Tretinoin

Clear, soft, glowing skin
Evens tone
Fades scars/hyperpigmentation
Unclogs/refines pores
Re-texturizes skin
Smooth wrinkles and fine lines
Anti-acne AND Anti-aging... two-in-one product!

Cons:

You MUST BE PATIENT for results
Dryness, peeling
Initial â€œpurgingâ€ phase
Sun sensitivity

Retin-A has literally transformed my skin. This product is a miracle, but ONLY if you are patient, motivated and committed. Month 0-1 ½ Initial purging phase- breakouts and white heads, skin is dry and sensitive. I'm not going to lie- this part sucks. I think this is the reason so many people give up and never see results. DON'T GIVE UP! If you are patient and committed you'll be glad you stuck it out and pushed through this bad phase. It is worth it! Month 2-4 Significant improvement. Skin is 95% clear, with only minimal and short lasting breakouts during my period and a few small whiteheads now and then that are easily extracted. Skin appears smoother, softer and clearer. Pores appear less clogged and smaller. I'm using less makeup. I have less dryness and little to no irritation. Scarring and hyperpigmentation is slowly but surely fading. I literally notice more and more improvements with each passing week. It just keeps getting better. Keep in mind; they say it takes 6-9 months for major results. I'm so impressed by the results so far- I can't even imagine how amazing my skin will look in the months to come! Tips You need a routine and you MUST BE PATIENT!! I gradually increased my use from 1x/week up to every other day' Start slowly and increase use over time. This minimizes side effects. Base your use on YOUR SKIN's reactions; everyone is different. Use a gentle, non-medicated cleanser. I like CeraVe's foaming cleanser. ONLY apply Retin-A at night, 30min after cleansing. GENTLY exfoliate morning and night to remove flaking. I use a wash cloth made for babies. It removes dry skin but is super gentle. Use lots of moisturizer and sun block. I also use Jojoba oil a few days a week to loosen dry flakey skin and add needed moisture. Drink lots of water and eat a healthy diet (fruits and veggies). Nourish/heal/hydrate your skin from the inside out. Omega-3, Vitamin E and Zinc are a

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Michelle

July 27, 2012

Pros:

None

Cons:

Skin got worse

For the last two months my skin was breaking out a lot. I would wake up every couple of days with a new spot. I had a prescription of retin a micro gel which I filled. I used it once - the next day I woke up with three new pimples. They were huge and painful. It has been three weeks and I am still dealing with the scarring from that one use. I'm assuming this was an initial breakout but it was so bad that I never used it again. It is not worth for me to make my skin go from bad to terrible before it gets better.

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SlowandSteady

July 26, 2012

Pros:

- clears up acne
- brigthens face

Cons:

- flakes
- dry patches
- excess oil on skin

Well i reviewed this product a month or two ago. I have now been using this product since April 2012 and it is now the end of July 2012. So around 4 months of trying out this product. Honestly my acne was not very severe to begin with, it was very light except when i became very stressed out. As i mentioned in my earlier review i did have verrrryyy dry flakey inflamed skin for the first month and a half. My acne cleared up but has come back atleast once or twice while still using the product, except when my acne shows up now it goes away in about 3 days. I was using tret 0.05 but just recently got switched to 0.025 becuase of the dry patches that kept showing up on my face. I could not handle having dry patches while the rest of my face was beyond oily. Conciously putting on lotion to an oily face was just not working for me. So far with the 0.025 version my face is not as dry, however my acne is not drying out as fast. :/ Also, the oil on my face is still very bad. I will continue using this product for at least one year before I completely give up on having perfect skin. I can definitely tell that i have had a change of heart about this product, especially considering my sensitive skin type. I though that it would continue to make my skin glow and look amazing but it did not live up to expectations. Bottom Line: If you have severe acne this product will definitely help you. The pros will definitely outway the cons. However, if you are like me and have very light acne, this product may be a little too much for the skin.

