Tretinoin

I began this treatment mid November, it is now Jan. 1. My acne was severe a year ago but has gone down with other treatments to a moderately severe type. I get cysts in three main areas of the face and regularly have 3-5 pustules on my face. Not to mention redness and scarring. My treatment is as follows: Apply Retin-A cream every night before bed and then follow with a moisturizer (Avene Clean-Ac). In the morning rinse with water plus apply moisturizer. Additionally receive dermabrasion once a month. In the first month I broke out severely, worse than what I looked like when I began the treatment. It is enough to make you doubt the medicine but stick with it! Now, on my second month, cystic acne is almost non-existent and skin is clearer than it has been in months. My skin is not as sensitive to the cream as others have posted. I find that applying a good amount (more than a pea) is very effective without causing irritation *for me*. I have zero pustules on my face (such a rare yet welcome change). I'm still in the early stages of treatment but so far so good. I'm hopping this will be my answer instead of having to go on accutane. I give this product 4 stars because I am still in the beginning stage of using it, but am happy so far. Best of luck to all~

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purehunter589

December 23, 2011

Pros:

cleared skin quickly
made skin vibrant, and glowing
easy to use
reasonably priced (with discount card)

Cons:

takes 3 to 9 weeks for results to show
hard to come by

The first time i used Retin-A was over the summer, and the combination of the resulting dryness and the heat made my skin so oily, i wanted to stop using it.I constantly had to blot my face, and i felt that i was just covered in grime. Washing had little effect, as the oil came back in around 15 minutes. but, i kept at it, and the oiliness went away in the fall. I am unsure if this is related but if it is,then the weird side effect only applies for people who have combination/oily skin. eventually, i ran out and had to wait on my doctor to re-write my prescription. I got the retin-A, but i didn't use it for about 5 months because i felt i was fine without it.now i use it once in a while some for maintenance. note: i did get this as a prescription, and as a result it was covered by insurance. the original price was around $50-$60.

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Jay

December 17, 2011

Pros:

-Works great for tzone with acne

Cons:

Red + hot face
indented marks
makes my pores look darker (or redder)

I have been using Retin-A .1% for a few months and it's been great, excluding the red and heated face. Chemical exfoliation may be a good thing if you can tolerate it. I used it every day and that was too much for my skin. I tried it once every couple of days and that seemed to make my skin look better (pores look less red). Key is to listen to how your skin will react.

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Walt

December 14, 2011

Pros:

Cleared pores
Smoothed skin

Cons:

Oily! Oily! Oily!
Dry, but not flaky
Slight redness

This review is for Retin-a Micro 0.04% Microsphere. Name brand, not a generic. I used it for just under 8 weeks before switching to low-dose Accutane. Overall, I think this is a good product, but probably not for people who have oily skin. It made my skin much oilier than normal. I did not--I repeat, did not--have an initial breakout as others have experienced. I believe this was due primarily to the topical and oral antibiotic my dermatologist prescribed (i.e., clindamycin solution and oral amoxicillin, 500mg, 2x/day). So, if your dermatologist will agree, I suggest concomitant antibiotics, at least for the first month of using Retin-a Micro (assuming antibiotics work for you). I used only a pea sized amount as recommended, which lightly covered my forehead, upper cheeks, nose, philtrum area, and chin. I could not cover my lower cheeks, but I have never really broken out there. Bottom line, my skin had never been smoother. But, it had never been oilier either. Please keep in mind that this is just my experience and there are definite individual differences in any acne product's effectiveness.

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TNR

December 13, 2011

Pros:

Clear acne, prevent breakouts, get rid of old, dead skin and stimulate new growth (hence younger looking skin and glow), improve skin tone and texture, quickly fade dark spots and scars caused by post-acne hyperpigmentation

Cons:

Dry, redness, peeling

No matter your acne problem, it's at least worth a try. The version I use has added antibiotics. I use it inconsistently (the whole face) and for spot treatment as needed. For light to moderate acne or sensitive skin, start with no more than 0.05 and don't overuse it. More effective than Proactive.

