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
March 15, 2011
Cons:
- super super drying, skin peels then cycles to smooth over the course of a week. Even in month four my skin can have a random dry spell.
- acne didn't fully go away, then started to come back
- gave me a huge rash all over my back
- terrible initial breakout
- comedonal acne
I've been using this in the morning and at night for four months. I can honestly say it has been a terrible experience. The initial breakout lasts FOREVER. Not only did it take 1.5 months to go away, but I had breakouts all over my face combined with cysts that I never normally get. After reading all of the reviews I put up with it because of the 'magic third month' where everything clears up and the world shines. Unfortunately that still hasn't happened, actually my acne is returning. When my skIn was lookin up I still had the odd pimple with a fair amount of blackhead things. I call them blackhead things because they were not the traditional blackhead. The thing is that my acne isn't really THAT terrible, but I'm pretty sure mine is 100% genetic. This was the last topical cream on my list so next stop is accutane. Hopefully this product works for others but in my opinion it really wasn't worth the initial breakout or the itchy scaly dryness.
February 9, 2011
Pros:
Skin is now smooth
Wrinkles reduced very quickly
Cons:
Major breakout first week
I think not for older people
I am 58, and my dr. prescribed something new, Tretin-X cream .0375% for my wrinkles and whitehead/blackheads which I have had my whole life. First week was awful -- I had pimples and whiteheads/blackheads in places I never had before. Both cheeks were blistered and crusty and the areas around my eyes (where the wrinkles were), were severely swollen. Went back to my doctor and she said to stop it and gave me Finacea gel 15%. So far after a few days, so good. All of the blisters/swelling are almost all gone and my face is smooth and wrinkles around eyes are not bad. However, I am OFF the Tretin-X until further notice from my doctor. Hopefully, I can find some sort of balance with this medicaion. I so wanted it to work for me. Fortunately, I did not have to pay anything because my dr. gave me samples to try.
November 12, 2010
Pros:
-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
August 28, 2010
Pros:
Smoother looking skin. Dries pimples and brings them & tiny bumps to surface right away.
Cons:
Dented scars! Yes, ur not imagining, I got them too! I don't have space below, so will share this here: please look into the blue light which has a thread on acne.org [www.acne.org/messageboard/here-415nm-Enlux-LED-t156864.html]; very surprising promising fast results by all who bought it after one person reported excellent results. He has his own home light which is the strong one supported by research & the cost is cheap rather than the expensv lower level ones at spa [I'm thinking of buying
I just submitted a review but didnt have space so I want to add this info--my husband used this tretenoin cream too [Acretin] & now I am connecting the dots & remember there was a time I was getting frustrated, telling him I am seeing new pitted scars & stretch mark-like scars appearing on his face every day! Not exagerating; he has worse acne than me & I'm always looking at his face & noticed scars popping up and once I was telling him about it and the next day I see a new one! Unlike me, he was using other prescriptions at the same time. And, the idea that this was happening from his creams did not even cross my mind, but i was puzzled b/c unlike me he duznt touch his face & never pops anything & doesnt use a facial cloth which could be scratching him yet there's these scars actively happening on his cheecks. Only thing I could think of then was that b/c his pimples have been on his face for so long [same exact ones] that they were eating away at his flesh. But that didn't explain the ones that look like a stretch mark, just the dented round ones. Now, given the fact that I've gotten scars from tretenoin [Acretain] I can see that that's what could have happened to him too. I don't understand what is happening here; they say this is supposed to help scars so how is it causing scars for some people. I do have thin skin; maybe people w/ thin skin are more likely to get this, or maybe it's something else! All I know is it's a big thing; I can put up w/ anything else to get nice skin [the peeling, redness, initial flare up], but these permanent looking dented scars & stretch marks is unacceptable. I wrote this b/c I dont want anyone to get permanent scars when many of us r trying to get rid of the temporary red acne spots. I will continue to do home remedies, like honey [it's antibacterial] & especially the yogurt which fades redness & brightens, gives dewy skin. And as much as can afford, will get blue light @ spa [had 2 which helped] & thinking of buying my
May 25, 2010
Pros:
Cleared me up completely after 8 weeks.
Evened out skin tone
Cons:
Red/irritated face
My first 6 indented scars
Hyperpigmentation
I wish i never started using it. 5 years ago, i had my worst ever break out ,went to the derm for the first time, gave me retin a and then boom my scars started appearing (indented scars).But it did clear me up, I totally wouldnt recommend this unless you want clear skin with indentations.
April 23, 2010
Pros:
clears up chest, shoulder, back acne!
Cons:
reeeaally irritated my face. itchy, red, painful..the acne seemed to get worse.
i used this for 2 weeks. my face huurt and itched and was super red. i DO NOT reccomend it for your face..but maybe i just have very sensitive skin. who knows. BUT, works great for back, shoulder, chest acne. now i am using aloe with some lavendar oil mixed in for my face and it was such a relief.
April 22, 2010
Pros:
Its ok didn't do much of a difference.
Cons:
peels skin really bad can cause the skin to become red.
It worked at first with benzaclin, my skin was flawless but after using it and changing from benzclin to benzamycin my skin was no longer the same since then retinA does not seem to work the same.Not that good turns the skin red and dark in some areas and can make skin patchy.
April 17, 2010
Pros:
Easy to put on
Cons:
Very drying
Initial breakout gave me worst acne in my life
My acne wasn't very severe, but my derm prescribed Atralin. She said it would help remove all the whiteheads I had under my skin. I read the reviews on here before I started using it and I thought I was ready for the IB. I was definitely wrong. This product made my acne probably 5 times worse than it had been, no joke. It wasn't bad a first, but the second week it turned into hell. I stuck with it thinking the IB wouldn't last much longer, but 4 WEEKS later my acne was the worst it had ever been and didn't show any sign of improvement. So now I'm stuck. I stopped using it and my face has been improving a little, but I have horrible hyperpigmentation from the IB. Maybe I should have stuck with it longer, but the initial breakout was just too severe and lasted too long for me to handle. I would only recommend this product of you're sure you don't have sensitive skin, and only as a last resort.
April 1, 2010
Pros:
Easy to use
This helps control some acne but doesn't help for moderate to severe cases
March 15, 2010
Pros:
no IB, acne would last maybe 2 days, smoother skin, good for post-acne redness
Cons:
made my entire face one big crusty scab (even with moisturizer)
i have extremely oily skin and this definitely dried it out. however, i couldn't even leave the house for 3 weeks after i started it because my entire face was flaking and wearing makeup was impossible. i tried using less, switching moisturizers (i used cetaphil and olive oil), applying it ever other day.. but nothing changed. it didn't reduce my chances of getting acne but it did make it go away quicker, and it was good for the red marks from my cystic acne. i suppose it would be good for anti-aging effects too, but i would only use it for spot treatments.
Pros:
- makes SOME redmarks go away
- skin smooth after second month