Tretinoin topical and Dry Skin: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Ano...
• January 8, 2020

For Acne "This can be a life-changing product if you have the patience for it to work its wonders. It really does take about 6 to 8 weeks to see the results. This is my second time on tretinoin, as I quit using it because I just never went and got my refill once my skin cleared. But a year later, my skin started changing again, and I am on my 8th week now, and seriously, by your 5th week, it does feel like it isn't working. But it is! I really recommend taking pictures because it really does help you see the progress and how well it is actually working. I also already have dry skin, so this product gave me extreme peeling. That was a big downside, which is why I gave a 9/10 (also the beginning purge is the worst, but it DOES pass). At the end of the day, I would come home and look in the mirror and realize my whole face was peeling off. I did find that the peeling is less of an issue if I moisturize and let it dry for about 20 minutes before I apply the tretinoin."

• Rac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 11, 2016

For Acne "I am 28 years old. I have always suffered from acne since I was in middle school. My pores are clogged, they just look like bumps on my face. My dermatologist prescribed me tretinoin 0.025 cream and phloretin. I have sensitive skin, so I use the tretinoin every third night and the phloretin every morning. I am on week 9, and I have noticed changes for the better. I am experiencing redness and dry patches, but it's tolerable. I do have breakouts in different spots than where I usually do. But my skin is clearing up. I am also getting compliments on my skin. I have now been using it every night because my doctor said 0.025 is a low dosage. It's definitely worth it to stick it out. Looking forward to the next couple of months."

• Lee...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 14, 2013

For Acne "I've been using tretinoin (0.05%) for one year now to treat acne on my back, which I had not been able to get rid of with any other topical cream for the past seven years. At first, the tretinoin cream dried out my skin to the point where it was peeling. I gently exfoliated every morning and used an oil-free moisturizing gel, which helped quite a bit. Then, my acne got worse for a month. However, since I do not feel comfortable using oral medication, I stuck with it, and after 6 months, my acne was 80% better! There are certain times of the month when some acne does come back, but in general, this medication has drastically improved the appearance of my skin. I continue to use it every evening because otherwise, the acne seems to return."

• nik...
• March 22, 2013

For Acne "I've suffered with moderate acne since I was 13 and tried everything, right down to home remedies, and nothing seemed to work until I was prescribed tretinoin 0.1 cream along with minocycline. But the cream did leave a residue on my face that would peel in the shower and left flakiness along with redness at first. But after a few weeks, your skin looks brand new, and all the unevenness goes away, and your skin just overall looks healthy. Aveeno lotion helps with the dryness! Highly recommend it!"

• Joh...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 20, 2019

For Acne "I was told to use this for both my face and my back acne, and for a short while, it worked, albeit, it was painful to use. It dried out my skin a lot, and I would flake and peel everywhere. That being said, after about 6 months, the majority of my acne went away, and I kept using it. A little while after, sometime around 9-12 months of using it, my acne started to come back, and the tretinoin cream didn’t do anything, so I went back to my dermatologist, and he took me off of it and moved to something stronger. While it lasted, it worked great, but it was more of a hassle in the end to deal with."

• nic...
• January 6, 2015

For Acne "I've been using tretinoin gel for about a month now, on and off. I've been using it for clogged pores or acne, and it's really been helping me. I told my dermatologist about having a lot of dry skin, so he prescribed me a prescription-strength moisturizer which I put on in the morning after I wash my face and put on my makeup. But with the moisturizer, it's been working very well, but if I forget to put it on, I can see the bumps on my face because of my clogged pores starting to come back. But as long as I keep applying it, it works great."

• Tir...
• January 25, 2018

Tretinoin topical for Acne "I started using Retin-A 0.1% two years back, but within a month, my skin became very dry. I stopped using it, though there were no other side effects. But after reading comments here, I got inspired and got the courage to use it again. So I have started to use it again and hope that it will work for me as well. I'll leave an update on my experience soon."

• 20...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 14, 2015

For Acne "I came off antibiotics for acne when my dermatologist prescribed me tretinoin cream .025%. He told me to wash my face with benzoyl peroxide topical wash 2x a day, apply Differin in the morning, and apply the tretinoin at night. He said coming off the antibiotics would initially cause me to break out, but that it'd get better. It's been 4 months, and the complete opposite has happened. The first 2 months, I had almost no acne for the first time in my life. My skin was still dry, as it's always been, but using moisturizer helped with that. However, the last 4-6 weeks, I've been suffering terribly from acne on my chin and cheeks. To make it worse, the area around the zits is extremely dry. I guess I'll just keep using the cream, hopefully, this is temporary."

