Acne.org ProductsResults
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
March 23, 2011
Cons:
- sun sensitivity
- scaly, red patches
- patience needed (which I'm sorely lacking!)
- doesn't help with hormonal breakouts
I've battled with hormonal acne for about 15 years since the birth of my son. For several years I was on Diane 35 which was great for my skin but bad for weight gain, plus I just didn't want to be on the pill forever. For the past eight years since off the pill, I've tried various over-the-counter products, but still battled breakouts before my period and ever-increasing pore size and blackheads. It seemed like every pore on my nose and chin was a blackhead! So, I've been trying retin A .025% for the past seven weeks, being very careful to wait 20 minutes after washing and using the right amount. Initially, I had the expected burning, peeling, redness but was impressed with how quickly new acne dried out and how quickly my old scars were healing, and it seemed my pore size was getting smaller. Now at 7 weeks my skin has seemed to have "gotten used to it" - my acne and pore size are just like before, my skin is just as oily as before (a complete slick by 11 in the morning) plus it's still peeling and dry. So I've been thinking about ditching it, but after reading all these reviews will try to stick it out for a few more months. Just sucks that summer is coming and I can't get a tan...that was usually one sure way to clear up my skin!
June 16, 2010
Pros:
covered under insurance
It works, but slowly
Cons:
Initial Breakout
Dryness and peeling
I have been using Tretinoin .05 (Stieva-a) for just over 3 months now. I've been a bit scared to give a review so as to not jinx anything, but I know how important these reviews are to those, like me, who take a look at these reviews regularly if not daily. I would say my condition was moderate because although I didn't have many pimples, those that I had were big, round, red and very angry. The pimples/cysts were concentrated on my jawline and were the type that could never be popped. It would take a month just to go down, and I still have the marks to prove it. The first few weeks, I would say 3, were hard to get through because of the initial breakout. However, it wasn't as bad as some reviews have mentioned. I remember being terrified after some of these reviews, however many other reviews gave me the strength to carry on with treatment. After 4 weeks my pimples stopped altogether. My skin was no longer hot and itchy, it finally felt normal. I too was terrified to try this. It took me 3 months to use this prescription but I wish I used it sooner. However, I don't use this all over my face, just on the affected areas. On other areas I use 2.5% BP. On those big scary pimples during the breakout period, my derm gave me clindoxyl to use during the day. Right now I'm using 2.5% BP avoiding hyperpigmented area so that I can use hydroquinone 4% on red/brown spots, Dan's AHA lotion with Nutrogena Dry Touch 30 SPF during the day. At night I use the BP on everywhere but the hyperpigmented area in which I use Stieva-a and hydroquinone. My only issue now is hyperpigmentation. My spots are getting lighter but who knows how long it will take to completely disappear. To those in your first few weeks stop reading all these reviews, they make you crazy! Just have some patience and if in a 2-3 months it doesn't work, go back to your derm/doctor. Good Luck to all of you, I know how difficult this time might be. Go out and enjoy life, time will go by f
December 13, 2009
Pros:
clears skin, fades scars, gives skin a "glow"
Cons:
extremely, extremely difficult to deal with at first, itchy, sometimes burning, excessive peeling and dryness of skin in the beginning. major breakouts that seem to come from nowhere
i've used tretinoin .1% for 7 months now. before i started using it, i would say i had moderate-severe acne, after using it for the first month, my acne became nearly unbearable, i felt it was worse than severe, no makeup could cover it because the bumps were so visible, and i could barely put on makeup because the texture of my skin was so completely irregular and uneven, the patchy spots of dryness just made everything look worse. it took a few months, but tretinoin has become honestly one of the best things that's happened to me....now i'm acne free...dealing with simple small pimples here and there that everyone has. at first, i know the feeling, it seems so hopeless and you feel like you can't deal with it but TRUST ME, this is a PROCESS and the hard work you put into surviving the initial effects will surely justify the means! good luck!!
December 11, 2009
Pros:
- It definitely works great, but you must use it right
- Only needs to be applied once a day
- A single tube goes a long way
Cons:
At first it causes extreme dryness, sometimes burning.
