Tretinoin

I've been waiting to review this product for fear that I will have another breakout, but here goes...I have been using this product for 3 months now in conjunction with 100 mg per day of spironolactone. I started out with Retin-A Micro .04% for 1 month, then moved up to Retin-A Micro .1% for the last 2 months. I have had chronic acne since I was 13, and cystic acne since I was 18, am now 26 years old and have finally found a product that works for me. The spironolactone stopped the cystic acne from returning, but the Retin-A has changed the texture, appearance and quality of my skin. It will take a long time to work, and if you try and use a lot of product at once, you'll get a bright red burned face. Be patient and stick with it, it will be the best choice you ever make for your acne. Few important notes to share with you: -I had a terrible, awful initial breakout, worse than I've ever had. However, I stuck with it and things started improving. I had 2 more serious "breakouts" since starting the product, but seem to be over the major hurdles after about 3 months. STICK WITH IT, it will get better. -I have some occasional redness and peeling, but I would simply recommend using a good moisturizer at night and during the daytime and a little gentle exfoliation to help get rid of any flakiness. -It is clearing my overall skin tone and previous scars, I hope that if I stick with it, they will all fade. -For women with cystic acne, highly recommend pairing with Spironolactone. -Also, my doc gave me antibiotics for the first month and also for the week during my period when I am prone to breakouts which very much helped to reduce additional breakouts.

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kboofnsw

December 19, 2011

Pros:

clears face :)

Cons:

you get flakes
redness
takes time

it does take time your face doesn't clear over night . there is days when you just want to give up but DON'T . it took 9 weeks for my face to fully clear now i just have acne scars :/ blah ! so my doctor prescribed me retin a &' minocycline . i didn't know what to expect but i trust my dr because he never lets me down &' he didn't this time :) my routine for my face was .. Morning:take pill wash face with ivory soap aveeno daily moisturizing lotion sunscreen Night: take second pill wash face with soap again then mix a pea size amount with a pump of aveeno and put it on my face . (make sure you use the pea size amount because you will burn your face !!) thats all i have to say, GOOD LUCK !

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Guyfromholland

December 15, 2011

Pros:

IT WORKS
Acne doesn't get worse if u use an antibiotic and Retin A together.

Cons:

Very dry skin (but absolutely normal youre putting acid on youre face)
Skin does get red in the beginning but cleared up after 1,5 week you just have to get true it! And there never a good time to start so start now! You will forget it when your'e skin is looking good again!

Mild acne on forehead and cheeks.... I should only try using this for acne if with an antibiotic, its pretty weird that people who suffer from acne don't get Retin A and an antibiotic together no wonder it doesn't work for some! I think that only happens to people who get it prescribed by their family docters any dermatoligist would subscribe both im sure. So if it doesn't work for you you should stand on it you get a topical antibiotic to go with Retin A, i personaly use Eryance, have been using it now for 2,5 weeks and OMG the combination works wonders! All the acne and dark spots are starting to go away my skin in smooth! Did not get worse in the beginning but again thats definatley due to the antibiotic. Good luck peeps, i will stay on this for sure! But not every day i think i will cut back in a week from now to once every two days instead of every day as i do now. And for the people with sensitive skin i can imagine it could be too agressive i personaly dont have that. Did and still suffering from extreme dryness en peeling but no wonder youre skin is getting a toxic peel. Excuse my bad english im Dutch. All medicine are Free in Holland because of social health care!

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Theresa

December 9, 2011

Pros:

-treats cystic acne
-clears up scars
-evens out complexion
-shrinks pores
-affordable

Cons:

-made skin zombie dry and flaky for first two months
-made acne worst for first month
-occasionally burns when putting moisturizer on

This, in combination with Yaz birth control, has FINALLY cleared my skin. I know it is tough, but be patient!

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dermaguru60

December 8, 2011

Pros:

Smoothed out my skin completely
Within a week my whiteheads are gone
lightens dark marks/scarring
Reduces pimple size overnight

Cons:

When first using the product I felt tightness of the skin, itching, burning sensatiion
Broke out during wk 2 of using medication (but that's to be expected, my skin was adjusting to the medication)

I honestly began seeing results during wk 1. I felt and noticed a difference in my skin. I had some dark marks on my face that went away during wk 1 of using. As for my whiteheads, as I said w/i a wk they'd be gone. However, I would still break out constantly. It took a total of 12 weeks for my breakouts and whiteheads to fully subside. I love this product and it's inexpensive. I use it every night and it has done wonders for my skin. It's just important to be patient.

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posies80

December 3, 2011

Pros:

- brighter, smoother, more even skin
- no initial breakout
- works deep down
- bonus: supposedly hides wrinkles!

