Tretinoin

I have been on Retin A Micro .04% for about 5-6 weeks now. At first, I saw nothing but positive results, but now, things are getting a little worse (not as bad as when I started). I'm guessing this is just the initial break out, or the IB. I will say, the blemishes are small, but of course I'm going to notice them. Since reading all of these posts I'm just going to keep on going with the Retin A even though I feel like my skin is playing tricks on me while on it. So, if you're like me and are skeptical about this stuff, just wait it out. As for you sun worshipers (I'm guilty) WEAR SPF 30+! I can't stress it enough. I was at the pool one day and I had on SPF 15 thinking I'd be okay. That night I was VERY sun burned...to the point where I was nauseous and light headed...turned out, I had a horrible case of sun poisioning. My face had blistered and was completely raw for about a week. My skin had a layer of dead skin cells over it because of the burns. It was so painful. So please, listen to this...even if you tan easily (I do too I'm part Native American) wear sunscreen! Good luck, and remember, stick with it! :)

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lilahv26

August 21, 2011

Pros:

-Cleared my stubborn, bad, hormonal acne!

Cons:

-Initial breakout
-Have to get it from a doctor
-Peeling/dryness
-Have to wear SPF on face daily (but you should do that anyway if you want your skin to look good in the long run)

Don't let the idea of the initial breakout scare you. Yes, I had one between 2 weeks up until about 10 weeks, but it wasn't THAT much worse than my acne was prior to the medicine. Around 10 weeks I turned a corner and BAM! Other than red marks, which will fade with time, my skin is looking smooth and lovely. Highly recommended, but only if you have the patience to tough it out through the IB.

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takeiteasy:)

August 15, 2011

Pros:

Clears skin
Evens out skin tone
Removes brown spots quickly

Cons:

Harsh initially
Skin has to adjust to treatment
Skin peels often
Takes time

This product works very well as long as you stick with it. It took a month before my skin began to adjust to the treatment and that month was just plain unpleasant. My face broke out and my skin was sensitive to the touch. I was on the verge of discontinuing the treatment, but i decided listen to my dermotologist and just tough it out. This period is very crucial to the improvement of your acne and it is the reason many people give up. If your using this product and really want to drop it because of these side effects please do not. Just stick with it, in time your skin will improve drastically. Stop using this only if your dermotologist advises you to. Otherwise keep using it, I have for about 5 months and my skin looks so much better, its not totally flawless like a Neutrogena model, but it has improved so much. I love this product it just takes time and motivation.

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mysteriousbeauty

August 14, 2011

Pros:

Skin feels smoother
Gives it a nice glow
Helps the active pimples go away faster

Cons:

Skin gets used to it.

I started using Retin-A Micro prescribed by my dermatologist, saw results the first week, I applied it every night, and noticed my skin looked healthy, glowy & very soft. I breakout mostly on my cheeks not so much on my forehead and chin, when i do its those little skintone bumps that goes away with a gentle scrub.. but on my cheeks I get the annoying red ones that take forever to come to the surface, the Retin-A, helped bring those stubborn ones out then I used clindamycin in the morning.. the only thing with it is that I think our skin gets used to products & we stop seeing results; so I recommend that you use it one week straight, then change it to every other day, it should help & good luck ;))

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Brendeno

August 10, 2011

Pros:

Lighten up scars
No severe break outs
Acne is cleared up

Cons:

Initial break out
Irritates skin for a couple of weeks

Ive been on Retin- A for 4 months now and I WAS happy with my results. It made a great improvement to my skin. Scars weren't there. No more pimples. But now my acne is starting to come back.. i think im not immune to retin-a and it wont stop my breakouts, HELP and P.S recommend this item

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gregorbleg

August 8, 2011

Pros:

Clears Skin
Shrinks Pores
No Toxic Side Effects

Cons:

Hard to put a pea size amount all over face
Initial Breakout
Takes a bit of time to really see results

I was on Retin-A Micro a long time ago back in high school and it made me break out intensely until i got fed up and stopped using it and just used a benzoyl peroxide wash. I got clear and stayed clear for a sum amount of years but started breaking out again at 20 and kept at it. I ordered this product online and the first day putti ng it, no real results. Second day was the coolest thing (to me). My face looked "broken out" but what really happened was all of my acne had surfaced and whatever was arleady on my face was exfoliated into white heads, a cyst i had for a couple days even shrunk half its size! Anyways i washed my face and got redness and then just ignored it and in time i got more acne here and there but overall, once every clog in their is surfaced and ur sebacious glands shrink up, its clear skin for life :)

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Alvince

August 4, 2011

Pros:

Seemingly effective for my case (I also have psoriasis. I was once also developing discoid Lupus in which i was treated oral steroids which weakened my immune system thus causing moderately severe Acne.

