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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:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
July 1, 2013
disappointing
Cons:
does not help acne at all
My doctor told me to try this out since my skin can't handle BP and SA is not doing anything for me. I apply it to areas where i tend to get acne every night before bed. I noticed that the large pores on my nose started to get smaller, but other than that nothing happened.
April 23, 2013
Pros:
Non-greasy
Clears chin acne after a few months
Prevents new breakouts
Dries out new acne
Dries quickly
A tube lasts for a few months
Cons:
Pretty severe initial breakout that lasts about a month
Doesn't smell good
Can leave yellow residue if too much is applied
Can dry out skin (apparently it does so a lot for others but personally that wasn't too bad for me and I'd take dry skin over acne any day)
I highly recommend this product. I had chin acne that nothing, including BP, worked for. I am overall highly sensitive to BP and this product does not irritate my skin. I had an awful initial breakout - multiple painful cysts on my chin for about a month. I read on this website that many experienced the same thing and stuck it out. Then suddenly, acne started fading and I stopped getting new cysts and now my chin is clear except some scarring spots and occasional breakout. 4 stars instead of 5 for the initial breakout.
March 25, 2013
Pros:
Works wonders
Clear skin
Cons:
Takes awhile
dryness
Flaking
You need to know that everybody is different. Some people see results in 2 weeks. Others in 3 months. The first couple weeks are the worst. Your face is flaking. Breaking out even worse than before. and your skin is red splotchy. But thats how Retin a works it peels off layers of the skin , and helps fight breakouts. And bring up all the acne that was going to come up anyways. Thats why people start breaking out alot. But that just means its working. After 4 weeks i saw results. Never been more happy with my skin today
January 19, 2013
Pros:
* Works on cysts, Nodules, pustles, and papules fairly quickly.
* Small Whiteheads are typically gone overnight
* Acne scars look much better
Cons:
* Can be irrating
* Dry skin flakes
* Doesn't realy work on blackheads.
* Intial Breakout
I love Rentin A micro. My skin looks so much better and my forehead is almost completly clear. Some of the pores on my cheeks appear smaller and my skin isn't nearly as oily. The only bad thing is most of my blackheads won't go away and it gets really frustrating. If you are going to use Retin A micro, use a super gentle cleanser ( I love cetaphil), a nice toner ( clean & clear deep cleaning toner for senstive skin is nice) and a fantastic mostriser ( Clean & Clear's dual action one is amazing. It makes my skin ways softer and and I haven't gotten as many small whiteheads)
August 21, 2012
Pros:
Inexpensive
Cons:
Unbearable initial breakout
Redness
Peeling
I have had acne since the age of 12 (I am 25 now). I fought for spironolactone which up until the past few months had eliminated all of my face and body acne. However, I had several tiny bumps on my chin that did not go away. So I was given Retin A Micro gel by my dermatologist who swore up and down that it was a wonderful medication that would eliminate my persistent acne. Three days after applying the medication, I had two large cysts and three bright red painful bumps. I have been on the medication for a month and a half and every day my face grows increasingly worse. I now have 22 active acne bumps and at least five red marks where pimples used to be. I wish I could stick this medication out, but I have been in tears every morning for the past month and a half. Makeup won't cover this many pimples, and many of my bumps are very sore. I will not be using this medication again.
August 17, 2012
Pros:
Takes Blackheads away
Dries blemishes
Cons:
Can cause redness at first or can worsen for the beginning, but if you keep using it should be fine in couple of weeks or so.
I used this Gel in 2007 and my face got all red, my blemished worsened and I stopped using it.
I am 27 years old female. Lived most of my life in Cold climate so blamed it on a hot weather of California.
I workout every day, eat healthy, wash my face, wash my bed sheets once a week, sometimes twice, wash my towels and even iron them, I even tried not to use makeup and nothing helped!
I went to the doctor and was proscribed doxycycline and Retin-A.I mentioned Retin-A gave me irritation last time I have tried so he offered to try light version of it Differin.
I used his testers and when I was out of them looked up my meds and found my old REtin-A:)) I started using it and I should say I am impressed. Maybe it works better because I use it together with antibiotics, but even my blackheads went away.
It works best if your face is well dried, so use it better after half an hour once you wash your face.
Good luck everybody!
August 8, 2012
Product used: Atralin (Tretinoin (.05%) Gel)
Pros:
Can help smooth skins texture
Easy to use
Cons:
Extreme Dryness
Purging period lasts and lasts an lasts
The wait time from cleansing to applying Atralin to moisturizing is a pain
While this may work for others, after four months of continued use, it never worked for me. I just kept on breaking out and it never stopped. I would clear up in one area and breakout in another area. There was a point in week 10 when i had 1 pimple and thought 'yes, its finally working!' but Alas, it was an illusion. At the end of the day i was left with: uneven skin tone
multiple acne lesions
excessive dryness and flaking The only positives i can say about this medication is that my skin texture on non-acne area was smooth.
February 28, 2012
Pros:
Don't see any yet
Cons:
I have been using this product for 7weeks now and my face is a disaster. I have such painful acne now that I have to take Advil to reduce the swelling in my face. Will this ever stop? I read mixed reviews about when the bream out period stops . It is so depressing , someone please let me know
It has not helped with any of my whiteheads
November 17, 2011
Pros:
*Got rid of my stubborn cystic acne
*It works with time
Cons:
*Made my face more red
*Little bit of a breakout stage
*Oilyness
*Peeling
It works and it does its job. I've been on it for about a month with doxycycline as well.. Hoping in a few months my acne will be all gone!
September 8, 2011
Pros:
Smooth skin
unblocked stubborn blocked pores (very slowly though)
controls oiliness++
Cheap! (get a perscription from your doc and purchase online from Alldaychemist).
Cons:
Redness
Burning (if you put on too much)
Flaking
Constant inflammed pimples (may be just me)
Need lots and lots of patience
I started using retin A gel in March 2011. I have played around a bit with my regimen and have just started to get some consistancy going. First 3 months was really bad, I was not working so I could handle staying at home during that time. I was experiencing a lot of red, angry pimples that would take a while to fade and being impatient I would sqeeze tham and make them worse, or else have the same pimple come back again and again. So I learned to control the picking habit, and limit it only to pimples which had surfaced. 4th month was really good, nice and calm skin, I thought, the dreaded initial breakout was over... boy was I wrong... 5th, 6th month... started getting more breakouts, these were different, they were very deep and very stubborn. So, this is almost the end of 6 month of using retin A. So far, most of my pores have cleared, there still remains some active buggers mainly on my cheeks, but they will hopefully fade too.
Bottom Line: Don't expect miracles, this is serious stuff and its takes a loooong time. So, if you are not seeing results after 3 months, don't be surprised! I hope to stick with it another 6 months, if my acne is not under control by then, then i will quit. I hope to post another review 6 months later.
Pros:
helps shrink pores on nose
doesn't irritate skin