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glowlover6

December 12, 2011

Pros:

Extremely smooth skin
Lessened breakouts dramatically
Easy and cheap, its very easy to remember putting it on every night
Helped smooth out scars
Great texture, evens out complexion
A little boost in confidence :]

Cons:

Some peeling, but not really dramatic (just rinse your face with warm water)
Noticeable redness on some days
Have to avoid daytime(although I already did so)
Doesn't get rid of occasional breakouts

Im a 20 year old male college student. I finally decided to stick with this because I had absolutely nowhere else to go. My insecurity was turning me into someone I didn't like. I dont have insurance or money for peels and treatments. I bought this online for about $80, 0.5% then increased to .1% and now I'm at .025%. I went to my university clinic where I got a free consultation. I started using it in June. So, about 6 months. It took a while to work but I have seen noticeable improvement. My skin is more radiant and less worked up and pale. It has lessened breakouts on my cheeks dramatically, which is great because my cheeks are my worst are by far. Very scarry and red. My skin feels great when I slide my hands over them. Which brings me to my only dislike. Many of my red marks and PIH are still there. They feels smooth when I touch them. But theyre still very noticeable. This product has had a hard time getting rid of my marks. I use st.ives apricot scrub and then apply the gel at night. I also use a tinted moisturizer with spf30 which really helps my skin look better. I am European white so it's a tough thing to deal with.I feel like I'm cheating the process but it's honestly something you should look into. I'm thinking of buying glycolic peels online and hoping this will take care of it. But I'm going to keep using this gel for a couple more months until the summer, and hopefully combining this regimen with peels. Thank you to everyone that posted positive reviews and helping me stick with it!

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callmejsmitty

November 27, 2011

Pros:

-did a good job of clearing up acne on my chin
-smooths out the texture of your skin, smaller pores
-didn't dry out my skin
-no initial breakout
-one prescription lasted me more than 6months

Cons:

-occasional redness/irritation
-didn't clear up my skin 100%, but I'm still happy with the major improvement

I have been taking Atralin once daily, before bed, for over 6 months now. This gel is very gentle and has never made my skin flaky. Started seeing results in about 2 weeks, but eventually the improvement started to level off, and my skin still gets pimples here and there. Overall Atralin made a big difference in the appearance of my skin and I would recommend it to anyone. Also, with Atralin i would not be afraid of an initial breakout. I never had one and if you start using a small amount, it is very gentle.

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Amy

November 21, 2011

Pros:

Prevents minor acne
fades scars

Cons:

extremely drying- I cannot wear make up for about a week after using this 0.025% retin A gel as the make up just sticks to the dry areas and looks awful.
Didn't find it helped with cystic acne. but definitely helped with small spots.

I would recommend this product as it definitely does the job, however, I definitely wouldn't use it if you are planning to cover the skin with make up, for me it was at least a week before the dryness went and I could wear make up.

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Victoria

November 20, 2011

Pros:

Made my acne clear up
Helps get rid of pigmentation
Helps prevent oily skin
Makes skin smooth
Gets rid of any wrinkles you may have

Cons:

Can be a tad drying if overused
If I cry or sweat, it burns badly
I, personally, cannot use it with anything else. I had to stop using all makeup and I had to stop the other topical I was using (clindamycin)
Can cause redness for some but not for me
If you get this anywhere near the skin of your eye, you'll be sorry for the next few days. FLAKES EVERYWHERE

I didn't pay anything for this, my doctor prescribed me Retin-A cream almost four months ago along with minocylcine pills and clindamycin. The pill and the Retin-A work, but the clinda had to go. Retin-A didn't take a long time to work for me as it does with many people, and it didn't dry my skin very much.I saw results within two weeks. I started using it once a day, and then I starting using it twice a day because I felt once wasn't enough. You aren't supposed to do that, but my doctor actually agreed to it. It works really well. I've had moderate acne since 4th grade and I am now 15. I have not a single spot. I have a few pigmentations, but I'm 99.9% sure that'll be gone soon enough. I'd recommend this to anyone. I get complements on my skin all the time, and I never got that before when I had to pile on makeup (Although I love my makeup, I had to let it go. It wasn't allowing the medications to work). Also, if you're a picker, stop picking and get your hands on this. You will be so glad you did so. The dryness and itchiness go away so if you can deal, it's worth it. I don't know about anyone else, but for me this was a miracle.

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Justinnn

November 17, 2011

Pros:

*Got rid of my stubborn cystic acne
*It works with time

Cons:

*Made my face more red
*Little bit of a breakout stage
*Oilyness
*Peeling

It works and it does its job. I've been on it for about a month with doxycycline as well.. Hoping in a few months my acne will be all gone!

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