Tretinoin topical and Redness: What Users Say (Page 2)

• NHg...
• April 3, 2017

For Acne "I read all of the reviews - I don't have acne and never had. What I do have is an immune problem that creates cysts. I have been using this cream 0.1% for almost a week. All the bumps under my left breast are gone. I am hoping with time the burning/peeling/redness will go away too, but I am extremely happy with my results in the week I have been using it."

• Anonymous
• August 29, 2017

For Acne "Aczone 7.5 gel at night, wait 20 min, then apply a light oil-free gel moisturizer, then tretinoin gel 0.5% worked for me. Been doing this for a year, and acne is gone. Had some peeling and redness for the first 4 months, but so worth it now, and great for wrinkles too!"

• Sam...
• March 22, 2016

For Acne "This medication does work, you just have to be patient. At first, you're going to peel and be all red in the face. Every time I woke up and saw myself in the mirror, I felt horrible from all the dryness, but after some time, it does get better. I can truly say my skin is clearer, and I see less acne as time goes by. The key point with this medication is patience, at first, you're going to look like a monster, but after a few months, you'll be looking like a princess."

• Lan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 11, 2018

For Acne "Please do not use 2x a day! An incompetent pharmacist told me to use it 2x a day, and it peeled my skin and bleached me by the second day. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, use fresh aloe vera gel on the skin 2x daily to soothe the burning sensation and help the peeling process move along. I'm saying fresh because packaged, processed ones usually have unwanted additives that will do more damage than good. Instructions for tretinoin: use every other night, so that's once, ONLY. Use ONLY A LITTLE at a time, especially if you have darker skin, or it'll peel your skin and make you red. Apply ONLY on dry skin, so wait till your skin is no longer damp after your shower. To T-Rex-- hopefully, your skin has healed greatly now, and you're getting over the trauma. But I'd highly recommend trying it again, and this time very carefully, maybe start using just every second or third day and slowly build up."

• Cca...
• December 3, 2015

For Acne "I've been using this for almost 3 months, and some advice I would give you: keep your face moisturized! When using this, since Retin-A is an acid, I don't know what I did wrong, but I got an acid burn, so my face was like really, really red all the time, and it just felt weird. So I use it every other day now and just keep your face moisturized."

• Meg...
• January 12, 2018

For Acne "23 female! I have very oily skin. Blackheads and whiteheads all over face! Also, big pores! I started using tretinoin on December 6. Today, I have a clean face! No more blackheads or whiteheads. Very clean face and minimized pores. For the first 2 weeks, my face was very sensitive. And skin felt like dandruff, redness, and a little bit painful - don't get scared, your face will get used to this. I put it on every night after I washed my face with Neutrogena face wash, applied tretinoin all over face overnight! In the morning, washed my face and applied La Roche-Posay moisturizer with 25 SPF. I'm very thankful for this medicine that my derm gave to me!"

• Tha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 24, 2015

Tretinoin topical for Acne "Well, I started using Retin-A cream .25 about a month and 3 weeks ago. I started by using it every 3 days for one month and then using it every other day. My face has gotten red, and my acne scars seem to be more noticeable, but around my eyes are really white, so you can imagine how I look. Well, I'm not sure if this is part of the process. I'm going to stick with it one more month and see what happens. I use CeraVe PM moisturizer after applying, and yes, I use a moisturizer with SPF 50 during the day that is a Cetaphil product. So I really hope this is just a phase I'm going through. I'll update in a month."

• Qan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 10, 2021

For Acne "The first couple of months on tretinoin were a little rough as my skin was adjusting to it - dryness, flaking, and redness, but that was expected. Definitely get your hands on a good moisturizer and consider using something like Aquaphor as a top layer at night. I started by applying every 3 nights, then every 2, etc., and I now apply daily, just taking a day off every other week or so when I feel my skin getting dry. Before I started, I had about 15-20 active acne spots at any one time and I now usually have 0-3! I haven't had this clear of skin in years. I have a lot of red scarring from old acne (I'm quite pale), but that is gradually fading. Overall, the best decision I've made for my skin and hoping to continue seeing progress!"

• 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."

• 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."

• Mic...
• April 21, 2016

For Acne "I've been on this Rx cream for almost a year now. I can say it has worked like a miracle on my acne and wrinkles. By the way, I'm 26, but I did develop wrinkles around my smile lines and under my eyes and moderate acne on both my cheeks when I was in my early 20s. The Tretinoin definitely will make your skin look worse than it originally was, but it starts to clear up after 3-4 months with consistency. There would be peeling, purging, and redness involved. Make sure to apply Retin-A 20 minutes after washing your face and apply sunscreen when you go out. I did not apply anything else on my face while working with my Retin-A at that time. But yeah, Retin-A or Tretinoin is a miracle product. I love it."