Cons:

- my skin sometimes switches from very dry to slightly oily
- sometimes irritating, though that is lessining with time
- can be expensive without insurance (I think mine would have been around $175)

So I'm 25 years old, female- and my acne was getting worse than it was in high school. I've always had blackheads on my nose and chin, but the past few years have brought on deep acne in my chin and jaw line. It tends to be hormonal, and I often would have just one clear week of the month. And even though I was clear, there were ALWAYS underground blemishes just waiting to pop up... my chin was a minefield. And being impatient and frustrated, I almost always ended up popping them, leaving me with tons of pigmented spots. I've been using this regimen for 4 weeks(see below), and I've noticed a HUGE improvement in the underground acne that's lurking beneath in addition to my skin tone. Though I still have a ways to go before my coloration is completely even and my chin is fully clear, I haven't used any other products that have worked this quickly. My skin is smoother and brighter. I finally have hope for clear skin!! Luckily, I did not experience the initial break-out (knock on wood). I've had a few breakouts since I've been using these products, but nothing that I hadn't already been through. I think that the clindamycin/benzoyl gel may be helping with that, as I believe it is partly an antibiotic. To start out, my dermatologist told me to use the tretinoin every third night, which was a great recommendation. At first it was slightly irritating, and there was some very intense drying and redness. That pretty much was just from the 2nd to the 3rd week. I just started using the tretinoin every other night, which has been great. Here is my current full regimen: -wash with Loreal Go 360 Deep Clean -Tretinoin Cream .025% every other night (applied at least 20 minutes after washing) -Clindamycin Phosphate/Benzoyl Peroxide Gel on the alternate nights, and sometimes in morning (though morning sometimes tends to irritate, and I try to wait a while to apply this as well) -still trying to find a good moisturizer

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kayrae

December 1, 2011

Pros:

clears cystic acne, whiteheads, blackheads
smoothes skin

Cons:

Initial drying/readness

I really like this stuff. The first week was strange, because it dried my face out. I was peeling, i looked like I had severe sunburn peeling. (also, i think applied too much) Anyways I am on my 3rd month, and I never really had an initial crazy breakout that people talk about. Some hormonal breakouts were worsened, but nothing unmanageable. I have cut back on how often I use it to every other night, and that seems to be working much better. I dont use BP the nights I use Retin-a. Overall, really really like this stuff. :)

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793

November 30, 2011

Pros:

Got Rid of Acne
Leaves My Skin Smooth
Works Quickly and Keeps Working

Cons:

May have dried out my skin a little at first, but I don't really remember

Using the generic version of this at night paired with the generic version of metronidazole in the morning has completely cleared up my skin. I would recommend it to any one suffering from moderate acne.

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cheezycakes

November 26, 2011

Pros:

Clear skin
Shallow pimples
Smooth skin
Increased skin turnover

Cons:

Some redness
Initial peeling
Initial breakout

I was suffering from moderate acne and was prescribed 0.05% tretinoin by my dermatologist. I had tried every OTC product and homemade remedy from tea tree oil and turmeric, pH balanced soap, proactiv, AcneFree, shaving excessively, not shaving. It was actually getting pretty desperate because nothing worked. I finally broke down and made an appt with a dermatologist and was put on a regimen of tretinoin, doxycycline, and benzaclin, which is very common. I think most people who suffer from the initial breakout are prescribed tretinoin by itself. The doxycycline and benzaclin are things that may lose effectiveness over time, but for the first ~3 months, they do well to keep the initial breakout produced by tretinoin to a minimum (and you don't want to be taking an antibiotic for an extended period of time). The first couple of weeks of using tretinoin, I noticed my skin get scaly and then peel aggressively. However, once the peeling subsided, my face was almost smooth. After 6 months, my derm started to ween me off the doxycycline, and the acne has stayed away for the most part. I still get one or two pimples every 2 weeks or so (this is a dramatic improvement), but they are typically shallow and go away after a few days. I think with tretinoin, most people tend to get discouraged after a few weeks because their acne gets worse if they are not using another complementary product, but I would highly advise sticking with it for at least 3 months. It really does get better.

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charfly

November 25, 2011

Pros:

WORKS!!! Clears skin completely
Gets rid of oily skin
Gets rid of scars and spots cause by previous acne

Cons:

It takes a long time to work.
You will break out a little prior to getting better
A bit of peeling.
Redness but it's not so bad

There is just one thing to say: IT WORKS IT DOES WONDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you really want a healthy looking skin, use this product as directed and DON'T EVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!! It will take up to TWO MONTHS for it to work but I promise you that you will not regret the waiting time. This cream works from the inside out!! You will enjoy of beautiful, smooth and soft skin again!! I extremely recommend this cream. And whenever you want to give up, open up this review page again to help you through it!!!! And please if it works for you, come back and write a review that is going to help your fellow friends who suffer daily with the same annoying and emotional destructive acne. Thanks to all!!!!

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