• Cou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 7, 2015

For Acne "I've had mild acne ever since I was 11, but it started to get much, much worse when I hit 15. So, at 15, I went to a dermatologist and was prescribed tretinoin 0.025 cream. I didn't have an initial purge phase, but I did have really dry, peeling skin for the first month. I was using it for about 6 months, it worked miracles for my skin! It took about two months to really kick in. But then my tube of the cream got thrown away by accident, and I was off of it for three weeks. My skin got worse than it initially was within that time. Two months after that, I was seeing no results, so I went back to my derm and got prescribed the 0.05 cream. I've been on it for two months now, and my skin is mainly clear again. This cream does work. Give it time."

• Jas...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 15, 2015

For Acne "I suffered from acne for 20 years. I've tried countless other so-called remedies, and NOTHING can even compare to the effectiveness of tretinoin. My face began to clear up within a week, and I did NOT experience the massive breakout that many users complain of when first using it. I used to get huge, painful cyst-like zits that could take months to go away and would frequently reoccur in the same spot. Since starting to use tretinoin cream almost a year ago, I haven't had a single one of these! This is miraculous in my book. An added bonus is that discolored spots from previous acne have lightened up, and small wrinkles are essentially being smoothed out! I skip days so as not to dry out my sensitive skin. A good moisturizer is essential!"

• Kdu...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 16, 2017

For Acne "This medicine cleared up my acne and got rid of pigmentation from old cystic acne. It did make my skin dry, but I moisturized, and my skin evened out after it adapted. Only thing I will say is that when I stop using it, I have the breakouts again."

• Sam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 27, 2018

For Acne "I was prescribed this for my acne, which is moderate but can get really bad at times. They told me it would get worse for about a month and then get better. After using it for 8 weeks, I can tell you it only made it worse. My skin has never been that bad before. On top of the cystic acne, it caused my sensitive skin to be excessively red and dry. They gave me a pill to take with it (Minocycline), though, and it works wonders. 5 days ago I stopped using the tretinoin gel and only take the pill, and now my skin is almost completely free of breakouts. Don’t use this gel if you have the choice."

• had...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 14, 2018

For Acne "I'm a teen, and I started using the gel form of tretinoin (0.04%) just about a month ago to help with acne. I have oily/combination skin. At first, I used it every other night for 2 weeks, as my doctor told me to, and after 2 weeks I began to use it nightly. Towards the beginning, I didn't notice any flakiness/redness, but my acne did get worse, mostly around my nose and mouth. This lasted for about 5 days before it started to clear up, and I haven't had a problem since. I still get minor breakouts, but I'm hoping they will go away the longer I use tretinoin. It made my skin noticeably clearer and smooth, along with helping the brightness! I would highly suggest the gel form as it's helped me a ton, and I even have sensitive skin. It hasn't really helped with my oily skin, but I'm thinking that it's likely my moisturizer."

• Hon...
• January 19, 2020

For Acne "I recently talked to my derm about my acne and got tretinoin, clindamycin, and benzoyl peroxide cream, and I'm currently a little over two weeks in. And my face is mad! The first week I had huge cystic pimples on my face and super dry, red, and flaking skin that was so embarrassing, and now the big ones are gone, but I still have a lot of breakouts and a little dryness in some areas. I'm sure my skin is purging, and I just need to stick with it. My acne was pretty bad anyway, so I can deal with it getting worse before it gets better. I'm using tretinoin 0.025 at night, topical clindamycin, and benzoyl peroxide in the mornings, witch hazel toner, and CeraVe face moisturizer. It's only been two weeks, and I do see some slight changes. Even though the breakouts are really bad right now, I used to have little bumps all over my cheeks and chin. Those have gone, and my skin is a lot smoother, and now I just have the spread-out pimples that keep appearing all over my face. I'm hoping I start to see real results soon."

• Hon...
• January 19, 2020

For Acne "I recently talked to my derm about my acne and got tretinoin, clindamycin, and benzoyl peroxide cream, and I'm currently a little over two weeks in. And my face is mad! The first week I had huge cystic pimples on my face and super dry, red, and flaking skin that was so embarrassing, and now the big ones are gone, but I still have a lot of breakouts and a little dryness in some areas. I'm sure my skin is purging, and I just need to stick with it. My acne was pretty bad anyway, so I can deal with it getting worse before it gets better. I'm using tretinoin 0.025 at night, topical clindamycin, and benzoyl peroxide in the mornings, witch hazel toner, and CeraVe face moisturizer. It's only been two weeks, and I do see some slight changes. Even though the breakouts are really bad right now, I used to have little bumps all over my cheeks and chin. Those have gone, and my skin is a lot smoother, and now I just have the spread-out pimples that keep appearing all over my face. I'm hoping I start to see real results soon."

