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Side Effects
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.
Used Tretinoin? Rate It:
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August 4, 2011
Cons:
Can cause chemical burn
I like this stuff, but I got a chemical burn around my mouth after a while and now I have some extreme hyperpigmentation there. So be careful about that, otherwise it's great.
July 27, 2011
Pros:
Softer Skin
Shrinks Existing Acne in a matter of days
Cons:
Some Peeling
I've been using Retin A Micro .04% for about three weeks now. I haven't really had the horrible IB everyone has been talking about, I'm not sure if I'm not far enough into it yet. As of now, I have already seen positive results. My acne is clearing..slowly, but surely. Just stick with it! I know it's going to take time but it's worth it in the end. My Dermatologist said results may start within the first two weeks, full results by week seven. Stick with it! Your skin will be beautiful in no time! As for the peeling aspect..nothing a good moisturizer can't fix! I wear make up and I was very nervous to put it on because I thought the peeling would make it look horrible- but it didn't!
August 15, 2011
Pros:
Gets rid of current pimples quickly
Cheap with insurance
Use at night
Purges skin (also sort of a con)
Cons:
INITIAL BREAKOUT
Dryness
Redness
ATTENTION:
Read this, it really may help. For those of you who are thinking of starting or who have started and are not seeing any results after a decent amount of time: Before you start retin a, start eating healthy because the skin will be purging itself and if you are not eating healthy, you will definitely have a bad break out because it is removing those toxins through acne on your face. Think about it, if you don't have toxins in your body creating new blemishes under the surface, there won't be as much to purge out of your skin. Continue to eat healthy throughout this and then reintroduce your favorite snacks slowly back into your diet to see what causes break outs for you. Yes, it's hard to do but I have been on retin a for almost two months, eating all sorts of fast food and junk food and getting nothing but a constant break out and it has been awful. Then i decided to try to start eating healthy and here I am, on the 4th day of eating healthy and I've already noticed a big improvement. It is actually getting better now!! No more new pimples every morning, I just have a lot of hyperpigmentation. There are those people whose diets don't affect their skin apparently or this either works for them regardless of diet, but don't chance it, new beginners! Just cut out your chips, pops, ice creams and the such and you should experience great results sooner. This will take care of your acne topically, and your healthy diet will greatly help reduce the acne waiting to pop out. I hope this helps you all, I will do another review when I have seen greater results, but it seems that eating healthy has been the only thing that has helped so far.
April 26, 2011
Pros:
Get rid of pimples quicker than other products
Fades hyperpigmintation i think
Helps with scarring too i think
Cons:
Dries out skin
Takes for ever to work
Makes skin uneven if you dont put it all over your face.
I bought this for 10 dollars since it is covered by insurance and before it i had not much acne just lots of hyperpigmintation and hypertrophic scarring and i have been using tretinoin 0.01 for a month now and im pretty sure its working. I got an initial breakout around the 2nd week and i think it lasted for about 2 weeks and now im starting to see better results. Im not getting pimples as much and my hyperpigminatation and hyper strophic scarring is fading i think. The weird thing is that the first week i started using it my skin looked pretty good, i thought the tretinoin was working really fast but i guess it has to get worse before it gets better. My doctor told me to wait at least 6 weeks for best results but i doubt it will work that fast maybe a few more months like everyone else on here. Hopefully by the second month my scars will fade, sucks i got acne about a year ago at age 18!! Wish i got it earlier like normal people when they were young.
February 17, 2011
Pros:
Skin is soft and clear
Cons:
Some dryness but not bad
I started with .5% but it didn't work. Then last month I switched to .1% cream and it has worked wonders. No pimples, cysts, anything! I also upped Spiro to 100mg so that might have helped too but I think the .1% tretinoin cream has made my skin look so much better. I didn't have any problems with this product except on the lower dose which was ineffective. Follow the directions on how to use it and you shouldn't have any problems!
November 15, 2010
Pros:
Makes skin smooth
Made pores smaller
Cons:
Made face extremely red, itchy, flakey
Burned whenever I applied it
Initial Breakout never went away!
I was on this retin-a for over 9 months and it never fully cleared my acne. My initial breakout lasted about 5-6 months and I still broke out after that. It did however make my skin smoother. My skin went through cycles, it would be smooth for a week, then itchy, red, and flakey, and it would repeat. Also, my skin would become extremely dry halfway through the day and it was embarassing. Overall, I had high hopes because of the positive reviews but it didn't work for me. If your acne bugs you enough I would say try it, but your skin will never return to its original state :(
November 8, 2010
Pros:
brightens skin
healthy look to skin
makes skin smooth
Cons:
dries skin
redness of skin
It works but it takes time. I have had very bad acne all of my life and I tried everything. I was starting to lose hope and my doctor prescribed me tretinoin and deoxycycline. It was so amazing. My skin got really clear. It took time like 3-5 months but it is very clear now. I cannot remember the last time I had clear skin. My acne was very very bad and those two medicines worked wonders!
March 14, 2010
Pros:
* It worked for me the first night I tried it
*My acne is gone and my scars going away
*It got rid of my redness due to sun damage
Cons:
*My skin is a little flakey around my eyes
*It may not be perfectly safe if you get preggos
I've tried many different acne systems since High School and this is the best medication. I finally feel confident to look strangers in the eye and smile. I love it!
December 2, 2009
Pros:
It really works and I have tried quite a few products. ProActive being one of the many and it sucked.
Cons:
My acne def got worse before it got better
Retin-A is wonderful, I am 24/F never had acne in my life until about four months ago. I used ProActive and saw no results what so ever!!!! I began using the Retin-A around three weeks ago and I have seen huge improvement!!!!!!!!!!
November 25, 2009
Pros:
really and truely clears up the skin on face, chest and back! reduces scars, smooths skin out and has make my sun damage forehead wrinkles disappear!!! magic!
Cons:
drying, can sting; especially in cracks near nose and on spots / broken skin, makes me redder than usual!!!
I think the bottom line here is no pain no gain. All acne treatments work by drying the skin, so this is unavoidable, though this topical did dry my skin more than the many others I have tried.
If I dare to go a night without using, I sometime wake up with a spot, so I have to be comitted.
Drying and can be painful but incredibly affective, I found it better than a course of Roaccutane I tried years ago, with far less severe side affects.
Try it
Pros:
Peels skin, lightens scars and makes skin softer.