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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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May 19, 2007
Cons:
takes a while to see full results,
irritating to skin at first
I always had acne, since I was 11! After years of trying everything else that claimed to rid me of the zits, I was willing to put up with the side-effects of tretinoin just to see at least SOME improvement. At first my skin flaked and turned red, and then I began breaking out even worse. By twelve weeks my face looked horrible, despite the promise of improvement by this time. Just when I was about to give up hope, I looked to online reviews (much like this one) to see if I should keep up the treatment. Luckily, I stuck to it and after SIX months I saw full results. My face was much more clear, my skin was much softer, my black heads were less noticeable, my scars faded away quickly, and my face was no longer irritated by tretinoin. I still consistently apply it every night, and I'm still enjoying the results. Also, a little tretinoin goes a long way! I'm only on my second 45 gram tube after almost a year! I suggest the generic tretinoin: MUCH less expensive than Retin-A brand and works
April 12, 2007
Pros:
Clears up acne, dries out whiteheads
Cons:
Takes months to see results, doesn't eliminate acne scars, makes skin super-sensitive to UV rays so always wear a sunscreen when going outside.
Never had acne as a young teenager, then as soon as I turned 18, I began to get moderate acne. I tried EVERY SINGLE over-the-counter product out there (from Neutrogena, Clearsil, Cetaphil, etc, to Proactiv, to some generic products - trust me I have tried over 87 products over the course of 1.5 years) I couldn't take the continued break outs, so my derm put me on Retin-A Micro (Purple Pump) and Duac topical gel (BP) as well as some anti-biotic oral meds. After about 2 months, I am finally seeing results. My acne is clearning up but the scarring is still showing a bit, but not horribly. I'm fairly happy with the results I am finally having but it's still not 100% clear. I give a neutral recommendation for this product because of how long it takes to see results.
October 13, 2017
Good stuff
Tretinoin cream works pretty well for me when I've used it. I'm fortunate not to get much peeling skin and redness from it- just some dryness, but I don't always use the the product straight up on my skin (I mix it with a bit of moisturizer if my skin already feels a bit dry). It never cured my acne completely but when I've used it I've noticed a big difference in the number and severity of my acne lesions- enough for me to really recognize the difference in my skin.
August 23, 2018
Watch out with using it together with a moisturizer! It's recommended to apply the tretinoin without anything else because it could interfere with each other and make the tretinoin less efficient
July 26, 2016
best cream for acne scars
Retino-A 0.025% Tretinoin Cream for acne scars is best medication, i use it from last 3 years
November 6, 2016
You can buy it in [Edited link out]! Regards
January 20, 2016
Does not work for everyone. I gave it 8 months, after Doctor follow up.
I will keep this brief. This did not work for me, and I gave it 8 months. I keep my washing regimen simple and I barely use makeup. I am 32 and have had moderately bad acne since I was a teen. Skipping forward, what ended up working beautifully for me was hormonal regulation by birth control and low dose spirolactone to block androgens. Perfect. I was on that from age 29-31 and it cured all my acne. Before that, I tried all sorts of topical and oral antibiotics with no success. I read and tried Retin-A. Gave it 4 months, then another 4 months after talking to a doc. My acne got worse, and worse, and worse. One guy mentioned chemical burns on this board. That was actually what I got!!!! At one point, my chin started pussing and scarring. That was at 7 months. I lessened my usage (every other day) and it never got better. Until I completely stopped. My face went back to baseline and I thought that looked wonderful compared to the horrible acne I had suffered while being "patient" on this. Point is, regardless of wonderful reviews from a majority, it does not work for everyone, even with a clean regimen and patience. Another point is, something else worked. I've stopped birth control / spirolactone because of future family planning. My acne is not ideal but manageable with $10 benzoic peroxide. That good old teenager stuff that works ehhh, but I guess I no longer care as much as I once did. Maybe not caring helped my face.
