Tretinoin topical and Pain: What Users Say

• Cal...
• June 23, 2015

Tretinoin topical for Acne "I wanted to take the time to write a review in the hopes to give at least one person the self-confidence boost they need to keep going with Retin-A. I've been waiting for the day I get to write my own review. I officially started using Retin-A 0.25 just under 4 months ago today. My first day was 3 weeks before my birthday. I remember contacting my derm in advance with a million questions and mostly the fear of going through THE PURGE during this busy time filled with celebrations, events, etc. I thankfully made the gamble and started! I decided it was always be... I'll start next week, next month. Let's be real, when is there ever a good time for acne?! I can only describe the last 4 months as a rollercoaster. There will be good days. There will be days you hide inside. At some points I thought I was done purging, then it would come back. IT TAKES TIME. Painful cysts too, that do not go away. I would rather have 20 whitehead pimples all over than 1 deep painful cyst on my face! It was the most challenging thing I've gone through. It will test your patience. To the point of tears, and whys me's! At one point I scheduled an emergency derm appt to receive Cortizon injections on 3 cysts that were almost the size of dimes!! I couldn't take it anymore. This was 2.5 months. He sat me down and said it takes 3-4 months for results to be reached and you will hate your derm for that time and gave me the push to continue to go forward. Here's the good news! I am at my 4-month mark, and I have never been more happy. I haven't had a breakout in 1.5 weeks. I don't know the last time I've been able to say that. I can take on the CALI summer and not feel like I'm hiding. My biggest advice is be strong! Tell yourself every day, it's only 4 months of the rest of your life. Get past the 4-5 month mark and it will all be worth it! The past will be a blur! Good luck and you can do it!"

• AG1...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 16, 2013

Tretinoin topical for Photoaging of the Skin "I'm using Retin-A 0.025 gel version of tretinoin. My review is more of an encouragement rather than a full review. My full review will happen after at least a year of usage. Current usage - 2 months. So, you see, within 2 months of usage already deserves an 8 score rating from me. I could easily give it higher, but I'd rather wait for my full review. Now, I have read many of what the users said here and on the internet. It will be best for new users not to pay too much attention to users below 2 months of usage. Because all you hear is pain, breakout, worries, and eventually the key way they use = give up. It's your choice. But please read those who have actually used tretinoin for at least 6 months."

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

Tretinoin topical for Acne "I have posted early before about my 1st and 2nd week using Retin-A 0.025 cream. My 3rd week was much better than my second week, some of my acne started to calm down, and my face felt less bumpy. During this week, I started to use the cream 4 times a week because my cheeks were hurting. My 4th week was the most improvement. I started to use the cream every night again since my face had stopped hurting. During the 4th week, most of my pimples disappeared, and my skin felt smoother. I still had some pimples popping up, but not as much. Now my cheeks are pretty smooth with a couple of pimples, but my cheeks are really red from the scars that were left behind from the pimples. I'm hoping they will slowly fade later. Will keep updating!"

• tre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 12, 2021

For Acne "I just wanted to write a review in hopes that it motivates people to continue their tretinoin journeys. I began tretinoin over 18 weeks ago. I purged for the entirety of those 18 weeks. I had painful, under-the-surface cysts, and my face was red and inflamed. I stuck to my simple skincare routine, and now, at 18 weeks, my skin is beginning to heal. Don't give up hope! Keep going - it absolutely gets better. Also, I found that salicylic acid was causing my inflammation and dryness. After I stopped using a salicylic acid face wash, my skin began to heal at a faster rate."

• Tan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 25, 2019

Tretinoin topical for Acne "In the first 3-4 weeks on Retin-A, it was horrible, I had horrible acne almost everywhere on my face, especially on my cheeks, and it's painful. But after 1 or 2 months, I noticed a big improvement on my face. Trust me, it's worth trying."

• mga...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 3, 2013

For Acne "I'm a 20-year-old male, and I've had mild acne since I was 13. After going on antibiotics (pill and cream) in high school, my acne got somewhat better. After not being on anything for the past 2 years, in the last several months my acne flared up again, and I was getting surface spots and painful cysts. A dermatologist put me on Doryx, Benzaclin, and tretinoin 0.5 cream. I saw initial improvement with the antibiotics as I was getting less inflammation. However, my skin problem has always been more about an inability to shed dead skin. Let me tell you, 6 weeks after using tretinoin, my skin has never looked better, and it is continually improving. I still am getting an occasional spot or two, but the texture of my skin is so much softer and smooth."

• An0...
• July 21, 2016

Tretinoin topical for Acne "(Female/moderate acne) I have suffered from acne since I was 12. This summer has been the worst for my face. I have acne all over my forehead and my cheeks. In the beginning of the summer, I had small, tiny bumps all over my forehead and my cheeks that later became bigger. I've used many, many products on my face that worked quite a bit to not working at all. Then, in the beginning of July, I started using Retin-A 0.025 cream. The first week showed great results on my forehead, my forehead is now clear, but my cheeks became worse. This second week that I am currently in is what I guess is the purge, my cheeks are entirely red and covered in acne. I don't want to go outside, and my cheeks really hurt. Will keep updating. Not losing hope."

