Tretinoin topical and Redness: What Users Say

• 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."

• Car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 30, 2020

For Acne "I started tretinoin 0.025 about a week ago for moderate teenage acne. So far, no new breakouts. Face is peeling, but not super dry if you know what I mean. I have always had sensitive skin as well, so my face is more red and splotchy than usual. I am using it every other day after showering and Cerave moisturizer. Seems to be helping so far. Will update each week!"

• Ell...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2019

Tretinoin topical for Photoaging of the Skin "Before I started using Retin-A, my face looked dull and tired. I had very sensitive skin, and no cream would help my face look plump and moisturized. I also had some wrinkles becoming more prominent. I felt old and ugly, although I am still young (turning 29). After I started using it, my face was red and sensitive for about 2 weeks, but now my skin has adapted to it, and it does not hurt anymore. I use a low strength for now, but to get to the point, I look awesome, and people are shocked when they hear I am 29. My pores are almost gone, my skin elasticity has improved a lot, my face looks plump and hydrated, and most of all, it helped with my festoons a lot (I had severe festoons under my eyes). This is a cream to die for, and I totally recommend it. There's nothing better out there in my opinion."

• DDF...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 30, 2018

Tretinoin topical for Acne "I am a 72-year-old woman who has been using Retin-A for thirty-four years. I started using it because I had adult acne at the same time my teenage son had acne. I routinely am mistaken for being twenty years younger than I am. I have very few wrinkles. My skin still has dry patches occasionally but they are short-lived. I have tried to get several people to use it, but they always get discouraged with the redness and peeling in the beginning. This phase does not last forever. Please continue to use it, you will never be sorry."

• 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!"

• Fin...
• February 5, 2016

For Acne "Had severe chronic acne for almost a decade. Despite my struggle, I stayed away from Retin-A and tretinoin because of reviews stating the horrible peeling, redness, and eventual ineffectiveness. Luckily, a year ago I came across a heaven-sent dermatologist who understood this product and gave me specific care instructions, not just 'here, put this on your face, good luck.' Because of the severity of my acne, I didn't see real results until 6 months in (most people see dramatic changes at 3 months). The months leading up to being clear were tough. I broke out WAY MORE than ever before. However, at month 6, people started complimenting my skin. And now at month 9, even the texture of my skin is firmer and more youthful (mine was adult acne)."

• Col...
• January 26, 2016

For Acne "This worked fantastically for me. I had really bad acne. I put it on every day at bedtime, and now my face is like brand new-no more acne or scars, my skin is like baby skin now. But you have to stick it out, it takes time for it to start working. You have to use it every day, and after about 3 months, you will start to see a big difference, and after 6 months to a year, you will not believe your eyes. You will go through the burning, redness, and a lot of peeling in the first few months, but that's the signs of showing that it's working. After a few months, your skin will adapt, it did for me. I also used a skin moisturizer in the mornings to give my skin some relief before I went to work. I can't stress it enough that you have to STICK IT OUT."

• 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."

• Ash...
• January 12, 2016

For Acne "I've dealt with mild hormonal acne for the last 3 years. I've tried everything, but nothing seemed to prevent my breakouts. My doctor prescribed tretinoin cream, and after doing some online research, I was terrified of 'purging.' Within a week of use, I could tell that it was working. I had minimal redness and peeling. This drug has improved the overall tone of my skin also. It's been 3 months now, and I haven't had any purging. This stuff is seriously amazing. My skin looks better than it has in years."

• Mel...
• December 10, 2015

For Photoaging of the Skin "I've used this product for almost a year now. I experienced mild dry skin the first couple of days, which eventually faded. My occasional mild acne cleared up immediately and youthful, radiant skin appeared. I started getting compliments. Five months passed and my tube was coming to an end, so I called for a refill. Apparently, my dermatologist recommends a check-up every six months, so my refill was declined. The soonest I could be seen was 3 weeks later. As I started the new tube, I noticed extremely dry, flaky, red skin and acne in spots I've never had before on my face. This freaked me out! But I continued the cream, and it all cleared up after a week. I now have clear, radiant skin again. Moral of the story, don't lose hope. Give it time."

• Gri...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 13, 2015

For Acne "I've been using tretinoin in the 0.1 gel form for almost 2 years, and let me tell you, it is possibly the best skin product you will ever own. The beginning is hard, naturally, the skin needs time to adjust, so for the first few months of treatment, you will experience a lot of redness, patchiness, and obviously, flaking, and you may also experience periods of very ugly breakouts if you have many clogged pores hiding under the surface, as the retin A will exfoliate the skin and slowly 'activate' your pores to enable them to unclog without the need for manual extraction and without scarring. The key with retin A is patience, SPF, and lots of moisturizing. Do not quit before your skin gets better, and resist the temptation to extract acne yourself. Good luck."

