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
September 2, 2014
Tretinoin Cream 0.025%
I have been using this cream for 3 weeks today and I am not sure if it is ever going to work. I am 22 years old and I have always had perfect skin, but I have been battling acne now for about 6 months and I am just at my breaking point. My dermatologist prescribed me Minocycline 100mg and Tretinoin Cream 0.025% but 3 weeks after taking Minocycline I had some terrible reactions to the medicine so now I had to quit taking that and I am only using the cream. Everyone keeps telling me to be patient but that is EASIER said then done. I have let acne control my entire life for the past 6 months..I go to work and then I come home and get in bed. I feel like all it is doing is making my blackheads worst and it's just not working! Not to mention I already have horrible red spots all over my fave that I just can't seem to cover with makeup or ANYTHING. I'm hoping someone knows what I am going through and can calm me down because all of my friends still have perfect skin and they just don't understand what I am going through
August 24, 2014
The game changer
I have been using tretinoin for almost 7 years now and it has been greatly beneficial to my skin. Tretinoin helped my skin to reduce the size of scars as well as help prevent blackheads.
Here are the combinations of topical applications I used with tretinoin
-Tretinoin + Benzoyl Peroxide Cream + Aveeno Calming Cleanser = VERY DRY SKIN, peeling, redness, irritation, needed a great amount of moisturizer... sometimes the moisturizer was too weak to reduce the dry skin so I had to use something thick like sunblock.
-Tretinoin + Oxy Benzoyl Peroxide Face Wash = Dry skin, redness, a small amount of peeling
-Tretinoin + Clindamycin Phosphate + Cetaphil Everyday Cleanser = Best results, didn't over-dry the skin, kept the skin nice and tight, seems like my pores are shrinking, scars are starting to level-off with the rest of the skin, no peeling, no dryness. Tretinoin should be used at night because it makes your skin sensitive to UV rays as well as artificial sunlight. Try to apply this right before you go to sleep; my skin got oily when I applied this and went out. Only use a pea-sized amount to prevent over-drying/redness. Try to wash your face after 7-8 hours after you apply it on your face because it can irritate your skin.
August 18, 2014
made acne worse.
I'm a 21 yr old female. Ok so 4 months ago i was suffering with an oily tzone of whiteheads. So I started retin a 0.05% twice a week for 18 weeks. The first couple of weeks I purged suffered the ib then by week 7-8 it cleared and i was then left with these disgusting red marks. Till now the red marks are still here and i forgot to mention more whiteheads than before. Oh and my skin is still peeling. The only benefit i got from this was smooth texture and my skin evened out a bit. I'm thinking of going on tazorac. Has anyone gone on Tazorac right after retin a?
August 17, 2014
VERY good product!! Patience is key
So I have struggled with acne since 12, it stopped around 16-19 and 6 months ago came back really bad! I am a 19 year old male and broke out pretty damn bad. Cystic acne all over my jawline and cheeks. I started taking tretinoin .025 and doxycyline for the first month. I am 9 weeks in and my face has changed a lot! I am breaking out a little but not nearly as bad as I was, I'm dealing with hyper pigmentation and some breakouts which is awesome! I have a great regimen that has worked great for me because I use couple other treatments on my face in conjunction with tretinoin. It takes time! I was like you sitting on my computer at night because I'm pissed how my skin looks and don't know what to do. Give this a try and give it time, I broke out and did have the initial breakout but so worth it! My skin can only get better from now, switching to retina-a .05 in couple weeks since my skin is easily tolerating the .025, if anyone has any questions on my regimen feel free to ask!
August 14, 2014
Product used: Atralin (Tretinoin (.05%) Gel)
August 14
I live in Kampala Uganda where the air is very dirty and tends to clog up my pores like you would not imagine. My dermatologist gave me this and aczone i really like the aczone but atralin makes my face extremely oily and i have been scared to try it sense.