Cons:

Initial Breakout is scary.

Never in my life have I had acne until recently(i'm 19). Acne does not run in my family. My Psoriasis(hyperactive immune system) fought effectively against everything. However, my eating habits of Human Growth Hormone amino acids caused my already strong immune system to start attacking itself. This is when I was then prescribed to take oral steroids to weaken my immune system. Then I became pizza face. My confidence dropped. I avoided going out. I avoided making eye contact when I did go out. Invisibility felt lonely, but at least it was less embarrassing. I was then put on a long term plan. I took only Solodyn for 4 months and skin was beautifully smooth. When I stopped the Solodyn, I then took Tretinoin. Within 5 days, hell broke loose again on my face. I had 50 white heads all over, black heads on my nose, and cysts here and there. I was terrified. WTH happened?! But I kept at it. Doctor said apply once every night...I did it 3-4 times a day. Too many white heads everywhere to just let sit and spread. I read abrasive washes are good for predominately whitehead acne(pores too tight for sebum/dead skin to escape). And the abrasive wash is good to open pores and clear flaking skin. First 8 days face felt scaly. Day 9 was first Peel. SKIN flaking EVERYWHERE and face red. Day 10(today) I notice recommendation to wait 30 mins after face wash to apply Tretinoin. So I do...face 60% better. Yes my skin is tight, miscolored, and hurts. But, it's smooth and I smile when I look at myself now. Note* Drink LOTS of water. The rapid cell turnover of Tretinoin tolls on the body's hydration system. Drinking water will give the new cells healthier membranes and healthier defense systems from infection. I hope this helps, goodluck.

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back2me

August 4, 2011

Pros:

Peels skin, lightens scars and makes skin softer.

Cons:

Can cause chemical burn

I like this stuff, but I got a chemical burn around my mouth after a while and now I have some extreme hyperpigmentation there. So be careful about that, otherwise it's great.

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CAM9991

July 27, 2011

Pros:

Softer Skin
Shrinks Existing Acne in a matter of days

Cons:

Some Peeling

I've been using Retin A Micro .04% for about three weeks now. I haven't really had the horrible IB everyone has been talking about, I'm not sure if I'm not far enough into it yet. As of now, I have already seen positive results. My acne is clearing..slowly, but surely. Just stick with it! I know it's going to take time but it's worth it in the end. My Dermatologist said results may start within the first two weeks, full results by week seven. Stick with it! Your skin will be beautiful in no time! As for the peeling aspect..nothing a good moisturizer can't fix! I wear make up and I was very nervous to put it on because I thought the peeling would make it look horrible- but it didn't!

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Cumbo

July 24, 2011

Pros:

-Makes skin more smooth
-Clears acne quickly
-Minimal scarring
-No staining
-Minimal odor

Cons:

-Noticeable initial breakout
-Skin becomes more dry
-Does not clear everything

I was prescribed this by my dermatologist about 6-7 weeks ago. I was instructed to wash my face once in the morning and once at night (at night with BenzEFoam). I was to apply the Retin-A 0.1% at night as well. There was a noticeable breakout, but the acne cleared and began to improve quickly. Minimal redness, zero peeling. Then I noticed a lack of results. Big pimples faded and disappeared, but small blackheads and bumps under the skin remained. At my 6-week visit back to the derm, he recommended using the Retin-A twice a day since my skin isn't sensitive to it. Now I have a worse IB, but it seems as if it's helping to bring everything out so it can be killed off. It's been a week since I began using it twice a day. So far, I have a moderate IB, but I can tell it's improving.

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