• Bil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2014

For Acne "I've never done a review, so that's saying something here. I've only been on Retin-A for about two weeks, and I'm already seeing fantastic results. I had mild acne, usually one to two cystic-like pimples always on my face, and tons of blackheads across my chin, and I had two giant red splotches of skin near the corners of my mouth for months! Two weeks of 0.1% and they're already fading! The pimples are already gone too! Only been dealing with some mild peeling, dryness, and slight redness of the skin, but I know that's normal. I never thought I'd feel fine going out in public ever again."

• Car...
• September 26, 2014

For Acne "20-year-old female. I have been using this for more than 12 months. The first few weeks, my face was slightly red and irritated, so I added an oil-free moisturizer before applying. I also experienced an initial breakout, but after a little over 2 months, my face started to clear up. Now I'm 100% clear, and it's helping me get rid of scars and red marks. Patience is really the key with this treatment."

• Jam...
• August 19, 2012

Tretinoin topical for Acne "Five years ago, I was prescribed Accutane for my acne. It certainly kept my acne at bay for five years. A few months ago, I started breaking out again and this time the severity was less than it previously was. It was a few small zits and blackheads here and there. I was prescribed Retin-A and it was a Godsend! The first two weeks, I battled with extra oily skin and my face turned beet red. I persevered and by the third week, the redness subsided and my face became acclimatized to it. The acne has definitely gone away as have the blackheads. The plus side is that my face looked smoother in years and whatever residual acne scars and discolorations have softened and looked better and better. Retin-A addressed my acne needs and truly delivered."

• 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!"

• 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."

• Lou...
• June 20, 2018

For Acne "This cream has saved my confidence SO MUCH! I spent so long in the house and antisocial due to overwhelming acne. I finally went to my dermatologist about 5 years ago and was on numerous different meds for years. Finally, she tried tretinoin cream. Guys! I have now been on it for 4.5 months, and it has worked WONDERS! The only VERY SMALL pimples I get anymore are because of outlying situations like going hiking all day in our humidity here where I live or falling asleep with makeup on. I never break out from day to day anymore, and the scars I do have have almost literally vanished. I feel so much freedom to do what I want with my life as opposed to being ruled by how I am feeling about my face each day. It’s awesome! For the first two months or so, like everyone else says, your skin will get very red, and my neck itched like crazy (didn’t even put it on my neck), but my face got used to it, and now I’m doing great! Would HIGHLY recommend this cream for acne!"

• 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!"

• lan...
• May 28, 2017

For Acne "I have been on tretinoin for about a month and am definitely seeing results. The only negative was my skin became extremely red all over, but it was still smooth. I had an appointment with my dermatologist, and he told me to use sensitive face lotion (he recommended Vanicream) to put over the tretinoin to help with the redness, and even after a few days, I'm seeing how amazing it is! All you have to do is keep your skin moisturized, and this stuff works like a dream. I go to bed every night excited to wake up and see the results!"

• 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."

• Bec...
• January 23, 2017

For Acne "I've used this product before, and it did wonders for my skin. My skin did start to get red and irritated, so I just used it every other night or skipped a few days in between. I had a lot of scarring on my cheeks, large pores, and oily skin, and it completely cleared my skin. I remember my cousin's girlfriend asked me if I had makeup on. (My skin was flawless.) The first time I tried this product, it was 0.1 percent cream, and now I just started using 0.05 percent gel. I hope it has the same effect-keeping my fingers crossed."

• rma...
• October 25, 2016

For Acne "I'm 28 years old and I had pretty good skin until I took hormonal birth control 3 years ago, and I am still trying to repair the damage to my skin. I've been using a combination of benzoyl peroxide .25% cream in the morning on cleansed skin and tretinoin .05% cream (not the gel) before bed. My skin is very fair and sensitive, but it's finally looking better after 2 weeks. So far I've experienced mild purging by the chin and cheek, but they are not the huge cystic pimples I used to get before. I think the peeling and redness are worth clear skin in the end."

• 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."

• 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."

• EPP...
• March 9, 2014

For Acne "I started breaking out when I got to college. I decided to address the problem before it got worse, even though the acne wasn't that bad. She gave me a prescription for Tretinoin cream. I put it on every night. The first week, I felt like someone had rubbed sandpaper across my face. It was AWFUL. My skin was red and irritated, and it hurt like hell even when nothing was touching it. The next week, the pain and irritation slowly subsided. The following week, my face erupted in pimples. That lasted into the fourth week. It was worse than it had ever been. After that, my face magically cleared up. It was amazing. Except for a very few minor spots, my skin is nearly flawless. The beginning sucks, but STICK IT OUT. You won't regret it."