• Anonymous
• September 11, 2014

For Acne "20-year-old female with moderate acne. I was prescribed this cream at 0.025% about a year ago. My doctor told me to expect it to get worse before it gets better. She was not kidding, after I started using it, my cheeks were constantly breaking out with huge, very painful, swollen pimples. I had to sleep on my back because my face touching a pillow was excruciating. Whenever it seemed to be getting better, it would get bad again. My doctor upped my dose to 0.050% and also added an antibiotic to my regimen after three months and no improvements. Since then, my acne is between mild and moderate but never clear. My experience with this cream was not a good one, I stuck with it for a full year to be back where I started."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 27, 2014

For Acne "I have recently been prescribed tretinoin 0.25%. I have been applying it for about a month now. At first, my skin was terribly dry and painful. With the use of moisturizer, it's not noticeable. I apply the medication at night before I go to bed. My acne has not gone away yet, but my skin is much smoother, and any new zits that do pop up are gone immediately. From the experiences of other people, it sounds like this medication just needs time and a patient with patience!"

• 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."

• 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!"

• Har...
• December 29, 2016

For Acne "I suffered from adult cystic acne well into my 40s. I did not have many of them, but when I did develop them, they were large, under the skin, and very painful. I have been on 0.025% tretinoin for a few years now, and I have little to no breakouts now."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 4, 2021

For Acne "I have been using 0.05% cream for about 4 months, along with 100 mg of spironolactone. Due to the drying and irritation that the tretinoin causes, I started off slow, only using it once every 3 days, then every other day, and now I use it every night. It really doesn't dry my skin out much anymore. Just make sure you're exfoliating regularly and moisturizing. The first 3 months my skin 'purged' horribly. I had bumps all over my face and spent most of my summer hiding out from embarrassment. It was really painful and hard to deal with! This is your skin's way of clearing all the yucky stuff out. Now, 4 months in, and my skin looks beautiful. I still get a zit here and there, but it's so much better. Start off slow with this and hang in there. It will probably get worse before it gets better, but it'll be worth it in a few months when your skin is gorgeous and clear. This also prevents wrinkles too!"

• Har...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 30, 2019

For Acne "The tretinoin dried my face out extremely, it doesn’t help my acne considering where I live with very cold winter weather that lasts 7 months of the year. My face would often become stiff, and it would be terribly painful if I touched it. I stopped using the cream for a short time period to see if it was the issue to my complications, and it was."

• Mel...
• August 30, 2016

For Acne "I don't normally write reviews, but like another reviewer said, these were absolutely necessary for me to read so that I would stick with this medication. I've had bad acne since I was a teenager, now I'm 20 and getting married in November. I'd tried basically everything else under the sun to get rid of them. I started using Stieva-A 0.1% at night, and that first week was absolute hell. My acne was painful, itchy, inflamed, and way worse. After about 2 weeks, my pimples were the same as usual, but I would peel so much every morning, and moisturizer didn't help. Now it's been 1 month, and I'm starting to see results! My skin hasn't been this clear in years! The peeling is less each day, and the pimples I do get usually disappear after 1-3 days."

• An0...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 5, 2016

Tretinoin topical for Acne "I have posted earlier before about my 1st and 2nd week using Retin-A 0.025 cream. My 3rd week was much better than my second week, some of my acne started to calm down, and my face felt less bumpy. During this week, I started to use the cream 4 times a week because my cheeks were hurting. My 4th week showed the most improvement. I started to use the cream every night again since my face had stopped hurting. During the 4th week, most of my pimples disappeared, and my skin felt smoother. I still had some pimples popping up, but not as much. Now my cheeks are pretty smooth with a couple of pimples, but my cheeks are really red from the scars that were left behind from the pimples. I'm hoping they will slowly fade later. Will keep updating!"

• acn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 1, 2022

Tretinoin topical for Acne "Been using it for 2 months. Acne cleared up. Been having the occasional painful cyst(s), though. Skin burns and stings quite a lot, and moisturizer is a lifesaver. My skin has been so dry! It's peeling and flaking, and no matter how much moisturizer I use, it stays dry. I've even tried Vaseline, which is a big no-no for acne-prone skin. It's currently one of the only products that don't sting as much and provide the needed moisture."

• Kar...
• June 22, 2016

For Acne "I got back acne due to the extremely hot weather. On my 1st week, it was so painful, and my skin was getting red. Now I'm going to my 2nd week, my skin got peeled, but all the bumps, pain, and itchiness are still there. We will see, after reading all the reviews, I put more hope on this product."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 5, 2019

Tretinoin topical for Acne "I started using Retin-A after switching my birth control pills to progesterone only due to severe migraines thought to be caused by estrogen. I am now 23 and never struggled this bad with acne. Before Retin-A, I had a few cystic acne spots on my chin and jawline and small blemishes on my forehead occasionally. After using Retin-A, my face got way worse. The first week, it caused my face to be red, flaky, and burn. This wasn't the typical burning feeling I would get from a topical acne cream. This was a burn that would hurt when I would step outside. It made the cystic acne spots really dry, red, and very sore. I called my dermatologist, and they said those are typical side effects and to mix my moisturizer with the Retin-A. This helped but didn't help enough. I went another 5+ weeks dealing with peeling, flaking, red, irritated, dry, sore skin. I finally decided to stop using it. The next day, my skin was feeling a lot less sore and irritated. This was not the medication for me."

• Cou...
• June 12, 2016

For Acne "So I've been on the cream for like 3 days now, and my doctor told me to use it every four hours. I am so miserable! Like OMG, my face is peeling, my lips are peeling, I can't move my mouth. My face hurts like hell. I just look in the mirror and feel so ugly. Like I don't know what to do, but for some reason I want to stop, but I keep on going based on the good reviews. Hopefully it works out."