Tretinoin

Personally a wonderful product. After having undergone having my children my skin started to go haywire after I turned 40. Then got crazy after my hysterectomy in March of 2011! Acne on my face, back, chest and top of my arms. Not what you expect or desire at my age. As I'm on other very strong medications for a chronic condition, the dermatologist couldn't put me on Accutane type meds. He did try a bunch of other things until we got to a dead end and this was the only option. At first my skin dried out and I looked like a lizard, I broke out as it pushed the acne causing garbage to the surface and my face stung. I was also advised (and complied) that I should start out slowly. Applying the gel once every couple of days, waiting an hour and then applying a quality mosturizer. Then after a couple of weeks start applying every other day w/mosturizer after the gel has been on my face an hour. I pushed through the discomfort and acne though as I'd already been warned that I would experience these things and that given a few weeks, I would see the benefits. My doc was so right! Now after 4 months of use, my skin looks amazing. It's actually also taken a few years off my looks...yippee! I'd be crazy not to be thrilled about looking at least 7 years younger right? LOL So I'm happy to take that bonus! I suggest following a moderate application timetable for a few weeks before going to applying it every night and hopefully you'll enjoy the same results. I'm just so thankful I finally found some relief. Mine is covered, at least temporarily, by insurance. Normal cost is $300 w/out insurance. My copay is $40. That's a bargain for something that really works.

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Bailey

October 21, 2011

Pros:

Clears skin somewhat
Unclogs pores

Cons:

Sun sensitivity
Waiting a half hour
Irritates skin

I have had acne for 5 years (I'm 16 now) and I have tried everything out there; proactive, facials, neutrogena, differin, duac, 3 different antibiotics, and even laser/light treatments. Nothing has worked so far. Including this. My skin is as follows: small bumps on my forehead, blackheads on my nose, big red blotches and post inflammitory hyperpigmentation (red marks from old pimples) on my cheeks and chin. I get about 3 whiteheads a week in different spots. Retin-A has helped me to clear up those little bumps on my forehead and slightly, slightly lessen the spots on my cheeks. Though this is difficult to tell because I have very sensitive and rosacea-y skin. The bottom line is if you have acne only from clogged pores this will be great for you, but if your problem goes deeper this may not be for you.

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Britt

September 30, 2011

Pros:

gets rid of acne
apply once a day
dries quickly

Cons:

Dries out skin

I love retin-a micro! At first I found that this product dries out the skin, but my dermatologist prescribed me a cream called nutraderm with clindamycin mixed in with it to compat the drying effects. The gel application is very light, smells kinda funky but it works like a charm! highly recommend! Just stick with it and power through the initial drying effects!

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misha

July 13, 2011

Pros:

-gets rid of acne fast
-not too hard to apply

Cons:

-stopped working
-kind of expensive
-drying
-leaves pitted marks

I started using the 0.10% gel about 10 months ago. The initial breakout wasn't so bad, maybe because I didn't notice it since I had a lot of acne to begin with. I was surprised that it actually cleared up my cystic acne and my blackheads within a month. I did get a few breakouts from time to time but nothing too bad. I used it every night, without missing a use and without any change in my routine and it suddenly stopped working. I have noticed that it caused pitted acne scars but I didn't care too much as long as it's clearing my acne. But now it's not even doing that! I started to get the same type of acne on my chin like I used to get prior to using retin-a.

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cherokee

April 15, 2011

Pros:

makes skin glow
fades acne marks
smoother skin
evan complex

Cons:

takes months to works
skins gets worst first

i love this producct i went to the demertologist he put me on this it works u have to be patient it takes time its working deep inside your skin

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antiDidactic

December 27, 2010

Pros:

Cleared up cystic acne in a matter of days.
Helped with deeper, more painful acne.
Helped my self-esteem.

Cons:

Dry skin. (To be expected, and could be fixed with moisturizer.)
Slight facial redness.
Could only be used at night.

This works. There's not much to say, but if you haven't given this a try, try it, please. I'm so glad I got this. But for the first week or so, just expect dryness/flakiness. But it's worth it, in the long run.