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snowbell

July 25, 2012

Pros:

tightens pores
shrinks acne overnight
makes your skin glow
eliminates wrinkles very fast
pinkish tone

Cons:

flaky and excessively dry skin initially
Not subsidized by government here in NZ :(

I suffer from mild to moderate acne since teenage years and this year i came across tretinoin ....which my husband was using before we met each other.... I tried it for one week and saw drastic results....since then i have been using it every night before bed ....and it has cleared my skin completely...The scars take some time to fade but they do go away. I use 0.1% and although my skin is super sensitive..i didnt experience a lot of problems ...but yea, skin was very dry ..but you can use misturiser for that ....during the day time. All in all, its a great treatment and worth trying. Gives amazing results but u need to have patience for atleast 1st month.

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michaelbrandon96

July 25, 2012

Pros:

gets rid of acne
easy to use
cheap (with insurance)

Cons:

initial breakout
takes time
requires a lot of patience
leaves red marks/scars

I've been on retin-a for 34 days now and my face hasn't looked better! this whole year I've struggled with cystic acne and a lot of it and I was sceptical while on it, but you honestly have to stick with it and tough it out. some days I would wake up and look at myself in the mirror and hate everything I saw but after time patience and a healthy diet it was all worth it! The initial breakout period was pretty bad, and since I'm in highschool it wasn't much of an ego booster, but you have to remember that in the end you'll have clear skin. Its more of a lifestyle change since you have to change your diet, and watch the amount of bad foods and drinks you consume but I wouldn't have got the clear skin I have now! with only two blemishes on my face it really works!

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Jane

July 24, 2012

Pros:

Clears up MY FACE COMPLETELY
Made my skin smooth
Smaller pores

Cons:

Takes time
patience required

I've been using Retin a for about 9-10 months now. For the first to 4 months, your skin will be a mess, flaking everywhere, redness and everything. But if you're patient enough till you get to 6 months, your skin will be wonderful. No acne, smaller pores, and smooth skin. Trust me, it works, so just keep using it, you must not give up. Up until i discover retin-a, I've gone to many doctors and try many cosmetics. But it doesn't give much result and nothing work like retin-a. Now I use many home remedies with retin-a. After shower (sometimes i use baking soda), i just put fresh aloe vera gel until it dries, and i wash it with water, then i put lemon juice as a toner, then use moisturizer and sunblock (i use clinique). At night, after shower i use the same routine with aloe vera and lemon juice, then i use retin-a every other night, the night i don't put retin-a, i just use serum and night cream overall i think this is the best treatment that i ever used, and people should try it instead of those expensive treatment and cosmetics

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Lari

July 23, 2012

Pros:

- Reduced pores
- Reduced blackheads / whiteheads
- 99% clear skin in 5-6 weeks
- Faded marks and scars
- Self-esteem returned
- No need to worry about having strict diets and sleeping time when you're on the cream (important!)

Cons:

- Skin gets oily easily
- Persistent pinkish skin tone on your face
- More sensitive skin
- Gets sunburnt easily

I'm a 24-year-old Asian from Hong Kong. I started my first application of tretinoin 0.05 when I was 22. My boyfriend at that time (now an ex-bf) is a dermatologist and I was so "lucky" to be breaking out while I was dating him. He gave me tretinoin 0.05 and an antibiotics (took it for around 1.5 months and went off it). So I used the cream religiously (day and night!) and all my breakouts subsided in 1 month. What's more - I continued to have good result with it. I had no initial breakout, no flaking or dry skin until I reached my 8th month, which was around January - the coldest and dryest time of the year. Then I got flakes and dry skin. I was stupid enough to keep using the cream without reducing my usage - All of a sudden, I developed an allergic reaction to it. My face got red and itchy. I cried to my bf (ex-bf) and he gave me Elidel cream. I applied for 2 days and recovered. After that I became paranoid about using tretinoin (how stupid!!) and started investing in products that are "natural" and "non-irritating" - Origins, Lush, etc. For the first couple of months, my skin was happy and easy - still breakout-free. Then I broke up with my bf, and stopped using tretinoin altogether. BIG MISTAKE!! My blackheads and whiteheads returned, followed by enlarged pores. Then out of nowhere, breakouts! At first it was just one to two acnes here and there - but then it got worse, and much worse after I started working (I'm an auditor). The thing about being an auditor in Hong Kong is you're working from 8 am to 3 am and it worsened my acne. Out of the blues I finally went to the derm in June 2012. He prescribed me Tretinoin 0.01, 0.025 and 0.05 (to switch flexibly according to skin condition), Minocycline for 3 months and Clindamyacin. Now I'm on 7th week and I am so happy that my skin is 100% clear! Even if I got an acne, it was so small and nothing like what I used to have. I swear I will never ever go off tretinoin! again! : )

