Acne.org Products
Topical Retinoid
Acne.org’s Real World Take
Works about the same as the other two topical retinoids, tazarotene and adapalene, and lands in the middle of those two when it comes to side effects. Should provide partial clearing, but comes with sensitivity when you first start using it. It probably won’t be a total game changer but it should help reduce acne.
Topical Retinoid
How to Get It
Have a dermatologist? Make an appointment to get this medication. Don't have a dermatologist? See The American Academy of Dermatology Physician Database to find one.
Used Tretinoin? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
July 28, 2008
Cons:
None that I've experienced.
Try it!
January 21, 2007
Pros:
I can't recall any
Cons:
Made my acne sooo much worse... yet not better
I had moderate acne and my derm put me on Retin-A. She warned me that my acne would get worse, and then better. So, I used Retin-A every night for a month, and I saw nothing. FINALLY after a month, my acne started to get worse, so I was excited that it would get better soon. Every morning I would wake up and my acne would be worse and worse: redness, huge zits forming, soo flaky, and embarassing. The problem? My acne never got better after it got worse! I went back to my derm and she said my acne got so bad she would consider Accutane. I DO NOT RECCOMEND RETIN-A.
May 25, 2017
Stick with it!
My doctor prescribed me birth control and tretinoin .025% around 2.5 months ago. I have been using tretinoin every night pretty consistently besides skipping a night here and there to not let my skin get too "used to it". I was pretty much traveling overseas all of last month, and my I tried my very best to stick to the same regimen. Fortunately, my skin did not freak out! I was in humid and warmer locations-- which definitely benefited my skin along with the tretinoin. While abroad, my acne cleared up and my face was SPOTLESS. I went from having severe cystic acne along my jawline and a few on my cheeks to having nothing! The only thing that's left are hyperpigmentation. Since I've been back (3 weeks) in the states, the transition has impacted my skin a little. I've been getting a few cysts on the lower part of my face, but they don't last too long. I think my body is slowly adjusting to the climate, food, and schedule overall. I am praying it gets back to as clear as it was abroad. My mom has been complimenting my skin every day saying it doesn't look as red or bumpy anymore. I can also see how flat my cheeks are compared to how it was before the medication. I can't tell if it's birth control, tretinoin, or the combination of both working. Either way, it's a positive outcome! Two months on it, and I'm seeing improvement. The number one thing I've been working on is to keep my schedule as consistent as possible. Sometimes sleeping later than usual will mess up my skin. I can't wait to see the results in two more months! I heard it takes atleast four months to see full results.
March 31, 2017
Don't use it if your acne is mild!
My dermatologist put me on Retin A for keritosis pilaris on my face and it wasn't too bad before. I had around 3 - 5 little bumps on my face that came and sometimes I even had none. Well I wanted to fix the bumps anyways so my dermatologist put me on Retin A. This broke me out so bad, but I kept using it because I was told it would get worse before it got better. Well, then my skin started peeling and it was red and inflamed and painful. And now my face is covered in the little bumps and cystic acne - and I NEVER had acne before using this medication! It looks terrifying - my face has never been this bad before! There's little to no smooth surface on my face, it's just tiny little bumps and giant red cystic pimples all over my face. I've been using it for almost 4 months now and I don't see it getting any better from here. I would rather deal with what I had before.
March 16, 2017
6 weeks in
Hello All! I posted a few weeks ago and now I am updatng you with my results. I have been on tretinoin .025% for 6 weeks now. My skin is honestly about 80% cleared. I had acne on my forehead, both cheeks, and neck area. My forehead is clear, my neck is clear, and my left cheek is completely clear. I have 3 pimples on my right cheek that came up after I used sunscreen for a couple days as I was out in the sun. I shaved with a single blade razor yesterday and relaized my face is super soft and very smooth. I think tretinoin is a miracle cure for me. I had a bad initial breakout. The initial breakout started in week 2 and continued all the way through week 5. I am over the intitial breakup and I think my face has come a long way. My advice is to stick with it! ALl good things take time and if there was some way to get rid of acne in 2 weeks then I wouldn;t trust it. This stuff really works. My acne is mainly gone, but I do have some darker spots. I never had acne scars that were indented or anything, but I had the post inflammatory hyperpigmentation. I am hoping that this will go away by week 8. I'm used to waking up every morning and having at least 2 or 3 new piples everyday, I litrally have not had a pimple on my forehead, left cheek, or neck in over a week. Once my right cheek clears up I think I will be totally clear and my confidence is already starting to come back. Give it time! My face got much worse looking for a span of 2-3 weeks but trust me it will be worth it. I am 6 weeks in and I can't wait to see what I look like after 10 weeks.
November 16, 2017
I'm on week 6 as well, still getting acne. Face is Red. Lots of redmarks from the beginning of the IB which was the worst.
January 20, 2017
Oh Goody... Raw Skin!