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ashley

December 22, 2010

Pros:

softer healthier general look of skin
reducing severe acne
reduces cystic acne quickly
less cystic acne in general
reduces amount of smaller pimples
reduces marks from acne

Cons:

dry flaky skin at times
expensive item

its a great product. ive been on retin-a micro .1% for a few years now. i started on the lower dose. the product definitely helps keep more control that before, it did not clear me up COMPLETELY tho i have tried everything BUT accutane and nothing has. i see a significant reduction in cystic acne and especially the little acne pimples. definitely reduces the post acne marks. and i think the product helped get me less oily. it controls a good amount of my acne and im happy, i wish it were clear completely, but im very satisfied with retin-a and wont EVER be without it! i used regular retin-a once, however, it gave me AWFUL breakouts and slick nasty skin, i hated it. stick with the micro for me. it is an expensive item...i purchase it from the UK its a goooood amount cheaper. its the johnson johnson brand. a tube that is 20G lasts about 2-3 months for me. insurance for me doesnt cover, however some do.

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sensitiveskin94

August 25, 2010

Pros:

-Fades red marks
-Makes my pimples come to a head

Cons:

-Dryness
-Makes my eyelids a little red and irritated (although most acne products do that to me at first so I guess I really can't complain)

First of all, I should mention that I've already been taking Bactrim for about 3 months, taking birth control for almost 5 months, and using BenzaClin nightly. My skin is, except for 2 small but painful pimples and 3 almost invisible bumps, clear. But that's only if you don't count the endless red marks all over my skin because any pimple I do get, I get a lasting spot on my face. I used this last night (Put on BenzaClin first, waited 15 minutes while I curled my hair, put this on, then 5 minutes later put on a sensitive skin lotion), expecting nothing but dry and painful flaky skin, like what happened last time. Wrong. Already after one day, my red marks are starting to fade, and my two ouchie pimples came to a head so I was able to pop them. One is already flat, the other slowly shrinking. Looking in the mirror this morning was a beautiful thing. I didn't look like someone had splattered me with red paint. Just pinkish spots. Beyond happy right now. I'm not saying this stuff is a miracle cream, because I have already been actively fighting my acne and I am using Atralin .05% for red marks only. So I'm not sure how this works if you have lots of acne. If you have light acne like I do, and are just trying to get rid of the marks, USE THIS PRODUCT. My skin is smoother even after one day. Try it. Use a pea-sized amount. You will love. I'm only going to use this 2-3 times a week for two weeks, then every other day for 2 weeks, and finally to daily. I don't want to shock my skin into hell. But really, guys. With Tretinoin, happiness is only an application away ;)

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Kelly R

May 2, 2010

Pros:

-Skin clearing after about 2 months
-Any acne clears up relatively quickly
-Still get some break outs during pms
-Red marks are fading

Cons:

-peeling all over face and neck especially during the first month
-can't use it on more sensitive areas like cheeks and chin
-red blotchy marks on skin (usually clears up after a few days

I had moderate acne on my forehead and blackheads on nose. The tretinoin made my face hell the first month but it's now the 2nd month and I only get a few pimple but the black heads aren't really going away. The red marks from past acne is definitely clearing up. I found that if you're getting irritation and flaking on the areas where you don't apply the tretinoin, try applying it in the morning a 1/2 hour after you wash your face. If you use it at night, the medicine may be rubbing off onto your pillow case and getting on the other areas of your face. In my case it was my cheeks that were affected.

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blahblah16

March 30, 2010

Pros:

Basically it makes my skin peel a lot but my scars are almost all gone. My skin feels smooth and soft after a week of using it.

Cons:

I still get huge cysts under the skin but they go away quickly.

I would recomend using a soft cleanser like Biore exfoliating scrub. It helps the 'peelies' go away sooner and leaves my skin looking better. At first with this treatment my skin felt horrible and nasty, but I found that by using it about once or twice a week my skin has been getting less irritable and my friend has also been using it and her skin is perfect now.

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