Topical Retinoid
Acne.org’s Real World Take
Works about the same as the other two topical retinoids, tazarotene and adapalene, and lands in the middle of those two when it comes to side effects. Should provide partial clearing, but comes with sensitivity when you first start using it. It probably won’t be a total game changer but it should help reduce acne.
Topical Retinoid
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Tretinoin? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
November 21, 2011
Cons:
Extreme drying
Flaking
Can be painful to apply in the first month
Takes time to work
Retin A is a fantastic product for clearing skin deep down, I was prescribed 0.01% gel and at first it sounds weak, however it really does work to clear skin deep down, although in the first 4 weeks be prepared for your skin to really break out, this is due to all the dirt and deep spots being lifted out and the new colligen being formed, skin will also be very dry and red with flaking ! All this is normal so dont worry ! Stick with it and youll see amazing results ! ive been using retin a with my daily dose of 1000mg oxytetracycline ! results are breath taking ! anyone Whos just started using retin A this product will change your life !!
November 16, 2011
Product used: Atralin (Tretinoin (.05%) Gel)
Pros:
Clears up mild/moderate acne well.
Non-drying like other retinoids.
Keeps skin soft.
Cons:
Can cause redness, but not enough to be a big deal.
This stuff is simply amazing! I use it once a day, before bed at night. I put it all over my face. After 2 months of using it, the pores on my nose are slowly starting to disappear (you know the ones that look like sprinkled pepper). I honestly was NOT expecting that at all! (I thought I'd have those little buggers for life!). My skin feels smooth and I've had absolutely no flaking with Atralin. I recommend this to anyone who suffers from mild - moderate acne. And yes, it will get worse before it gets better. Hang in there, it's worth it! My Derm gave me a coupon so I only have a $25 copay for this RX.
November 16, 2011
Pros:
-Radically improved my skin. I am now acne free.
-Improved overall skin quality (texture, discoloration issues)
-I am hopeful that it will help with some mild scarring.
-Easy to use
-Anti-aging as well
Cons:
-My health insurance's co-pay is rather expensive, but for most companies it is cheaper
-Inital dryness, flakiness around mouth and chin
-Sun sensitivity
This product has made the biggest change is my skin. I had moderately severe acne for may years that was beginning to cause scars, and my doctor put me on this and YAZ birth control as a last resort before Accutane. I am shocked at how effective this product is- for the first time since I was 14, I haven't had a pimple in over 2 months. The initial dryness and flakiness around your mouth and chin is difficult to deal with, but I really encourage you to stick with it. Carry moisturizer with you and if you don't suffer from acne on your chin, don't apply it there. Within a few weeks to a month you will seriously be enjoying the best skin of your life. It is so exciting for me to wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and feel that I look good without covering my acne with tons of makeup. I also had some textural issues/mild scarring that I am hopeful Retin-A will help with. I plan on staying on it for a very long time. Best of luck to everyone!
November 14, 2011
Please don't listen to the people who review this item and have only used it for a week or so. This product WORKS for 95% of people who have acne. This is a very strong product and it takes TIME and PATIENCE to work. It works by slowing the process of creating new skin cells. This in turn makes the layers of your skin peel away, revealing all the dirt trapped deep in your pores. In turn, YOU WILL BREAK OUT!!! But the irritation and breakouts is purging your skin of all the unseen, soon to be pimples. Do NOT give up on this product. You will not see fast results, but YOU WILL SEE RESULTS! You really just need to stick with it, and I promise you it will work. I have used this for deep black heads and I had small bumps under my skin on my forehead, after two months, they were completely gone and I now have PERFECT skin. Before I achieved the skin I have now, I went through peeling, redness, flaking, breakouts, oilyness, and itchiness. I felt like I sunburnt my face off, literally. But I am telling you, ITS WORTH IT! This product doesn't take DAYS to work, it takes MONTHS! But it does what it is supposed to do, and does it very well!!!!!! Stick with it people!!!! You will have beautiful skin.
