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

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Jill

February 23, 2008

Pros:

makes skin very smooth, zits come and go soooo much more quickly, and it helps with wrinkles as a bonus!

Cons:

flaky skin, very bad breakout period weeks 2-8 for me...I almost quit but I'm so glad I didn't!

I am a 24 year old female with moderate acne and very oily skin. I have been using retin-a micro for 10 weeks and I have definitely noticed major improvements in my skin. I have tried pro-activ, murad, differin, tazorac, and just about every over the counter med imaginable. I don't have any zits at all on my face right now, just scars that will take time to fade. I use retin-a micro .04% every night and I wash my face with a green tea fortified cleanser. I use BP in the morning otherwise my face gets super oily. It dries out my face a little but its better than an oil slick. On nights that I sleep at my boyfriend's house I put the retin-a on underneath my makeup and I don't wash my face before bed because I don't like to be without makeup around him just yet. Then I will add a little more retin a over my makeup right before bed. Its not the best way, but it has worked okay for me so far. Things are looking better every day! I use bare minerals makeup and green mineral concealer.

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HBI

February 7, 2008

Pros:

clear, smooth & glowing skin
blemishes die real quick
improves skin texture (even if u have bad one)

Cons:

hypersensitivity to rays(sun,lamp etc)
initial breakouts were bad
dry/red skin during early usage

I've been using retin-a gel 0.01% for nearly 7.5 months and for what I can say, this is a thing ppl out there should give a try. It has cleared 98% of my acne (i used to have really bad acne). The thing is, u really need to follow the given instructions. Use a little of this gel to cover entire face, use mild non-medicated facial wash and don't forget your sunscreen (this apply to u guys). I strongly recommended Cetaphil for cleansing purpose and sunscreen from Sunsense (an Australian brand). This sunscreen has a matt finish, oil & fragrance free, and most importantly doesn't break me out even if i reapply it during the mid day. One more thing, u might went through really hard time while using this gel (i.e bad breakouts). But please, just stay where you were. As for me, the satisfactory result was only come at the fifth month. ==> In the case where your skin really red/dry etc, reduce the frequency of usage.

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January 28, 2008

Pros:

cleared blackheads on my forehead, also made it smoother

Cons:

Takes a while (>8weeks)

it worked pretty good for me. cleared blackheads on my forehead. still get a few postules once in a while, but those aren't as painful as before. it definitely made my skin smoother though. i feel that retin a is only good for blackheads, and asked my dermatologist about it and he also said that retin a is mostly used to treat black and whiteheads. so i am satisfied with it since retin a did what it's supposed to do. as far as drying and peeling is concerned, it did not affect me at all, and i tend to put a lot more than the recommended amount (one pea size, but i use amount equivalent to around 2-4 peas).

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Nathan

January 21, 2008

Pros:

clears up acne, smoothes skin, reduces wrinkles

Cons:

initial irritation/peeling

this stuff is ABSOLUTLEY AMAZING! I wake up every morning to acne-less, radiant smooth skin. it just works.

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Mason1

January 18, 2008

Pros:

Clears up skin great, reduces red marks from previous acne, makes skin less oily and works fairly fast

Cons:

Dry, flaky skin, non-irritating, will break out in about the 2nd week of use

Retin-A-Micro is great it will clear up your skin in about 4-8 weeks. I had moderately bad acne and it cleared it up in 4 weeks. in the second week i broke out a little but it went away in a week. You will break out because the tretinoin goes deep in your skin and brings up your deep acne so this is why you break out. Once the acne is up it clears up in about a week or 2. It is cheap, it cost nothing since my parents were military and we had insurance otherwise its about 25 to 30 dollars. Its an overall great product and it will make your skin flaky but its not irritant. I strongly suggest this product to anyone wanted to get rid of their acne.

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Russell

January 13, 2008

Pros:

Clears acne up better than any other treatment I know of.

Cons:

takes a while to start working, the first few weeks you get major breakouts, the first few weeks you peel around the mouth and the skin can look red for the first few weeks.

