Tretinoin

-Speeds up the rate of skin cell renewal.
-Allows skin and acne to heal faster than it would alone.
-My tan skintone doesn't scar as dark as usual.
-The peeling effect may help unclog pores, but not always.

Cons:

-Burning, peeling and skin sensitivity.
-Worsening of acne just causes new scars to have to deal with.
-Didn't help nose whitheads.
-This is harsh on your skin and prescriptions such as Benzaclin or Benzamycin are more effective yet cause less sensitivity.
-Initial breakout was bad, but I keep breaking out continuously.
-If you have body acne, the small tube will not be enough.
-Overall, this did not work for me.

I've used 0.1% Tretinoin (brand name Retin-A) for a little over 2 months so far. My skin wasn't that bad to begin with, but it's gotten considerably worse with no sign of improvement. Benzoyl peroxide-based products kept my acne under control for the most part, but I still had whiteheads, comedones and a few pimples. I thought that Retin-A would be my saving grace, but my skin keeps getting worse. This causes the expected burning and peeling, but since my skin is so oily, it only really peeled around my chin. The plus side is that this unclogged most of my chin comedones, but my mouth area would start flaking pretty badly while the rest of my face was greasy as usual. The first couple of weeks my skin starting emerging with more comeones and small pimples. By the second month I had lots of new acne everywhere and I have a least one new zit everyday. I know that this causes acne to worsen due to purging, but I was already using a BP product, so I really don't know how much more purging my skin is going to do. I went from small comedones and a few pimples to a face full of pimples. I didn't have acne on my forehead before, but now I have dozens of tiny bumps. In 12 years of having acne, it's never been this bad. BP products make it hard for bacteria to survive on the face, but Retin-A does nothing to prevent bacterial growth. It just speeds up skin cell renewal. Retin-A won't address hormonal acne or oily skin issues. The bottom line is that after over 2 months, I'm not seeing any results. I know this takes a long time to work, but BP worked better, even though I still had acne. Retin-A may work for some, but now I just have dozens of new scars and pimples. I've read that it can take 3+ months for my skin to clear, but I know that the acne I have now is going to take a lot longer than that to heal. I do not recommend this product because products like Benzaclin and Benzamycin control acne with less harsh side effects

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Kim

November 10, 2010

Pros:

I know this medicine works for some people, but it really did nothing for me. Even though I applied the product consistently and waited more than the typical 3 months before quitting, I saw no improvement and my skin was much worse than before.

Cons:

Acne worsened, at the rate my skin was deteriorating I was afraid it would become severe. I was even beginning to get cysts.
Skin started scarring towards month 4.
Skin had an oily, weird texture.
Hypersensitivity to the sun.

I know this medication works for some people, but I am only rating its effects on me. I feel that Tretinoin can be an effective acne treatment, but it's not for everyone and should only be considered as a last resort (or maybe second to last if you count accutane). I got a six-month supply for $50 and had very high hopes for the treatment but ended up quitting around the third week of month 4. Around the middle of month 3 I started getting at least one painful lesion a day, and my acne was the worst it had been in my life. At month 4 I realized that indented scars were forming and stopped using Tretinoin. I should have quit around month 3, but I pressed on in hopes of the magic clearing I kept hearing about in reviews. It never happened for me, Once I gave up, I got on birth control I ordered one of every product sold on acne.org. It was more expensive than the prescription medicine, but it helped in no time. In a little less than a month I'm down to <10 pimples (and they're tiny ones!), and Dan's AHA is fading my red marks fast. Birth control has never cleared me completely, but with Dan's regimen the results are astounding! I urge you to do yourself the favor and try less damaging products before attempting to endure the hell that is Tretinoin's initial breakout. I wish I had!

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clearhunter4

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!

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SJMa

November 6, 2010

Pros:

- clear up skin
- makes it look healthy
- quickens the cycle of a bad pimple
- gets rid of cysts
- works for a long time

Cons:

- takes a few weeks to see results
- redness in face
- dry, flake skin

I've had sever acne for years now and have tried everything. I finally went to an anti-aging center where the doctor put me on a mix of Retin-A and an antibacterial topical. Retin-A speeds up cell division and brings everything to the surface. I was warned of all the side-effects and the process, which had never been explained to me before by any doctors, so I felt at ease and a glimpse of hope. For the first few weeks, as my skin adjusted, I was broken out, dry, flaky, and red. A friend of mine pointed out that she could see where I applied the medicine because there was a perfect line where my medicine didn't cross. I was determined to go on though because I realized my skin had to purge itself. Within the next month my skin transformed. I no longer had any cysts, no more redness, and I really felt confident. I got off the medicine and my skin returned to it's normal nastiness, so I immediately returned. The process is slow, so you won't see a lot of change, but looking back it's done wonders. I find myself worrying about a spot on my face, but also remembering a time when I would die for just ONE spot. Give this stuff a chance. Give it time. You WILL see a difference.

