clear up? I already am secluding myself from my friends due to acne and this needs to stop, it is so depressing.

Any ideas or opinions would be amazing, thank you guys so much in advance!

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(@mainaf2016)

Posted : 06/19/2016 1:25 pm

On June 17, 2016 at 11:59 AM, unlovely2011 said:

Yeah you really can't keep switching up your treatments every couple months... especially with retinoids and antibiotics. Both of those medications have a cumulative effect, and retinoids in particular WILL get you worse before you get better. Possibly MUCH worse. So if you went off retinoids for 2 weeks and then went back on, yeah, you're probably gonna have another reaction. Accutane is pretty extreme, and I would avoid it at all costs. Just pick a retinoid + topical antibiotic combo and stick with it for at least 3 months, and maybe throw in a round or 2 of oral antibiotics to get through the initial breakout it causes. If that doesn't work, THEN consider accutane. I mean just take a look at these forums, accutane causes a lot of nasty side effects. Anyway, good luck to you!

hi unlovely... Just wanted to know few things about tretinoin-
1. Can it purge out clogged enlarged pore content on nose??
2.if 0.05% is used daily (been 5 days) under and over moisturiser(since i have dry nose) how long will it take to work?? i mean what is the usual time to purge??
3.does tretinoin thin out skin? Some people complain that their pores look larger.. Any idea why that happens???

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(@mainaf2016)

Posted : 06/21/2016 5:07 am

17 hours ago, unlovely2011 said:
Maina,

I never had enlarged pores, before or after using tretinoin, so I can't speak to it's efficacy with that problem. It takes MONTHS for tretinoin to work, so you absolutely will not see any relevant results in as little as 5 days. Tretinoin is a type of therapy, and with each use it affects your skin cells at the molecular level, urging your skin cells to 'act healthy.' For whatever reason, people with acne are experiencing a malfunction in keratinization and/or oil production, and tretinoin regulates both of these processes, however it takes TIME. Last time I did this, I purged for about 10 weeks before I saw lasting relief, and this time around it appears to be happening the same way for me. As for thinning the skin, from what I've read it's not actually thinning it, but it does make it more fragile, which people confuse with thinning skin. Hope that helps!

Thank u so much.. Am struggling with clogged pores on my nose along with closed comedones which can be seen when i apply makeup...i have used bha 2 for 2 months which along with comedone extraction has reduced the clog but still the pores on my nose look large.my nose is dry now and even slightly oily due tothe bha liquid....thinking of getting a salicylic peel of about 15% to clean my pores on nose... Do u think it will help...

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(@buttney24)

Posted : 06/21/2016 7:55 am

On 20/6/2016 at 4:25 AM, Mainaf2016 said:
hi unlovely... Just wanted to know few things about tretinoin-
1. Can it purge out clogged enlarged pore content on nose??
2.if 0.05% is used daily (been 5 days) under and over moisturiser(since i have dry nose) how long will it take to work?? i mean what is the usual time to purge??
3.does tretinoin thin out skin? Some people complain that their pores look larger.. Any idea why that happens???

I've been using tretinoin 0.05% for about 4 months and I can tell you a little from my experience.
I have too suffered from large clogged pores and hundreds of closed comedones and being on tretinoin has nearly cleared the lot. It's definitely shrunk the pores on my skin however for the first few weeks they did appear larger than usual. This may be because tretinoin seems to make your skin much oilier when you first start using it, but this stops eventually. I purged for about 2 months badly but saw a drastic improvement in my skin by about 3 months. Everyone is different so don't expect your experience to be like everyone elses. Just a few suggestions that I found out along the way
1. ALWAYS use sunscreen. You'll burn so much worse than usual if you don't and risk making your skin worse with hyperpigmentation etc.
2. Moisturise moisturise moisturise. Get a really good moisturiser and use it morning and night. It doesn't matter if you put it on before or after the tretinoin it's effective either way.
3. Try to cut out any other exfoliants. This includes chemical exfoliants like salicylic acid. The tretinoin is already exfoliating your skin and it doesn't need anything else especially in the early stages it's just going to be too harsh for your skin. Unless your Dr suggests otherwise.
4. Do not pick! If you do you'll find out soon enough even the slightest bit of pressure from your nail can scrape your skin off.
5. Patience is key because you will probably HATE your skin for a few weeks while being on it but it really and truly gets better.
All the best!

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(@mainaf2016)

Posted : 06/21/2016 1:02 pm

5 hours ago, Buttney24 said:
I've been using tretinoin 0.05% for about 4 months and I can tell you a little from my experience.
I have too suffered from large clogged pores and hundreds of closed comedones and being on tretinoin has nearly cleared the lot. It's definitely shrunk the pores on my skin however for the first few weeks they did appear larger than usual. This may be because tretinoin seems to make your skin much oilier when you first start using it, but this stops eventually. I purged for about 2 months badly but saw a drastic improvement in my skin by about 3 months. Everyone is different so don't expect your experience to be like everyone elses. Just a few suggestions that I found out along the way
1. ALWAYS use sunscreen. You'll burn so much worse than usual if you don't and risk making your skin worse with hyperpigmentation etc.
2. Moisturise moisturise moisturise. Get a really good moisturiser and use it morning and night. It doesn't matter if you put it on before or after the tretinoin it's effective either way.
3. Try to cut out any other exfoliants. This includes chemical exfoliants like salicylic acid. The tretinoin is already exfoliating your skin and it doesn't need anything else especially in the early stages it's just going to be too harsh for your skin. Unless your Dr suggests otherwise.
4. Do not pick! If you do you'll find out soon enough even the slightest bit of pressure from your nail can scrape your skin off.
5. Patience is key because you will probably HATE your skin for a few weeks while being on it but it really and truly gets better.
All the best!

awww thank u sooooo much for such positive vibes....i shall surelh take ur advice...xxx

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(@mainaf2016)

Posted : 06/22/2016 3:25 am

Actually i am getting married in 2 months and i want to quickly fix if not improve my pores on my nose.. They have been clogged when ever i use a comedone extractor i get alot of gunk out and doing so has reduced their size to some extent...My nose is now dry not oily. I stopped usinf tretinoin.. Am thinking abt a salicylic peel about 10 percent. I have read on realself and here that bha cleans out pores but am scared too .. What if it makes them worse???

13 hours ago, unlovely2011 said:
No, you absolutely should not be using salicylic acid, glycol acid, or any other kind of chemical exfoliant while on tretinoin.

hi i am getting married in 2 months and i want to fix my pores if not improve. I am sure that the pore is clogged hence the large appearance...i have stopped using tretinoin and plan to start later. For now i thinking of a salicylic 10 percent peel. I have read online that bha helps to exfoliate inside the pore too which is what i need. But i am scared too ,my nose isnt oily bt dry and scared that what if it makes them worse. Can u offer me any advice????

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(@jpgranier)

Posted : 06/24/2016 6:37 pm

I ended up starting a course of accutane. Mom used it and cleared her up without a zit for 10 years then extremely light acne 5-6 zits a year from then on. You can follow my accutane adventure here http://www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/360262-17-male-week-by-week-progress-pics-on-80mgday/

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