This product helped me and my skin change completely. Before using it, I thought I had light acne and would use OTC washes and creams. When I began to wake up with a new pimple every morning & my skin began to scar, I knew it was time to go to a dermatologist. So I went and it turns out I had moderate-severe acne and the scarring/redness needed antibiotics. So I was put on doxycycline, 5% benzoyl peroxide wash, and tretinoin cream .05%. At first, I broke out more because it brings all your blackheads and pimples to the surface, then I peeled and had very dry skin for a few weeks. Finally, after about 5 weeks, I had no new pimples and the scars were disappearing fast. Just use it right and it WILL work for you. Only apply a small amount at night before bed, AT LEAST 30 minutes after cleansing the affected area. Also remember to moisturize in the morning and during the day, but not right before or after applying tretinoin, that will only interfere with the medicine.
October 8, 2011
Pros:
Actually works
evens out skin tone
gets rid of black heads
amazing at getting rid of scars
improves skin texture/makes skin super smooth
only applying at night
cheap
Cons:
Takes a very long time to get rid of the acne
Peeling like crazy in the beginning
initial breakout
have to wait 20 minutes after washing face to apply it
doctor visit
I have waited ever since mid July 2011 to do a review since I started the retin a regime along with an antibiotic and knew it will take a long time for this stuff to work. I was sick of my acne. I felt like it kept me from doing things i wanted to do and feeling free. The first week there was no change and no side effects. Then I got the initial breakout and my skin peeling off in sheets. The initial breakout was bad, but I just plowed through with the help of makeup. By the 7-9th week I was still breaking out, and I was worried that retin a just wasn't working. DON'T GIVE UP, it is working. It's now October 2011 so I've been on retin a for about 3-4 months and have seen a drastic improvement. This stuff has gotten rid of those stubborn blackheads on my forehead that would never ever go away with anything else, smoothed by skin texture and got rid of a lot of my old scars. I can now wake up confidently knowing I wont have 4 or 5 new pimples in the morning. I'm planning to be on retin a forever because it has so many benefits, even on wrinkles (I'm 19 so im not worrying about that yet). You can't really expect a medicine to have so many benefits and actually WORK without a lot of side effects. Luckily these side effects only happen in the beginning. One word of advice when using retin a, you need things to combat these side effects to get you through the day. The two things that helped me TREMENDOUSLY was the mychelle incredible pumpkin peel, and the mychelle cranberry mudmask. The peel helped me in the morning so I wouldn't flake off in the day and the mudmask just moisturized and calmed redness and was so wonderful. Moisturizer also helps, but these two products are really the one-two punch that help you get through the mess of the initial side effects. I only get maybe an occasional pimple throughout the week, and some scars left over from the initial breakout, but with consistent use of retin a I'm totally confident that both of these things will disappe
September 2, 2010
Pros:
-Faded My Hyperpigmentation
-Made My Skin Smoother
-Improved Skin Texture
-Got Rid of Excess Skin Oil
Cons:
-Made Me Break Out Everytime I Used It For The First 2-3 Months
-After 3-4 Months, Skin Is Amazing! :)
This is a great product, I used it at night and I used BenzaClin in the morning. This product will make you go through a long phase of breaking out everytime you use it but in essence, it drags all the dirt,oil, and ance to the surface so it can be released by your body. After about 3 months of breaking out from the product, your skin just spontaneously becomes amazing! There's no other way I could word that. Your skin becomes smooth, clear, and all the ance scars vanish and you'll be glad you went through heck because it won't matter anymore.
June 5, 2010
Pros:
Clears acne fast
No irritation
Helps with red marks
Tightens up skin
Cons:
Kind of itchy if you apply too much
It has cleared out my acne in a matter of days! I had severe acne during 2008 and I went on accutane. It cleared me out completely but acne started coming back because I did not have a daily face wash regimen. I did not have one because I have always had bad reactions to different cleansers, etc. So my only regimen was wash face with water. However, I had constant breakouts. I was put on Epiduo but I experienced a really bad initial breakout. It started clearing out, but at a very very very slow pace. Luckily for me, my insurance would not cover Epiduo, so my doctor put me on Tretinoin 0.05%. I was skeptical at first, b/c no acne medication has worked on me besides Accutane. However, after day 2, i noticed a difference. Acne started to clear and marks started to fade. I feel great on this medication. The peeling is not so serious, just moisturize. As a note: I started using Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser along with Cetaphil Moisturizing lotion, and it feels great!!!