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Em8

November 6, 2010

Pros:

- Dries up spots quickly
- Makes skin smoother
- Reduces red marks more quickly

Cons:

- Flaking and burning
- Sever redness on sensitive skin
- Hair loss

This is just a word of caution about this product. It does do what it says on the tube, and having used it every day for 6 weeks I noticed a definite difference in my acne. It also seemed to help prevent it. But... I also get some eczema, and I noticed that this caused new dry patches on my face. Worst of all, this has made my scalp so dry that my hair is thinning quite seriously. I have read that occasionally people get this side effect with vit A derived products, and I have had to stop using it because I don't want to go bald... So use with caution, especially if you are prone to dry skin conditions.

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loveyoumucho

November 6, 2010

Pros:

gets rid of your acne!!!!

Cons:

the initial breakout!!!

Well, at first i got it for my pimples on my forehead i wasn't expecting my forehead to look SO HORRIBLE !!! luckily for me ALL MY ACNE ON MY FOREHEAD WAS GONE IN A WEEK AND A HALF!!!! i was extremely happy!! i totally think everyone should use it! the intial breakout made me extremely sad!! but the end was sooo worth it!!!! i haven't had a single pimple on my forehead in about 5 months!!! yay(:

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Sean

October 28, 2010

Pros:

-Dries out skin, especially useful if you're like me and have very oily skin
-Can already see an effect
-No IB for me

Cons:

-Leaves skin flaky.

Excellent medication, and free if your under the NHS :)

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zabby39103

October 18, 2010

Pros:

- no more DEEP PIMPLES that Benzoyl Peroxide does nothing to (in my case)
- It is very effective and does work eventually
- Smooths out and brightens my skin with regular use
- Apparently slows the development of wrinkles as a bonus

Cons:

- It makes your skin worse before it makes it better, use it for 2-3 months before giving up on it
- It causes mild skin flaking (I use it over night and exfoliate gently in the morning), if you're getting too much of this reduce usage
- It can take a while to build up a "tolerance" to the effective strength (may need to build up to the proper strength, skin may be red and irritating until it gets used to it)

This in combination with Clindoxyl (antibiotic infused Benzoyl Peroxide - great for the "surface" pimples), and a red/blue light therapy lamp, has fully cured my once severe acne. Retin-A is necessary because it is the only part of my routine which addresses the painful deep pimples I get. Now people compliment me on my skin! Try it! I use the high concentration 0.1% cream (as opposed to the 0.05%) and dilute it with some vitamin-k cream to reduce irritation.

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Jessica

October 15, 2010

Pros:

-clears acne
-fades scars

Cons:

- stopped working
- gave me hives
- irritated skin
- itchiness

This is my first product review EVER.I used this product for 5 months. I went through the initial break out for about 5 weeks. After that, I had a pretty clear face, and my scars were starting to disappear. About 2 weeks ago, I started noticing huge bumps and my skin was constantly itching. I was still using the tretinoin and they were not disappearing. My confidence went to an all time low. I then learned that tretinoin was horrible for rosacea, eczema, and those with other sensitive skin issues. Those with eczema should not use tretinoin or benzoyl peroxide or a negative reaction will result. 3 days ago I stopped using the tretinoin, and began using sulfur sulfacetamide. My skin has drastically improved. If you are experiencing harsh effects such as hives and severe itching/irritation stop treatment immediately! There are a percent who have bad reactions to this medicine, and you could be part of that percentage. I hope this is helpful to some.

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Soccer Gal

October 13, 2010

Pros:

-Clears up skin completely
-Gives skin a healthier look

Cons:

-takes a LONG time to work
-gets a little worse before it gets better.

This product definitely works, but you have to be patient! I've been using it for about 2 months, and there was little change for about a month and a half, but in the past couple weeks my skin has quickly improved and looks better than ever. I've had acne for about 3 years with no improvement, and my skin now has no noticeable acne since using this product.

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