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Dee

July 19, 2012

Pros:

Shrinks pimples overnight
Reduces occurence of blackheads and whiteheads
Improves apperance and tone of skin

Cons:

Redness and peeling intially
Dry and oily patches

I hade moderately severe cystic axne, and nothing seemed to work. Retina-A has definitely improved my skin. I found the my problem had to do with oily skin, persistent blackheads and large pores. The cream helped shrink the size of my pores, and has reduced the blackheads and whiteheads on my skin as a result. The frequent peeling action has also drastically improved the tone of my skin and has faded my scars. I would highly recommend first determining your type of skin and your main problems and then choosing the product the suits your skin best. Discussing your concerns with your doctor and considering all your treatment options should help too.

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skinpro6

July 13, 2012

Pros:

Heals all types of acne (for me)
Prevents new acne
Slowly fades scars
Clears pores

Cons:

Very oily skin (but that's good!)
Takes a while to work
Need to be disciplined

I'm 31, half Asian/half Caucasian. Got bad adult acne in Feb 2012. Chin and jaw line were swollen and bumpy with deep painful cysts. Large bloody cysts on forehead. Cheeks exploded with deep painful bloody pimples. It was aggressive. Using since 6/1/2012: Tretinoin Cream 0.025% before bed I had no bad reactions. No burning, peeling, tingling, or redness. The tretinoin I'm using is the weakest prescription strength. It comes in a metal tube, it's off-white and has the consistency and slight odor of glue. The first couple weeks I still had the acne but no new ones were forming, skin was "shedding", it was painless and would wash off in the morning. Slowly, the acne cysts shrank and pimples dried up. Now, 6 weeks into it, all the acne is gone completely and the scars are starting to fade slightly. No more shedding, but skin gets oily very quickly. I used to use Biore pore strips frequently, like every couple weeks on my nose. Pores would just clog right up the next day. After 2 weeks of using the tretinoin, the pores would ooze all day long, but the oozing has slowed down and now my pores have shrunk considerably. Advice: You must wait for your skin to dry completely before applying the tretinoin (20-30 min) I don't know what Bas from Netherlands bought off the internet for $200 but it sounds like snake oil. Hair loss and tiredness, alcohol in it? Mine was prescribed from a doctor and it cost $47 for a tube that'll probably last 3 months. (insurance did not pay)

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Christine

July 11, 2012

Pros:

-acne heals faster
-

Cons:

-initial breakout was HORRIBLE
-doesn't help hormonal acne
-causes flaky skin(this can be fixed with moisturizer and exfoliators)

I'm 15 years old, and my acne was dreadful. I had cystic acne, whiteheads, blackheads, the whole nine yards. After a while, I figured I had suffered enough and I went to my dermatologist, who prescribed me with minocyclin(not sure if I spelled that right) twice a day orally and Retin-a Micro 0.1% gel at night. The first month somewhat sucked, just because the retin-a caused an initial breakout. The initial breakout is basically the retin-a dragging all the bacteria from deep within your skin out to the surface, causing pimples. I must say though, the initial breakout was worth it. Keep with it, and your skin should clear up. To this day, my acne still hasnt completely cleared up, and ive been using it religiously for the past 8 months. Hormonal acne is still a problem for me, but other than that my acne has improved drastically.

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