Tretinoin
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Tretinoin is a vitamin A derivative called a topical retinoid. It helps clear acne by promoting skin cell turnover.

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Tretinoin is a vitamin A derivative called a topical retinoid. It helps clear acne by promoting skin cell turnover.

Tretinoin is usually applied once a day around bedtime.

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3.5
1649
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5
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4
33.8%
3
21.3%
2
13.9%
1
8.6%

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October 3, 2012
I used the generic cream and I have to say... do NOT use this if you have acne prone skin... use the gel. This changed the texture of my skin and made the texture of my skin a lot better but after 5 months of use, continued to break me out. That's when I found out the base of this product contains ingredients that clogs pores. This cream would be better for those who are fighting wrinkles, not acne. Plus, the cream made me peel and flake for months, not weeks.
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October 2, 2012

Pros:

Makes skin smoother, helps peel off pimples, helps with blackheads, helps peel scars, makes face brighter, helps fade hyperpigmentation and scarring, helps with wrinkles

Cons:

Takes a while to start seeing results

I LOVE retin-A (.025% gel) and think I will be using it for the rest of my life!!! It takes a little bit to get over the initial breakout period but after this, your skin just keeps getting better. I ran out of this stuff and decided to use some tazorac I had lying around (cream formulation) and this just made me breakout worse and feel so insecure. Now that I started using this again, I see my acne going away day by day and all my scars are fading very quickly. Every morning I'm excited to wake up and see the layer of skin that has peeled off my face! (gross I know)... but this in combination with some BP in the morning will do the trick.
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October 1, 2012

Pros:

A little goes a long way
Goes on easy
WORKS!

Cons:

Smells a little

I've tried everything for my skin and always been left with several pimples a day. But my new routine is MUCH better. My doctor prescribed it to me to use in the evening. In the morning I use azelaic acid with my Benzoyl Peroxide and since that time I've noticed a difference in my skin. My dermatologist explained that benzoyl peroxide negates retin-a so I use them at separate times of the day.
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September 26, 2012

Pros:

Cheap with insurance
Refines skin texture
Blemishes appear less, and clear within a few days (EVEN CYSTS!!!) with consistent use
Sun damage/wrinkle/PIH reversal
Skin looks better EVERY DAY after you pass the hump (for some this is at around 12 weeks, for others it can be closer to a year. The dramatic change in my skin happened after about 5 months)
I don't have to obsess about diet as much

Cons:

Expensive without insurance
Initial breakout (months 1-4) was physically and emotionally taxing
Skin takes awhile to retinize and looks red and inflamed at the beginning of treatment
Requires consistent use to maintain results

I have waited 5 1/2 months to write this review, using a generic retin-a cream nightly for that duration. I began with the .025% generic cream and experienced a dreadful initial breakout that lasted until about 5 months. I will rephrase that. The worst of the initial breakout began for me at two weeks in and lasted until around the three month mark. My skin pushed up painful inflamed acne on my cheeks, chin, and jawline. This decreased, but another bad breakout came and stuck around until just a few weeks ago. I never had experienced acne in these areas, and never this variety. One weeks ago, I asked the derm to bump up the concentration to the .05% generic cream and I'm so glad I did! The results are quicker now, and I'm excited to wake up every morning and see the improvements! I made several mistakes early on that probably affected my results: Don't pick (actives or resolving scabs) Be gentle with your skin (you might not be able to tolerate exfoliation or other products = bad reaction) Use a gentle cleanser morning and night, pat dry (I use a fresh paper towel!), no rubbing Apply evenly and pat in as opposed to rubbing it on! Work up to nightly use/more thorough application Avoid the sun, especially at first! With extended exposure, you'll not only have worse sun damage but also more redness, peeling, inflammation, and breakouts as a response. Expect the worst but anticipate the best...my skin got much, MUCH worse when I began using this product. I would cry and refuse to face anyone. This treatment requires courage and dedication. After almost six months, my skin is much smoother, and looks glorious with makeup. I still have a lot of hyper pigmentation to deal with, left over from the two bad breakouts I got at months 1-3 and 3-4, but I am confident the retin a + time will fade them. My skin personally began looking its best when I STOPPED using a moisturizer and stuck with a simple rose water and glycerin m
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September 26, 2012

Pros:

Clears up skin
Skin looks smooth
Does wonders for my skin

Cons:

LONG initial break out
Increased oiliness
Cystic acne
Dries out skin
Long process
Requires patience