November 13, 2011
Pros:
Younger looking skin (whatever age you are 19 or 50s)
Will clear acne
Even toned skin
Cons:
First couple weeks or months can be bad
Skin will be dry, red, peely
Need to stay out of extreme sun exposure
This product is great. It works. If your doctor prescribes it, stick with it for at least 6months to a year. You won't regret it. I have sensitive skin, meaning I can't even use regular laundry soap or fancy lotions. It took a couple weeks to adjust to retin a. I used a 10% benzoyl peroxide face wash once a day, and in the beginning retin a every other night. Make sure you follow directions. Example, wait 20-30mins after you wash your face to apply cream, GO EASY with how much you use until your face adjusts. Also, you need to use a moisturizer! The first month or so I had to apply moisturizer at least twice a day which was weird because before I couldn't even use one without breaking out before. So, bottom line, if you haven't found anything to completely get rid of your acne give this product a serious try. And when I say serious I mean dedicate time to use it correctly and commit for a few months (aim for 6-12months). It will be bad in the beginning, but it will work. My face looks great. I just saw a picture of myself from two summers ago and in the picture my face is oily looking and has breakouts. Now, in pictures over the last year, my face looks GREAT. I don't even wear makeup because it looks that good.
November 6, 2011
Pros:
My skin is wayyyy smoother already
waking up and not finding 4-5 new spots have developed over night
being able to wear makeup without breaking out.
not running my finger across my check and feeling 100s of raised red pores ^_^
Cons:
nothing really, i accidently got some on the corner of my lip which made it scab, but thats my fault
my skin occasionally burns VERY slightly when i put on my spf moisturiser (its important to use high spf) and only apply this at night. I have no flaking, but my skin is very greasy anyway and i am using moisturiser regularly with spf30
I suffer from largely comedomic acne with some pustules. I am 27, have had acne `13 years and been on most things except accutane. This stuff is awesome, I am going to write another review later on to let you know if it keeps it up,
So far my skin is sooo smooth, before it was like every pore was raised, and then around my period loads of these would develop into pustules. I am premenstrual now, and only have small pustules, usually it would be all over my cheeks. I am also taking much more pride over my appearance because before I was terrified to use foundation unless i was going out with friends as i would ALWAYS break out. Now I wear makeup everyday and feel like a new person. So fingers crossed, I will keep this updated.
by the way, I bought a generic called acnellyse, it costs about £10 including postage on ebay. check it out if your interested, as I can see some people are paying through the nose..
November 2, 2011
Pros:
got rid of cystic acne
fades scars
smooths skin
prevents new breakouts
Cons:
expensive
have to use it for at least a few months (requires patience!!)
smelly
some skin peeling
need to wear high SPF sunscreen every day
This product works. I had acne on and off from the age of 14. I am now 31. Had my first bout of cystic acne starting at age 28. I had horrible acne on my cheeks that was relentless and left scars (also first time I scarred).
Used Differin, Duac, antibiotics, Finacea, stinky sulfur wash, facials. Nothing worked for the cystic acne until I started on Atralin (another awesome product) and Retin-A Micro.
I wash my face with Cetaphil only. Once in the AM, once in PM. Atralin or Retin-A Micro at night and clindamycin in the daytime, with Neutogena Spectrum SPF 100+ sunscreen. This is a must at high altitudes and to prevent reddening of skin due to increased sun sensitivity with these products.
I had to use this product for a year to get amazingly clear skin that looked like I had never had cystic acne. Still have scarring on cheeks but it is minimized and the pigmentation has faded with consistent use of Retin-A and sunscreen. You must use sunscreen for best results with your scars.
I went from feeling extremely negative, depressed and self-conscious about my skin (zitty at ages 29 and 30!!), to having to pretend it was not there, and be very disciplined about using the products in the order listed every day. Don't give up, wash with Cetaphil, and wear your sunscreen.