First I'd like to say that I have been struggling with acne and acne scars for about 8 years now; I am an avid makeup wearer because nothing seems to work for my skin, and makeup gives me the self-confidence I lack. I would also like to say that this is not my first Retin-A rodeo. I was first introduced to it when I was about 16 by my dermatologist, who also prescribed that I take Doxycycline, use Clindamycin pads, and apply Benzoyl Peroxide to my face daily. This cocktail of prescriptions worked very well for me if I recall correctly, I think I just had to stop using them because my family couldn't afford it. (Having clear skin is so expensive *sigh*) Fast forward 3 years later and my mom takes me to the dermatologist as a Christmas present, and he suggested that I use, you guessed it, Retin-A once again. Whoopee. Alongside a prescription for Minocycline, and Clindamycin (in the lotion form this time). Yesterday night I started putting this concoction on my face and today I woke up with a face full of pimples and flaking skin. What a great life I lead. My dermatologist wanted me to apply it two times every day, so today I woke up, washed my face and slathered that sh*t right on. I put on my makeup and went about my day. When I came home, I saw that my face had peeled through my makeup (It doesn't get any sexier than this folks). I totally forgot that my skin is crazy sensitive and quite frail right now and so when I pulled out my Spin for Perfect Skin Spin Brush and tried to exfoliate the peeling skin away, I instead ended up removing a large portion of skin from the lower left-hand side of my face; very near to my mouth. My whole face burns right now, and I know it's my fault for being careless, but gosh darn it why me. I say don't use this cream/gel if you wear makeup everyday like me or can't stand the sight of peeling skin (because you're not supposed to do anything about it, you're just supposed to let it happen and wash your face with a gentle cleanser). It works but at a cost.
February 20, 2017
I had the same exact experience with Retin-A and makeup and it was not pretty. I had forgotten about that part but I never did have the self esteem to use it for over a couple of months.
July 9, 2016
Not a miracle, but still hopeful
Please see the update that I posted under comments. This stuff has destroyed my skin. I am not sure if it will ever recover. Please note that I didn't have red, peeling, or irritated skin while using it every other day. I followed all of my derms instructions and followed up with them monthly. I can't believe that I am writing this, I really thought this would work for me.
I am 36 years old, female and have sensitive, acne-prone, oily skin. I have been using Tretinoin 0.025% Gel for 6 months for moderate inflammatory acne caused by taking oral steroids for a medical condition. OK, so, the Initial Breakout was brutal and lasted much longer than I expected, started at about week 3 and lasted for months! My skin is not yet better than it was before treatment (getting there though, hopefully, I don't know, it seems like acne comes in waves, right?). My pores appear larger than before and I am getting indented scars frequently, my skin has always been acne-prone and I have never scarred before. My Dermatologist says that this does not promote scarring, but I am not so sure. These scars may have happened anyway, I don't know, my acne has never been this bad before. I tried to use this every day, but ended up with an irritated-orange-peely texture, this is much better after switching to every other day, though the texture still is not normal. It definitely peels a thin layer of skin off and reveals newer skin with every use, a very good thing. It also brings closed comedones to the surface quickly. This is definitely not a miracle cure, but it just doesn't seem like there is one when it comes to acne... I do see glimmers of hope with this, but I think that it takes a very long time and must be used in combination with other treatments, especially for people that have something internally driving their acne.
September 25, 2016
Hi, how is your skin now. I'm just going through just the exact thing and i tend to think it's not working and wondering about quitting it. Please let me know how is your skin now
October 8, 2016
Hi Archana_ess. I just wanted to add an update. Retin A has destroyed the texture of my skin, enlarged looking pores, orange peel texture, reactive skin. This is just plain ugly. I don't know if it will ever improve. This is not listed as a side effect but others have had this same experience. My skin was never cleared of acne on Retin A, it only got worse and worse. It also made my skin scar much more easily. I discontinued it 9 weeks ago. I will say that Spironolactone has cleared the acne by about 90%. I used to get it all over my face, now it is mostly on my chin, is much smaller and is much easier to deal with. This texture though, I don't know what to do and I am much more depressed about this than I was with the acne. It just doesn't seem possible that this could ever go away. I know lots of people have great success with Retin A, but I cannot recommend it. I wish that it had never touched my face. I hope everyone else has better luck than I did.
April 19, 2017
Hi Sararey, have you experiencedone any improvement or found remedies for your skin texture and pores? I endured the same exact unfortunate experience with retin-a. It's tough to watch our skin transform for the worse when we were only trying to be pro-active and make positive changes.
February 10, 2016
It will test your patient
This product is legit, it took about 6 weeks to see noticeable changes, from week 1-4, it was hell. like HELL. I was near depression and could not look at people in the eye from my purge. But from about week 6 onward, it got better. I'm on week 10-11 at the moment, and my skin has stayed pretty good, no new white heads or any inflamed acne, just left with a dozen red/brown marks. Again, I'm being patient on the marks and do hope over the next couple of month I will have smooth and clear skin. I also took minocycline (50mg) and BP 2.5% (morning) as side treatment. Overall, highly recommended, makes you a stronger person too by testing your patient.
March 24, 2016
did you apply retin-a everyday? can you please tell me your routine because we both have the same product.
January 28, 2016
WORK BUT TAKE TIME
i started to have acne since i was 18 and tried many products but last year i went to see dermatologist and he prescribed me this retinA and benzac ac..to apply retinA 1 time at night everyday(whole face) and now it clears all acne i have been using this for 2 years..
July 13, 2015
Not a miracle product
However.... does work, to a certain extent. I find the 3 month rule bullsh*t. The retin-a 0.05 only started to show signs of improvement at the end of june (i started in february, 5.5 months ish) and that was only after a HORRENDOUS belated purging phase. I had a lottos under the skin bumps prior to retin-a, thus why i got it, and since then i only have a few on my face and nothing else, I'm not 100% clear but around 80%. The under the skin bumps only went away around month 5 though, so be patient. Use sunscreen.
Pros:
I've been using it for 14 years--since I was 40. I'm now 54 and people usually guess my age at somewhere between 35 and 40. I've had no adverse reactions at all. My skin looks better than it did when I was 30. I'll use it for the rest of my life