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
1649
5
22.4%
4
33.8%
3
21.3%
2
13.9%
1
8.6%

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October 30, 2012
This is my very first review about any type of acne medication. I probably shouldn't since I am only a little 2 months into using the Tretinoin 0.025 cream, but I want to anyways. I will be straight up. The initial break out sucks. I am a very outgoing person and this breakout is making me just want to stay home and cry. It is hard to look in the mirror honestly. But I keep thinking to myself that all of the bad stuff under my skin is just being brought to the surface to be taken care of. I am not going to give up. I am sick of having acne ruin my life so I am going to take care of it. I am very determined and have faith that my skin will eventually get used to this cream and my skin will FINALLY clear up. I am not a quitter and even though I really want to give up on it, I refuse to. So to all those who may be in the same position as me, please don't give up! We can do this. And if this medication is making you feel ugly, do not let it. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. :) Good luck, xoxo.
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October 11, 2012

Pros:

Haven't seen any yet but I'm holding on to hope.

Cons:

+++Oily Skin!
Terrible initial breakout

I have tried nearly everything and after almost 15yrs on Diane 35 (controlled with light acne) I have had my acne return; along with chest and back acne. I refuse to use birth control and have tried everything short of Spiro and Accutane over the years. My derm gave a rx for Retin A micro (gel) and suggested to start by applying it for 1hr/night before bed x1wk, then apply it nightly. I experienced no flaking/drying and instead my face turned into an oil slick!!! So incredibly disgusting. I could literally see oil dripping out of my pores. Needless to say, every doc I've talked to states that this is "very uncommon" and they have not heard of this side effect. I was switched to the Retin A cream at a lower concentration and advised to moisturize immediately following my am and bedtime wash, with the rationale that my skin was irritated and over producing oil (I've always had dry skin). The oil has been cut in half after 2wks use, however I have not experienced the peeling/drying effect that is supposed to happen with the cell turnover. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this experience? I am currently experiencing an initial break out which has worsened my acne from mild to moderate/severe. I expected that and am hopeful that it will improve in a few months. I am willing to purposefully go through a difficult time in the short-term, for long-term gains, but it is not easy. Reading the other reviews has helped in knowing what to expect; aside from this oily side effect. I plan to give it another 2 months and hope for some improvement.
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September 19, 2012

Pros:

make pimple dry quickly

Cons:

itchy, redness, leaves the scars

To be clear, i am using this cream with other oral medicine Doxcycline and Spironolactone, Doxcycline caused me upset stomach so i stopped using them now. Regarding Tretinoin, as everybody said i am having itchy skin, redness and yeah breakout too :(. Today is my 13th day, in the morning i saw three more painful cysitc acne apart from other existing acne and scars, its not fun at all.Hopefully it will go, i am so depressed with these acne. I have done so many things, tree tea oil, clarisonic mia cleanser, natural remedies like nutmeg, oatmeal honey facepack, baking soda etc etc..but everytime it is getting worst and endup going doctor. I will be more patience with this medicine hopefully i will get clearer skin within a month or two.
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September 10, 2012

Pros:

can't say anything good yet ive been using it for almost 3 weeks
-cheap with insurance
-multi purpose
-can be used for acne, acne scars, wrinkles and prevent wrinkles

Cons:

flakiness
senstive to the sun
feels like you have a sunburn
cannot use mostriuzer with this at night just can only use retin a

when i first starting using retin a about 3 weeks ago nothing really happened to my skin it wasnt peeling or nothing it was just normal but then 3 days after my skin was starting to clear up and then i was like yes its working but then the next week my skin started to purge and i know thats part of the process so im going to stick to it but the purging isnt that bad how people make it seem like but it depends on the persons skin i will keep a follow up (: btw my doctor said to only use retin a at night and in the morning put benzoyl peroxide to the affect areas
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August 25, 2012

Pros:

Skin feels softer

Cons:

I'm on week 2 now...acne is worse
expensive

I've had acne since age 12 (6th grade) and have used several different products from Clean&clear to Acnefree to Ziana, differen, etc. But recent;y i've been breaking out on my cheeks and chin rather than my forehead and T-zones. The pimples are much larger now even though there are fewer of them! I've been on this product almost 2 weeks and i'm hoping this is the "purging" stage because my acne seems worse. I'm going to stick with it for atleast another month or so....
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July 26, 2012

Pros:

- clears up acne
- brigthens face

Cons:

- flakes
- dry patches
- excess oil on skin

Well i reviewed this product a month or two ago. I have now been using this product since April 2012 and it is now the end of July 2012. So around 4 months of trying out this product. Honestly my acne was not very severe to begin with, it was very light except when i became very stressed out. As i mentioned in my earlier review i did have verrrryyy dry flakey inflamed skin for the first month and a half. My acne cleared up but has come back atleast once or twice while still using the product, except when my acne shows up now it goes away in about 3 days. I was using tret 0.05 but just recently got switched to 0.025 becuase of the dry patches that kept showing up on my face. I could not handle having dry patches while the rest of my face was beyond oily. Conciously putting on lotion to an oily face was just not working for me. So far with the 0.025 version my face is not as dry, however my acne is not drying out as fast. :/ Also, the oil on my face is still very bad. I will continue using this product for at least one year before I completely give up on having perfect skin. I can definitely tell that i have had a change of heart about this product, especially considering my sensitive skin type. I though that it would continue to make my skin glow and look amazing but it did not live up to expectations. Bottom Line: If you have severe acne this product will definitely help you. The pros will definitely outway the cons. However, if you are like me and have very light acne, this product may be a little too much for the skin.
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July 11, 2012