October 31, 2011
Pros:
clear skin
no more acne
fading scars
helps with discoloration
Cons:
dry skin
I forgot to mention I use tretinoin .025%
everyone needs to try this I swear it cures acne
just be sure to use the right amount and in the beginning you might want to use it every other day
and make sure you're using a good cleanser!!! I think using bad cleansers is what made me break out so bad in the first place. look for alcohol free oil free fragrance free cleansers. also try not to get anything with sulfates. I use loreal go clean 360 cleanser but I don't lather it up. I just spread it on my skin and rinse off. it still absorbs oils and cleans your face fine without over drying and stripping your skin.
also, it is important you only use tretinoin at night. in the morning I use clyndimiacin (not sure if I spelt that right) 1 % all over my face. it moisturizes too. 2.5 % bp in the morning also as a spot treatment. I don't use anything but these products and my face has never been this clear. I swear the face products industry puts bad stuff in their products on purpose so you continue to break out and buy more products. go see a dermatologist! get tretinoin and clyndamiacin and 2.5 benzoyl peroxide! they might also prescribe you a bp wash but don't use that. I've tried 2 bp washes in my life they suck. idk about antibiotics I was prescribed those too but I didn't take them . I think theyre unnesscesary.
October 24, 2011
Pros:
* Cleared skin
* Cleaned out pores
* Minimized pores
* Better overall texture
Cons:
* INITIAL BREAKOUT
* Initial redness, dryness, peeling, etc.
* Takes time to work
Retin-A Micro completely cleared my hormonal acne around my mouth and sometimes on my cheeks. Do not bother with reviews that say "OMG I used this for 2 days and..." This medicine works with skin cell turnover which takes 3 months (12 weeks or 84 days). Please, STICK WITH IT. Hardly anyone does, and that's why not everyone sees results. I got discouraged when I'd been on it for two months and I was still breaking out. If I had quit, I would have never cleared up. At the 8 week mark it gradually started getting better, and by the 12 week mark I was almost clear or clear. I can't remember. Anyways, I stopped using it thinking Yaz had cleared me up, and I gradually began seeing an increase in clogged pores. 2-3 months after quitting I had gone back to square one. The moral of the story is: STICK WITH IT. It takes 2-4 months for MOST people.
October 8, 2011
Pros:
Actually works
evens out skin tone
gets rid of black heads
amazing at getting rid of scars
improves skin texture/makes skin super smooth
only applying at night
cheap
Cons:
Takes a very long time to get rid of the acne
Peeling like crazy in the beginning
initial breakout
have to wait 20 minutes after washing face to apply it
doctor visit
I have waited ever since mid July 2011 to do a review since I started the retin a regime along with an antibiotic and knew it will take a long time for this stuff to work. I was sick of my acne. I felt like it kept me from doing things i wanted to do and feeling free. The first week there was no change and no side effects. Then I got the initial breakout and my skin peeling off in sheets. The initial breakout was bad, but I just plowed through with the help of makeup. By the 7-9th week I was still breaking out, and I was worried that retin a just wasn't working. DON'T GIVE UP, it is working. It's now October 2011 so I've been on retin a for about 3-4 months and have seen a drastic improvement. This stuff has gotten rid of those stubborn blackheads on my forehead that would never ever go away with anything else, smoothed by skin texture and got rid of a lot of my old scars. I can now wake up confidently knowing I wont have 4 or 5 new pimples in the morning. I'm planning to be on retin a forever because it has so many benefits, even on wrinkles (I'm 19 so im not worrying about that yet). You can't really expect a medicine to have so many benefits and actually WORK without a lot of side effects. Luckily these side effects only happen in the beginning. One word of advice when using retin a, you need things to combat these side effects to get you through the day. The two things that helped me TREMENDOUSLY was the mychelle incredible pumpkin peel, and the mychelle cranberry mudmask. The peel helped me in the morning so I wouldn't flake off in the day and the mudmask just moisturized and calmed redness and was so wonderful. Moisturizer also helps, but these two products are really the one-two punch that help you get through the mess of the initial side effects. I only get maybe an occasional pimple throughout the week, and some scars left over from the initial breakout, but with consistent use of retin a I'm totally confident that both of these things will disappe
Pros:
Clears Skin Deep Down
Skin Looks fantastic
No more spots
Smooth, clear, blemish free skin !