At night I cleanse my face with Cetaphil and apply Tretinoin. I do not moisturize at night. Tretinoin is not like other acne treatments that dry out skin severely, or cause irritation. It sits on your skin very comfortably(make sure to apply only a thin layer of cream). Moisturize in the morning only. :D I recommend this to anyone who has only tried Benzoyle Peroxide or any other treatment, but has had no success. Tretinoin works in a very unique, but effective way.
January 26, 2009
Pros:
My pimples have been able to make friends with new pimples. Unfortuantly, some of the bigger pimples have been bullying the smaller ones.
Cons:
I think my pimples are mating.
Me: Retin - A, meet pimple, pimple, meet Retin - A (goes to sleep)
Retin - A: Hi pimp, i feel like making her life hell. Let's MULTIPLY!
Pimple : sounds GREAT
(Retin- A and Pimple mutiply by the dozens) 2 Weeks later
The pimples have begun to team up, they don't like some of the other pimples, resulting in the grouping of the pimple in certain parts of the face... of course there are still those outsiders who wander aimlessly around the face (nobody wants to be friends with those pimples.. they're not ugly enough)
Pretty soon, a riot begins, spreading fire all over their land
The Pimples soon become over populated and have not where to go.. they being to migrate to the chest, an unknown and far away land. Their journey will be short, but it will be worth it. They know they can do anything with the power of their god, Retin- A
To be continued....
August 6, 2014
Don't Give Up
I've been using Tretinoin for almost 15 weeks now and let me tell you it hasn't been all rainbows and sunshine. I am a 21 year old female that was getting painful cystic acne around my chin, mouth, and cheeks that seemed to spring up out of nowhere. I went to my dermatologist who prescribed me a combination of clindamycin/benzoyl peroxide for mornings and Tretinoin .05% for nights. I went through a bad initial breakout around my 3rd week in that lasted about my 6th week. I was VERY depressed and felt so hideous that I hardly left my house. If you're in this phase of your treatment...I know how you feel and what you're going through. The redness, itching, flaking, burning...are all really annoying side effects that can honestly seem to last forever and destroy your self esteem. I was very very ready to just throw the Tretinoin in the trash and never look at it again. Instead, I decided to research. Everyday I would come on this site and read the hopeful reviews and try to tell myself that I just had to stick with it. Eventually, after about 2 and a half months I stopped getting the painful acne. Pimples became few and far between. The burning went away and the flaking became manageable. The pimples I get now are almost invisible and go away much quicker. I can finally look people in the eyes again without feeling disgusted with myself. But the number one thing is...you HAVE to stick with it. DON'T GIVE UP. And don't listen to the reviews that say they've only been using it a few weeks or a month. This takes time! It even says to give it up to 6 months. Now I'm dealing with hyper-pigmentation...but Tretinoin will help with that too. You MUST MUST MUST use it everyday. Don't skip. And always wear sunscreen. Tretinoin works by speeding up the cell turnover process...making you really susceptible to sunburn. I'm not 100% where I want to be...but that's only because I have become obsessed with my skin. However, I'm light years better than where I was 15 weeks ago. Don't stop it. Keep telling yourself that Tretinoin is a marathon...not a sprint. Don't give up.
June 12, 2011
Pros:
cleared skin 100%
Scars disappeared
Smoother, supple skin
Cons:
ABSOLUTELY NONE
It worked for me 100%.
I Used retrieve cream (tretinoin) and noticed a remarkable change in my skin within 3 months. I suffered with severe adult acne on my face for over 10 years. I am now 30 years old and enjoying my skin for the 1st time in 10 years! People have even commented on my skin. Smoother, clearer, and young looking. I have not had a pimple for months. I use the cream every night without fail. had absolutely no negative side effects and I just cant believe how well this cream works without any pain/side effects. I am SO SO SO HAPPY! I hope you have as much luck as me with this!!!! I do want to have children soon though so am afraid what will happen when i stop using the cream!!
Pros:
- rapid turnover of skin cells makes new pimples disappear fast and reduces hyperpigmentation