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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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November 6, 2007
Cons:
Redness. Peeling - can't wear make up. Acne never really cleared up. Major sensitivity to sun - must wear tons of high SPF.
You *CANNOT* get your eyebrows waxed when you use a retinoid. Your skin will come off with the wax strip and scar!
I've used this over the years. All it's ever done is make me red and my skin never emerges from the, what I call, snake-skin phase - b/c you shed your skin like a snake! I will use this as a spot treatment on a specific spot if I have scarring from a particularly bad zit. I will also use it on my nose to curb blackheads (it really does help w/ blackheads). Even so, I only use it two nights a week. I will never go back to the days of using Retin-A all over my entire face every day. I also dab it around my eyes in a preemptive strike against wrinkles. Call me paranoid but who wants zits AND wrinkles?
September 20, 2007
Pros:
Keeps my skin quite clear, stops pimples before they develop AND it will keep wrinkles under control as I age.
Cons:
Can cause redness & flaking, but I just use less or skip a day and it clears up.
I have been using tretinoin products since I was 15 (25 years). It didn't completely eliminate my teenage acne, but it made a huge difference. Now at age 40, people hear that I use acne medication and ask 'why' since I don't have any pimples. But if my prescription runs out, after a few days I start to see pimples and am reminded why I keep using the medication. I now use Retisol-A, which has sunscreen built in, so I use it in the mornings. My dermatologist says now I get a dual benefit as prescription-level Retin-A products are the only clinically-proven wrinkle reducer. (over-the-counter products are so dilute they don't make a difference)
September 15, 2007
Pros:
took away all the small bumps that were waiting to turn into big pimples. did go through a lot of breakouts but now really clear
Cons:
didn't peel but left skin oily.
i need to still give it more time 50/50 is how i feel
August 19, 2007
Pros:
Treats existing acne
Cons:
Really bad side effects, especially if u have a darker skin complexion. Makes your skin more sensitive to sunburn (could be permanent, even after you stop the treatment), and lightens skin tone. Mild itchiness and redness. Does NOT prevent breakouts!
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with a medium/tannned/dark skin tone. After using it, it lightened the skin on my face 1-2 shades. Now the rest of my body is 1-2 shades darker than my face. Also makes my face red, which looks realy weird on brown skin. If you must use it and have a medium/tanned/dark skin tone, use it in very very small amounts. (The size of a green pea is enough to cover your entire face). Also, use sunscreen. Before using this product, I never sunburned in my life, but after using it, I started to sunburn pretty easily. The worst part is that it does not prevent breakouts! It only treats the exisiting acne, but once they are gone, you will breakout again. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone because it will ruin your complexion if you're medium/tanned/dark skinned and it will make you sunburn much more easily if you're light skinned (light skin sunburns easily).
August 3, 2007
Pros:
Skin has considerably cleared up - very few blackheads remaining on forehead, no new pimples since the initial major breakout, skin appears tighter, smoother and more even.
Cons:
About two weeks in I experienced a major breakout, the likes of which I hadn't experienced since puberty. It only lasted about a week, though.
This stuff is pretty great. It didn't even make my skin particularly dry. I've been using it for about a month, and my skin looks much better than it has in years - I still have dark marks, of course, but they're not pimples, they're just what's left over. The clear spots on my face (my forehead) are genuinely clear for the first time since I hit puberty. I guess the only thing left to do is to keep applying it and wait for the marks to fade.
June 28, 2007
Pros:
It did not make my skin dry like my pharmacist suggested it may. It is easy to use and has replaced my moisturizer. It makes my skin less cloudy. Black heads are easier to extract.
Cons:
This product makes my skin almost oily, but more fresh looking than before. I worry about applying such a chemical laden product on my face. This product has increased the number of blackheads.
Still waiting for this product to start making my acne better!
June 17, 2007
Pros:
made skin soft and clear for a little while!!
Cons:
RED FLAKY BURNING ITCHING DRYING RED ITCHING BURNING ITCHING!! UGGGHHH wel at least for a few months
well i was on the 1 percent cream for a full 3 months before all that itching, burning, redness, and general iritation went away fully. i use it on my back chest and shoulders not on my face. i was also on trinessa bc pills. well i switched to yasmin after my 4th month on tretinoin(retin a) then switched back a little while later. i am now back on trinessa and am breaking out on my body again an i dont know why. its been almost 5 months on retin a it kept my skin clear the whole time i was torturing my body switching bc pills like that but now im breaking out and also the skin irritation that i initially got on this medicine is coming back also. the only thing i think it could be from is the bc pills and i have to wait another couple months for my body the calm down and stop being all hormonal. i cant think why it would b irritating me again though. i know that oral antibitics can stop working after a while, but i didnt know that could happen on retin a too! well we'll see
May 21, 2007
Pros:
after a month or two it works for a few weeks
Cons:
only a few weeks where it works (before and after these it is horrible), intense drying out and flaking-be prepared for a face full of flakes after a shower and that will come back an hour after moisturizer
takes too long to start to work and stops working shortly after, not worth all the drying and flaking and burning. IT JUST DOESN'T WORK AT ALL!!!
May 9, 2007
I've been struggeling with whiteheads and blackheads for about a year, I never had any large pimples so after a year of it not clearing up, I went to the derm. She gave me Tretinoin, and i've been using it for a month. At first, my skin was really dry and flaky, but now that has stopped. Although my skin is not dry anymore, my whiteheads and blackheads have yet to clear up, and I think the medicine is making them come up because they are really red and inflammed. I'm hoping after a month or so, my face will be clear, if NOT, well, i dont know!! Best of luck to everyone!!!!!!!
March 7, 2007
Pros:
if your face is already clear it will keep it clear, inexspensive,
Cons:
you have too wait, initial breakout, embarrassment from that initial break out
well iv used it about a month and my skin started getting better ity seemed and then BOOM! i got that breakout, and i still have it, its been about a week, usually my breakout would be gone by now if i wasnt using this stuff so i dont know if its worht it, i guess ill have to wait, but if YOU DONT LIKE WAITING DONT USE THIS PRODUCT.
Pros:
Clears up blackheads (retinoids are basically the only thing that clears up blackheads, according to my derm.)