I've always had clear skin, but this past summer, my acne started flaring up really bad. It was terrible and I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror. People also said hurtful comments about my skin. I've literally tried everything on my skin, but nothing would consistently keep my acne at bay. So I decided to give tretinoin a try. I started using tretinoin cream 0.05% about two months ago and I'm currently on my 8th week. -In the mornings: I wash my face with Clean & Clear Advantage 3-in-1 Exfoliating Cleanser and apply Cetaphil Dermacontrol Oil Control Moisturizer SPF 30. -At night: I wash my face with Cetaphil DermaControl Oil Control Foam Wash. Then I wait 20-30 min, and take the same moisturizer and mix it with a pea sized amount of tretinoin cream, then apply it to my face. During the first couple of weeks, EVERYTHING GOT WORSE. I developed multiple cysts on my face daily. One time, I counted up to 25 pimples on my face. My acne went from moderate to severe. My face would get flaky and peel, no matter how much moisturizer I applied. Somehow, at the end of the day, my face was super oily, and I always had like at least 3 pimples that turned into whiteheads. It was painful to wash my face and I could no longer make eye contact with people because I was so insecure about my skin. I had to cake on my makeup every morning because I didn't want anyone to see my acne.This took an even bigger toll on my self esteem. But I kept telling myself that it would get better and everything will pay off, and it has..kind of so far. The major breakouts stopped around week 5-6 for me. From then on, all my pimples started to flatten out and it got less and less painful to wash my face. I am currently on week 8, and I have about 3 small pimples and the rest are scars. The scars are fading slowly, but the texture of my skin is generally really smooth. I am really excited for the final results!!! I can't wait to have clear skin again! The wait will be worth
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September 19, 2012

Pros:

make pimple dry quickly

Cons:

itchy, redness, leaves the scars

To be clear, i am using this cream with other oral medicine Doxcycline and Spironolactone, Doxcycline caused me upset stomach so i stopped using them now. Regarding Tretinoin, as everybody said i am having itchy skin, redness and yeah breakout too :(. Today is my 13th day, in the morning i saw three more painful cysitc acne apart from other existing acne and scars, its not fun at all.Hopefully it will go, i am so depressed with these acne. I have done so many things, tree tea oil, clarisonic mia cleanser, natural remedies like nutmeg, oatmeal honey facepack, baking soda etc etc..but everytime it is getting worst and endup going doctor. I will be more patience with this medicine hopefully i will get clearer skin within a month or two.
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September 16, 2012

Pros:

I haven't been on it long enough to find any pros.

Cons:

The WORST" initial" breakout
Makes face peel
Sensitive to sun

I have been on tretinoin .5% retina a for about two months now. I have used it almost every day and also some oral medicine that my dermatologist prescribed me. As of now I hate it. I started out with pretty bad acne. Now I have extremely terrible severe acne. It really screws up your self esteem . The only reason I'm staying on the medicine is because of what others say online and say to wait for results. Absolutely in so many ways terrible as of now.
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September 10, 2012

Pros:

can't say anything good yet ive been using it for almost 3 weeks
-cheap with insurance
-multi purpose
-can be used for acne, acne scars, wrinkles and prevent wrinkles

Cons:

flakiness
senstive to the sun
feels like you have a sunburn
cannot use mostriuzer with this at night just can only use retin a

when i first starting using retin a about 3 weeks ago nothing really happened to my skin it wasnt peeling or nothing it was just normal but then 3 days after my skin was starting to clear up and then i was like yes its working but then the next week my skin started to purge and i know thats part of the process so im going to stick to it but the purging isnt that bad how people make it seem like but it depends on the persons skin i will keep a follow up (: btw my doctor said to only use retin a at night and in the morning put benzoyl peroxide to the affect areas
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September 9, 2012

Pros:

Clears papules, pustules, whiteheads, blackheads, clogged pores.
Clears macules, hyperpigmentation, discolouration.
Exfoliates skin.

Cons:

Brings everything to a head at the start of treatment.
Not to be used if trying to conceive.
Skin is thinned & have to be careful what products you use in conjunction or else will burn skin.
Skin surface oily, is shiny but dry.

Started with 0.025% now using the 0.05%. After close to a year will feel like no longer effective. But stopping brought adult acne back so I will probably never get off this product again. Skin memory will kick in for this product so adjustment/break-in period irritation only severe for 1st time use. Subsequent returns to Retin-A again will be a breeze. Severe acne managed to clear and even the scarring/hyperpigmentation faded very well and skin is close to perfect again. Put this on after I turn the lights off to sleep because any form of light will break the formula down. Only way i know it's working is waking up in the morning and finding a layer of skin that can be rubbed off while washing. As weeks go by, acne is under control. Comedones dry up and can be extracted easily. No more pustules. New papules are flattened quickly. Scarring goes from red to brown, to pink as it fades. Took about 8 weeks to see that acne stopped surfacing & 28 weeks for discolouration to fade such that not really necessary to use foundation as cover-up. 1 x 25g tube lasts me 2 months, I use slightly more than a pea-sized amount.
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August 30, 2012

Pros:

After about 3 months, it did clear up my skin
Skin was softer
Less wrinkles

Cons:

Horrible dryness and peeling
Breakouts come back and are terrible!
Skin gets easily used to product
Very sensitive to any light

This product was great for the first couple of months and then my skin got used to it and stopped working. When the acne came back, it came back like HELL! My back acne literally made my cry every night after my shower when I looked it; it was so bad. Idk why my derm still keeps me on this because he thinks its a miracle product, yet it stopped working for me.
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Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.
Find a Doctor Using The American Acacemy of Dermatology Website

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.
Find a Doctor Using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Website