January 3, 2016
Did not work for 14 year old female
We have tried Tretinoin, Doxycyline, Onexton, and Epi-Duo. None have made a significant difference, thus the dermatologist prescribing all these products. During these trials, we cut out dairy and reduced sugar. Still no difference. Was told to use Cetaphyl and also CeraVe. I believe, if you have hormonal acne which my kid has... no external product is going to cure acne. It really didn't reduce it that much either.
December 18, 2014
Just started using it..
I am going into my third week with using Retin-A and I am having the hardest time pushing through with this. I am 21 years old and have been battling acne since I was 15. I am reading all the reviews on how it needs to take roughly 6 months to be effective and to see results, but I am fearful that it will continue to make me break out in these purges which is resulting in these left over red spots. People that have cleared up.. is your complexion clear of the red left over spots that these purges create?
November 28, 2014
Did not work!
At first i was using tretinoin 0.05 for about 3 weeks. Since then my acne was getting worse! So i went to the derm And she than prescribed me duac in the morning , doxycycline hyclate to use twice a day and tretinoin 0.05 (i have mild to moderate acne) using these my face ended up so bad and started to burn tremendously! I then made the decision to accept acne cause i knew god would heal me and send me a sign! I was watching youtube videos and out of nowhere pops acne.org regimen! I ordered the products but in the mean time i still had my duac and pills that i have taken . Watching dans regimen i realize i was washing my face wrong which was leading to irritation! I started using duac everymorning and night 15-30 min after washing my face with cerave gentle cleanser then wait 15-30 min again and put cerave mositerizeur. I also changed my diet stopped puttin make up on and started taking multivitamins. After a week if changing my regimen to dans acne.org regimen allong with doxy my acne has defnitley gotten alot better!! I was at the point where i just wanted to give up but i knew my god had a plan for me! This is workingg i suggest to watch dans regimen it helps!! Im seeing reaults everyday!
October 26, 2014
A MIRACLE
I've had acne, pretty bad acne, for the last 4 years. It has destroyed my confidence, made me decide to take many "sick days" so that I didn't have to go to school, and took me away from living my life to the fullest. Life sucks when you can't look other people in the eye, or when you cry every time you look in the mirror. I've been on many many antibiotics and prescription topicals that haven't worked. I used a combination of acanya and epiduo along with antibiotics for over 5 months, only to see little to no improvement. I got frustrated and upset and decided to be a little selfish and use some of my sister's topical (tretinoin) that she was prescribed from a different dermatologist several months back (her skin has really cleared up). After a few days of use, my skin became the most red and itchy and dry and irritated that my skin has EVER been. My skin looked awful. I stopped using it and applied moisturizer on my skin as much as I could, but it burned a ton. I was also breaking out in a rash under chin and down my neck so I decided to use hydrocortisone cream on my neck and face. It burned, but after applying it a few times throughout a day and night, my skin was back to about normal and it was like my skin shedded a complete layer of skin, I had so much dry skin peeling off my face. After the dry skin peeled off, it left my face a LOT clearer. I have now used this product sparingly for over a week now and my skin has NEVER LOOKED BETTER IN FOUR YEARS. Use this product as instructed and ease into the treatment to know how it will treat you. This has been the best product for acne that I have ever used and although my blemishes are not all gone, this product also seems to do a good job of fading the red pigmentation that acne leaves behind. This product has been a miracle for me as there was a point that I decided to just almost give up. Stay faithful acne sufferers! You're not alone and there IS a product out there for you!!
September 14, 2014
Also use other products
I've been using tretinion cream off and on for almost 15 years. You must have patience with it and give it at least 6 months. Also to note; I tried it without benzoyl peroxide or sylic acid wash and it did not work. I'm 28 so I've tried all different approaches to this. If you keep using it when you get older your skin will look much more youthful. Can't hurt to add this with your regimen of other products!
Pros:
gets rid of acne, helps reduce appearance of scars