I think it's funny that most people are writting reviews after using it for only a few weeks, if not less. Tretinoin is designed in a way so that it can take MONTHS to take effect. The instructions mine came with said to expect positive results in 3 MONTHS. So anyways, after a few weeks of using it, I broke out terrible. After a month or two more, the acne started coming less and less. I have been using it for nearly 5 months now, and my face is pretty much clear of ance now, and don't get many new pimples anymore. I tried proactive, all the Rite Aid stuff, 10% BP, etc etc. Nothing worked that well. Tretinoin DOES work. It it's NOT a miracle, next-day cure though. This stuff takes time. It's worth the wait though. Don't give up on it, give it a few months and you WILL see your face transform. Don't JUSt use it though, also make sure to wash your face twice a day, and put on antibacterial treatment in the morning (tretinoin at night). This regimen has changed my face completely.

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Retin A believer

January 10, 2008

Pros:

Works great. Seeing improvment of skin already. A few of my acne scars are fading. No cost to me!

Cons:

Some areas are breaking out more than usual, like around my chin area. Have to be patient to use the product.

If used consistently and by following physician's recommendations, great results will show. I have had little flaking. I use it at bedtime and use a facial moisturizer with 15 SPF in the morning.

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Sam

January 6, 2008

Pros:

Has made me completely clear with an overall smooth and even skin tone.

Cons:

Takes a long time and you have to be very patient. Towards the beginning you will experience extreme redness and flakiness -- not fun!

The first time I went on Retin-A I was 15 and it worked wonderful. Although I didn't use it as consistently (or religiously!) as I use it now I obtained really good results. I stayed on it until I turned 18 and went away to college where I got too lazy to apply Retin-A every night. After the first couple months off Retin-A my skin was still perfectly clear so I had thought that I no longer needed it, but I was so WRONG. After a few months off it my skin was the worst it has ever been! So I went back to my derm who put me back on it. Best decision ever. Although this time, it took me a lot longer to see improvements. The first couple of months I was so upset with the appearance of my skin, but I stuck with it. I didn't see any major improvements until about month 4 which was really frustrating, but I am glad I stuck with it. It has now been a little over a year since I restarted Retin-A and I am 100% clear with very little red marks that are still fading day by day.

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retinoid

January 4, 2008

Pros:

eliminated breakouts, reduced new hyperpigmentation and continues to fade old scars.
Has dramatically reduced the amount I spend on acne product (used to use proactiv.)

Cons:

Takes faith. Made acne worse and took a full 12-13 weeks for it too work for me. Experienced dryness at first but applied proactiv revitalizing toner with cotton to hydrate and remove flaking skin. Wouldnt suggest it if u have mild acne.

I've had acne since my senior year in college. At first it was mild but as I got older it started to worsen (currently 25). As a darker skinned individual the effects of each pimple would result in hyperpigmentation that would take months to fade. After not too long I was covered with such scars. 6 months ago my acne got much worse and I knew it was time to try something new to get rid of this very agitating problem. I started using tretinoin micro .025% about 4.5 months ago. I knew going into the treatment knowing that the problem would most likely worsen prior to it getting better. I certainly got worse especially on one side of my face. This continued for about 3 months. I think the only reason I stayed with it is because after about two months i noticed it was helping my hyperpigmentation. But then all of a sudden I HAD NO MORE BREAKOUTS, not a single pimple. Its been about 5 weeks since i've had a pimple and it feels so good seeing my face improve daily.

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Lauren

December 23, 2007

Pros:

Evens skin tone, reduces red marks, works proactively by keeping pores from clogging rather than killing the bacteria already in a clogged pore, like topical antibiotics/BP.

Cons:

Some dryness and redness, requires patience and commitment some simply can't take.

I used the gel form of this when I was 13 and hated it. It broke me out, and like seems to be a trend with teens, threw it out when I didn't see immediate improvement. I've tried it again now, at the age of 20. It's been three weeks. I can say my red marks are improving, and my skin has an evenness and beauty I don't even remember since I hit puberty so young. There has been a slight increase in breakouts, but who cares when my overall skin looks so lovely and healthy? Besides, I know even better results are coming! I'm a fair-skinned redhead using the .01% cream (the strongest kind available) and even then only experienced some minor dryness/peeling and pain during the first few days. A moisturizer in the AM took care of it, plus some light exfoliation every couple of days. Follow your doctor's instructions EXACTLY, be patient, and it WILL work. Don't make the same mistake I did back then. I could have saved so much time, money, and pain just using the medicine l

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