• Tay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 9, 2022

For Acne "This has been a life-changing product for me. I started out using this only two weeks ago during a bad hormonal breakout around my chin and jaw area. I used this every other night mixed with Hydro Boost moisturizer from L'Oreal. My skin is completely cleared of the acne and breakouts, and I have had no active pimples since! I read many reviews stating a purge occurring, or not seeing results for months, however, I have seen results within just two weeks. My skin is smooth and glowing as well. I did notice some redness and dry skin around my mouth after about 4 uses, however, by keeping up with moisturizing the skin, I have been able to keep it from getting too dry. Highly recommend this if you are dealing with cystic and hormonal breakouts."

• Sop...
• November 25, 2015

For Acne "I've been using tretinoin on and off for about 7 months. I would definitely recommend it. For me, my acne was really bad and bumpy, and now all I have are acne scars and a few occasional pimples when I'm on my period. This has helped me so much and helped my self-confidence because if anyone has acne, they understand what it's like to not want to show your face anywhere. The other thing about this product, though, is that it did make my skin dry and oily. So if you're willing to have that skin type, then you should try it out and stick with it!! You have to use this consistently or else it won't work!!!!"

• But...
• January 16, 2020

For Acne "It just wasn't for me. I've been using tretinoin cream off and on since I was in my early 20s, and I'm 27 now. It is absolutely not enough to help my skin on its own - I need to be on an antibiotic (which helps but isn't sustainable because of antibiotic resistance) or a hormonal drug like spironolactone (which helps but makes my heart race). Plus, it dries my skin out horribly even when I moisturize and use gentle cleansers without drying ingredients in them (I avoid benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid face washes). I do have sensitive skin though. A couple of days ago, I stopped using tretinoin and started using azelaic acid instead. Call me crazy, but my skin is already improving! Azelaic acid seems to be already helping my skin look clearer without the drying. I've tried many acne products, prescription and over the counter, and none really worked except Accutane, until now. Tretinoin is great for some folks, but if you've tried and it didn't work for you, give azelaic acid a try."

• Ape...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 9, 2015

For Acne "I've used the 0.025% cream for about two weeks now. I use it on my bum cheeks for KP and on a spot on my forehead for cystic acne. I did not experience any purging, just dry skin. It works great and pimples vanish overnight. Literally. I felt a cystic pimple coming on and used the cream. It was gone the next morning."

• Ano...
• August 11, 2015

For Acne "This medication, along with every other medication, is not for everyone. I just switched to this from adapalene gel because the adapalene wasn't effective for my skin. Literally, within one use, my skin got better. I had been getting really bad cystic acne that took a long time to go away, and the tretinoin dried them up and brought all the pus to the surface, which is a good thing! I haven't even been using this for a week, and my skin is a million times better! Side note, I have extremely sensitive and dry skin, and this product dries me out slightly, but it's so worth it."

• Jai...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 13, 2021

For Acne "I have been using this for about five years now. I used to break out quite a bit as an adult and had trouble managing it. Now all I need is an exfoliating scrub daily and this cream 2-3 times per week. My skin is clear, my wrinkles are minimal to non-existent, and I don’t notice an over-drying of my skin, even living in the Nevada desert."

• Rac...
• December 17, 2015

For Acne "This medicine has ruined my life. I hate myself when I look in the mirror. I am on my fifth month of 0.05% tretinoin cream, and I am still getting acne and dry skin. During the two- and three-month part, my acne was horrendous. Now I'm left with deep scars and self-hatred. It's not worth the emotional damage at all. I don't even care about acne that much, but this has made me depressed and miserable."

• Mel...
• September 4, 2016

For Photoaging of the Skin "I've had acne on my forehead and chin for 2 years, nothing has worked. My dermatologist prescribed me tretinoin, and I've been using it for 2 weeks. My skin is the worst it has ever been! I haven't had any skin peeling, my skin is getting quite dry now. I really hope in the next 2 weeks it improves!"

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 29, 2016

For Acne "So I started breaking out a lot! Chin and my cheeks. I have so many scars. My makeup won't even cover it. I went to my derm, and she prescribed me tretinoin 0.25% and clindamycin 1%. I saw improvement in 2 weeks, then after that, my face has been so bad! I look like a Brooklyn pizza! It's hideous. I no longer have self-esteem. I went back to the derm, and she gave me medication and 0.50% tretinoin. I'm on month two, and my face just peels. I still break out, and my acne scars are still there. I'm losing hope... When I put makeup on over the dry peeling patches, it makes it look worse. I'm just done with this medication. I will keep using it until month 3, like the derm said I would see improvement. I'm so depressed looking at my face in the mirror!"

• kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2020

Tretinoin topical for Acne "This was the worst experience of my life. It made my face break out, and I had big red dry patches on my face that burned so bad. I still have red scars from those spots that I didn’t have before. Do not use this, I suggest Accutane. I have done that before also."