August 12, 2014
Advice- Day 1
I have just been prescribed this product (in .05%) by my dermatologist and today was my day 1 with it. I'm only a middle schooler, and the reviews from adults using this product say that they're skin was pretty irritated and flakey after about 2-4 weeks (which my doctor warned may happen to me). School starts in 3 weeks, and I'm nervous as to how bad I'll be broken out by that time. any advice how to control it? I'd hate to get discouraged when all the reviews say to be patient for the great results.
August 11, 2014
Product used: Atralin (Tretinoin (.05%) Gel)
Say no to the drugs
I have always had acne through my teenage years; however, once I turned 20 I started getting painful cysts strictly on my chin. It was a constant thing for a good 7 months until I went to see a dermatologist who put me on aczone twice a day and atralin once at night. I have been taking it for 3 months and my face has got nothing but worse! My chin still continues to break out. My face overall is SO OILY and I do not have oily skin. My chin is constantly peeling and breaking and red. ALSO, since starting the antibiotics, my face has been SUPER sensitive. It's been nothing but unwanted stress!! . The only plus is that it has somewhat helped fading red marks-- but barely. Unfortunately, it is all a trial and error. Everyone is different. Eat lots of fruits and veggies! I strongly believe that's the only solution.
August 8, 2014
Tretinoin but be patient
Only cream that will actually work but may take a few months but will be worth it. I used tretinoin a few times and quit because I thought it was aggravating my acne but I now know that it gets all the bad gunk out first and brings the next skin cells up to the surface. I used this for about a month before taking accutane and haven't experienced an initial breakout so far( on day 9) .... Be patient
August 6, 2014
Don't Give Up
I've been using Tretinoin for almost 15 weeks now and let me tell you it hasn't been all rainbows and sunshine. I am a 21 year old female that was getting painful cystic acne around my chin, mouth, and cheeks that seemed to spring up out of nowhere. I went to my dermatologist who prescribed me a combination of clindamycin/benzoyl peroxide for mornings and Tretinoin .05% for nights. I went through a bad initial breakout around my 3rd week in that lasted about my 6th week. I was VERY depressed and felt so hideous that I hardly left my house. If you're in this phase of your treatment...I know how you feel and what you're going through. The redness, itching, flaking, burning...are all really annoying side effects that can honestly seem to last forever and destroy your self esteem. I was very very ready to just throw the Tretinoin in the trash and never look at it again. Instead, I decided to research. Everyday I would come on this site and read the hopeful reviews and try to tell myself that I just had to stick with it. Eventually, after about 2 and a half months I stopped getting the painful acne. Pimples became few and far between. The burning went away and the flaking became manageable. The pimples I get now are almost invisible and go away much quicker. I can finally look people in the eyes again without feeling disgusted with myself. But the number one thing is...you HAVE to stick with it. DON'T GIVE UP. And don't listen to the reviews that say they've only been using it a few weeks or a month. This takes time! It even says to give it up to 6 months. Now I'm dealing with hyper-pigmentation...but Tretinoin will help with that too. You MUST MUST MUST use it everyday. Don't skip. And always wear sunscreen. Tretinoin works by speeding up the cell turnover process...making you really susceptible to sunburn. I'm not 100% where I want to be...but that's only because I have become obsessed with my skin. However, I'm light years better than where I was 15 weeks ago. Don't stop it. Keep telling yourself that Tretinoin is a marathon...not a sprint. Don't give up.
August 1, 2014
"Maybe I Just Need to Keep Hopeful?"
I've been using Tretinoin .05% cream for a month and a half and I know off the bat that some people will say that that's not even a long enough period for it to work for some people but so far no good. I hate this concept that you have to use a product for a couple of months to actually see the "possible" effects that it "might" have. Right now I've been on Doxycline, Tretinoin, and Clindamycin for almost two months and I'm no better than I was before I walked into the Derms office. I'm really hoping that I'm one of the people I've read about that just take longer to see the results they want but after repeatedly being let down everything I've ever tried I'm conditioned to believe this concoction that the Dermatologist has cooked up is no different. I fear I'm one of those people who will never beat acne and honestly that just makes me really sad. Still, I'm hoping I can come back to this website in a while and update or change this review to 5 stars...