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
December 14, 2007
Cons:
It didn't really do anything, so I just continued to break out while I wasn't getting anything to help it.
I think this product only works for certain skin types. You just have to try out and see, but if I were you, I would use something simotaniously so you don't break out more. Or just save yourself the trouble and buy a better product.
December 4, 2007
Pros:
nothing
Cons:
made acne worse and yes i do know for sure it was worse, skin was HORRIBLY oily after using it.. completely an oil slick by the end of the day. skin was DRY after washing face and peeled, but by midday was completely oily. din't work.
i used this to clear scars after finishing up accutane a month after. worsened it and now im on the basics again tryna clear up acne with clindamycin hope it works.
November 21, 2007
Pros:
If your skin can handle it, it works.
Cons:
Retin-A dried my skin out horribly. No matter how slowly I tried adding it to my regimen, I couldn't handle it. My dermatologist soon prescribed me a lower dose of version, and eventually took me off it.
Do NOT use if you have sensitive skin of any sort.
November 11, 2007
Pros:
none
Cons:
Severely dried face day after day with absolutely no end
This product was the last thing that the family doctor was able to perscribe to me before i had to go to the dermatologist and it was absolutely terrible. I had been using until recently every day for SIX months and i saw no results at all except for dry flaky skin that had to be visciousy scrubbed of with a moist hand towel. My acne only worsened over the six month period that i was using it. I would never recomend this to anyone. I am now on accutane and wishing i had done it sooner considering the fact that all my acne should be gone within 4-5 months.
October 29, 2007
Pros:
None that I know of.
Cons:
Dry, itchy skin, acne did not clear. I used this for about five months, and the acne did not clear. My skin continued to break out, and became very dry and itchy.
I do not recommend, because this also caused my skin to get tiny, dry, fine lines. The best thing is that I paid for this under my health care insurance, so I paid only $15.00 for the prescription.
September 14, 2007
Pros:
Cleared all after 33 days. But still lot of marks/scars on my face. How long will this take ?
Cons:
Very dry skin and flaky around chin, sensitive to sun, burning feeling when I apply moisturizer. The treatment is so long that I am not sure whether I made the right decision to use Stieva. May be I was better off without this.
Adult Acne: Never had acne in my life. Started with medium acne condition. 10- 15 pimples on my forehead and under the skin surface.
Aug 10 - Went to see a doctor. Started on Stieva A (Tretinoin 0.025%)
Aug 24 ' Went to see the same doctor again. Prescribed Erythromycin but asked me to wait two more weeks to start.
First three weeks - very bad condition, more pimples and bigger in size. Forehead and chin were the worst.
Aug 26 ' Went to see another doctor. I was prescribed Bezaclin and told not to use Stieva A if not effective. But I've read here that people have used both tretinoin and Benzaclin at the same time. So I took the risk and used both. Benzaclin in morning and tretinoin at night.
Aug 31 - Saw little improvement but lot of pimples still under the skin.
Sept 6 ' Started Erythromycin. Twice a day
Sept 13 ' Cleared all.
In Canada, it is so hard to get to see the specialist unless it is life threatening. Thanks to this website. I got m
September 3, 2007
Pros:
I have some minor scarring issues, and Retin-A seemed to help with redness over a period of time.
Cons:
I have cystic acne, so I figured that this stuff might actually help me to get rid of painful lesions faster, but it only made it worse. I've used it for almost a year, and I quit using it a week and a half ago. My face is now clearer and softer.
This might work for some people that have mild acne, but I don't think it is good for people with cystic acne. I have better results using Dove sensitive skin soap, and a gentle exfoliator. For spot treatment, melaluca has a roll on stick applicator which works miracles. Anyways, it's worth trying if you don't have horrible skin, but I wouldn't recommend it for people with cystic acne.
August 25, 2007
Pros:
None.
Cons:
Extreme burning like my face is on fire for at least ten minutes after I put it on. Made my acne become much, much worse. I had tried Benzaclin for about four months before and Benzaclin did nothing for me either.
Retin A made my face feel like it was on fire and did not clear up my acne. It made my acne signifficently worse and I hate it. I think I'm going to try Azlex next. I just want to walk around with a bag over my head because of how horrible my face looks.
August 19, 2007
Pros:
Treats existing acne
Cons:
Really bad side effects, especially if u have a darker skin complexion. Makes your skin more sensitive to sunburn (could be permanent, even after you stop the treatment), and lightens skin tone. Mild itchiness and redness. Does NOT prevent breakouts!
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with a medium/tannned/dark skin tone. After using it, it lightened the skin on my face 1-2 shades. Now the rest of my body is 1-2 shades darker than my face. Also makes my face red, which looks realy weird on brown skin. If you must use it and have a medium/tanned/dark skin tone, use it in very very small amounts. (The size of a green pea is enough to cover your entire face). Also, use sunscreen. Before using this product, I never sunburned in my life, but after using it, I started to sunburn pretty easily. The worst part is that it does not prevent breakouts! It only treats the exisiting acne, but once they are gone, you will breakout again. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone because it will ruin your complexion if you're medium/tanned/dark skinned and it will make you sunburn much more easily if you're light skinned (light skin sunburns easily).
August 16, 2007
Pros:
- -
Cons:
takes a long time to work
The beginning is was burning, red, itchy and it seemed like an explosion of a lot of acne all over the cheeks. Very bumpy and pus filled it hurts. I'm still sticking to it right now, the cheeks seem less, but around the jaw line and just near the neck it's increased and around the hairline of near the ears. I see it's red and blotchy now too where it use to be the worse and it looks like scarring or little holes from whiteheads. Not sure yet if it'll work completely, since it's still growing pimples but less with pus.
Pros:
It reduced redness slightly