Pros:

-acne heals faster
-

Cons:

-initial breakout was HORRIBLE
-doesn't help hormonal acne
-causes flaky skin(this can be fixed with moisturizer and exfoliators)

I'm 15 years old, and my acne was dreadful. I had cystic acne, whiteheads, blackheads, the whole nine yards. After a while, I figured I had suffered enough and I went to my dermatologist, who prescribed me with minocyclin(not sure if I spelled that right) twice a day orally and Retin-a Micro 0.1% gel at night. The first month somewhat sucked, just because the retin-a caused an initial breakout. The initial breakout is basically the retin-a dragging all the bacteria from deep within your skin out to the surface, causing pimples. I must say though, the initial breakout was worth it. Keep with it, and your skin should clear up. To this day, my acne still hasnt completely cleared up, and ive been using it religiously for the past 8 months. Hormonal acne is still a problem for me, but other than that my acne has improved drastically.
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July 11, 2012

Pros:

Seems to work.
Cheap.
Easy to get via the internet.
Should do other good things for your skin besides reducing acne.

Cons:

Takes a little while to work.
May cause side effects (hair loss, being tired etc.)
May cause lot of peeling and redness in the first weeks.

I bought this as I heard it did a lot of good things for your skin besides fighting acne. It was supposed to make your skin more even look younger etc. I did not experience that. As I worked towards the 0.1% retin a I did notice less new acne was forming but still some remained. Scars didn't seem to disappear as there is a lot of alcohol in it. After about two months of using the 0.1% I started using the acne.org system again during the day (retin a should not be used with benzyolperoxide but can be used after using it or before). My acne disappeared completely and I stopped using the retin a. I am now using the acne.org system as before, - during the day and night and my skin looks a lot better then when on the retin a. It is expensive as I have to pay a lot of shipping cost and taxes but it's worth it. Hope Dan will start selling in Europe one day. P.S. Do not buy the cream version! It made my acne much, much worse. The retin a gel is what you need when having acne. P.P.S. Also do not use peelings when on retin a. I did and wasn't able to go outside for at least a week.
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June 24, 2012

Pros:

-Makes blackheads and whiteheads less severe
-Makes skin easier to exfoliate
-Brightens skin tone

Cons:

-Did not prevent my inflamed acne
-Did not completely purge my pores
-Does not affect sebum production
-Will cause redness and irritation if used to frequently or in too high of a concentration

I can't say that this is the best option for those with persistent inflamed acne, but if you have large pores and severe comedonal acne like I do, this is a good thing to try. I use a .25 solution before bed on my t-zone only and have noticed that my blackheads are easier to wash away and I'm not getting bad whiteheads on the sides of my nose anymore. I also like that it has positive effects on aging skin.
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June 22, 2012

Pros:

Gives your skin great skin texture.
Heals acne fast
Exfoliates
Helps reduce acne
Heals hyper pigmentation
Heals indented scars somewhat

Cons:

Does not completely get rid of acne
Makes you peel like crazy in the beginning
Very red skin
Gets way worse before it gets better
Took me 2-3 months to see results

Alright, let me be realistic about Retin-A. Retin -A is an amazing product. It made me skin texture amazing and completely got rid of my blackheads on my forehead and nose. Here's the thing though: I did a rave review on this site many months ago talking about how great Retin-A is and how much is helped my acne. I used to get 5 new pimples a day. Retin-A reduced my pimples to about 1 every 3 or 4 days. However I would still suffer with a small breakout around my period. Although it was healing my hyper pigmentation faster than normal and reduced my acne, I decided enough was enough. Retin A wasn't doing enough to completely clear my skin. I still felt like I had to wear full coverage foundation when I went somewhere. So I decided to drop the Retin-A and start Dan Kern's Regimen. I was terrified to stop using Retin-A since it took me from moderate acne to light acne and made my skin texture so amazing. But right now I've been now two weeks without Retin-A and on the regimen and it was the best decision I made. My skin has just began to clear in only two weeks. Yes, when I stopped Retin-A my face blew up and was getting 5 new zits a day again. But now after two weeks I am now getting no new breakouts and that's much better than two to three months of waiting for results while your face is freaking out. However I am going to wait about 2-3 weeks for my face to be completely clear on the regimen and I am going to pick up retin-a again, only in the smallest concentration, and only for the purpose of keeping up that great texture I got from it and getting rid of hyperpigmentation. The texture of my skin is not bad now, but when I touch is I feel the dryness. With Retin-A my face was baby smooth (Exfoliating all that peeling ofcourse). So, yes, I do recommend Retin-A and I think it's worth it, however I wish I did Dan Kern's regimen first and then incorporated a small concentration of Retin-A later to avoid that nasty period of purging.
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Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.
Find a Doctor Using The American Acacemy of Dermatology Website

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.
Find a Doctor Using the American Society of Plastic Surgeons Website