• Anonymous
• April 20, 2010

Tretinoin topical for Acne "I am a 15-year-old female experiencing acne from puberty. I was prescribed the medication by my dermatologist. I am also using Acanya in the morning with Neutrogena SPF. In addition, I am moisturizing with Cetaphil. At first, I noticed the treatment was working well besides mild stinging and redness, but after three weeks, I am now having an increase in whiteheads in areas I have never had any problems with, like my cheeks and chin. The acne seems to be small fine bumps that are deep under my skin - I believe these are called closed comedones. Hopefully, this is just the initial breakout."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 29, 2016

For Acne "RETIN-A 0.025 cream/female - New update...currently on my 8th week now, and results aren't so well. Lately, my acne on my forehead has been appearing again, but now they are small and come in large numbers. My cheeks are still pretty smooth, but acne has been appearing on my left cheek. My cheeks are very red right now because of the acne scarring. I guess this week is another purging week, so that sucks. Anyways, will keep updating."

• May...
• November 19, 2017

Tretinoin topical for Acne "I’m 49, with hereditary cystic acne with a hormonal component. I’ve tried everything with various degrees of success for a limited time. Birth control pills; Accutane; Minocycline, which helped but caused teeth discoloration! Topical washes, BP, Proactiv—everything limited. Blue light therapy seems to help but caused hyperpigmentation for me. My sister recommended 0.04% micro gel, which I have been using for about 3 weeks. Redness and bumps ensued but didn’t know to wait the 20 minutes to apply after washing! Also using 302 (brand) for inflammatory skin, which is helping (recommend). My skin is still breaking out but healing way faster with some peeling, but pitting is improving! I’m hopeful at last. Definitely, the cystic pain is better. Clarisonic at PM helps."

• Joa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 25, 2017

For Acne "Currently approaching the 6th week. Started off with .05 and moved down to .025. After week four, I thought things were clearing up, and then week five, I got another inflammatory breakout. I only use it on my forehead. Discouraging. No improvement from the start and more red marks than when I started."

• Tir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 19, 2016

For Acne "So I just recently got done being on Accutane for six months. My derm told me to start applying tretinoin cream (0.05%) onto my face every night. I'm three weeks post-Accutane/into using the tretinoin, and it has been awful. I thought after Accutane I wouldn't break out hardly at all. However, that's not even close to the truth. I've gotten at least two cystic bumps/pimples/red marks on my face PER DAY for the last TWO WEEKS. It's beginning to cover my face, and it is getting continually worse. I have never broken out this much in my entire life. I use a Cetaphil face wash and moisturizer. I really thought after six months of Accutane, my skin would finally be clear for the first time ever, but now it's simply worse than ever."

• Hii...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2016

For Acne "I began tretinoin a little over a week ago. I was prescribed it by my doctor for breakouts I've had on my behind since I was 13. The first 2 days after applying tretinoin to my bottom, I saw immediate results. My bottom was getting dry. But the acne and red marks were fading. And I was honestly so excited because I figured that this is it! Something is finally helping! But about the 4th day, my jaw and lower face were red, itchy, burning, and dried out, and my butt was on fire! It began drying out, which turned into scaling with the daily use of it. Felt like my butt crack was bleached. And it looked like it too! I didn't put it on today after my shower, and the intense burning isn't bad at all. I'm going to use it every 3 days from now until my appointment."

• Nay...
• July 17, 2015

For Acne "I am 16 years old, and I am a junior in high school. I started using the acne cream in 9th grade, but I stopped over the summer and was on and off during my 10th-grade year (I just lost track). But my overall experience is great. I love it. My only problem is that after a couple of days, my chest gets sort of like a rash, and it turns really red and hurts. And my face gets painfully irritated. But I have made an appointment to follow up with my dermatologist, so yeah. But overall, it's a really great cream."

• ema...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 26, 2017

For Acne "I usually don't write reviews, but I felt my experience needed to be shared to warn others. I have a very high pain tolerance, I've never had a problem with pain until I started using this 0.025% cream. I have never felt such horrible burning pain in my life. My skin looks horrible now, I have red splotches everywhere that are also dry. The only reason I started using this was because I started developing some minor breakouts about once a month, and they were enough to lower my confidence. But this pain is absolutely not worth it. I was supposed to continue for 5 months, but I absolutely will not. I can't even lay my head on my pillow at night without my face feeling like it's on fire."

• Anonymous
• October 27, 2009

For Acne "I had some redness and sensitive skin and burning, and I just waited for the sores that did have to clear up before I applied it on again. So I really haven't noticed anything just yet. Hopeful for it soon."

• Vpt...
• January 14, 2016

For Photoaging of the Skin "2 months. Went through the dry skin, red skin, 'ugly phase'. But stick with it. It really does work!!! My skin tone is perfect and my skin is so clear."

• ana...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2018

For Acne "The gel is currently stuck on my skin. It has been for days now. Now my skin is more red due to trying to get the gel off."