Skin color changes That's because tretinoin is sometimes prescribed off-label to treat dark spots or melasma. In these cases, lightening the skin spots is the goal. But other times, tretinoin may cause too much lightening (hypopigmentation) or darkening (hyperpigmentation) of your skin.
Some people may experience side effects when using tretinoin, especially as their skin adjusts. Also, it's possible for irritation from tretinoin to make skin darker, especially if you have more melanated skin.
Any medication designed to combat acne by accelerating skin cell turnover, such as topical retinoids like tretinoin, can cause skin purging. ⁷ It's a temporary phase typically lasting a few weeks. Importantly, this is often considered a positive sign that your acne medication is working to clear dead skin cells.
The time it takes to start fading hyperpigmentation varies depending on severity and whether you're using Tretinoin alongside Hydroquinone. Noticeable improvements in skin tone may start after as little as 6-8 weeks or as much as 3-6 months of regular use.
But other times, tretinoin may cause too much lightening (hypopigmentation) or darkening (hyperpigmentation) of your skin. For acne, it may be an unintended side effect of the medication. Keep in mind: Not everyone will experience skin color changes from tretinoin.
It may take longer than 12 weeks before you notice full improvement of your acne, even if you use the medicine every day. Check with your doctor if skin irritation becomes severe or if your acne does not improve within 8 to 12 weeks.
Topical tretinoin can cause your skin to become dry, red, swollen, blistered, or flaky. It may also cause your skin to itch, be painful, or feel like it is burning. Stop using topical tretinoin and call your healthcare provider if these symptoms become worse or do not go away.
A tretinoin purge, also referred to as “tretinoin uglies” is a common skin reaction that occurs when a patient uses tretinoin (Retin-A or Tretin-X) for the first time.
For some users, acne will flare up within the first few weeks of using tretinoin before it starts to reduce acne. Tretinoin purge is also referred to as “acne flaring.” In addition to increased acne, a tretinoin purge can also include dryness, peeling or flaking skin.
Signs you should stop using tretinoin
“If your face is red, tender, or very parched and peeling, these are signs you're overusing your retinoid,” Dr. Ansell says—either you're applying too much, or too frequently.
Can tretinoin cause melasma? Tretinoin is a common ingredient in medication used to treat melasma, and, as such, it works to combat melasma rather than cause it. Tretinoin is a topical retinoid found in such medications as Retin-A and helps to increase skin cell turnover to fight hyperpigmentation.
The best retinol we tried for dark spots is The Inkey List SuperSolutions 1% Retinol Serum. It also features apricot kernel oil and squalane in its formula to provide deep nourishment while resurfacing the skin's texture, evening out tone, and addressing dark spots and other blemishes.
If your skin is prone to melasma or has a history of hyperpigmentation, retinol may initially worsen the appearance of dark patches before it improves. Additionally, some individuals experience a “purging” phase where the skin becomes inflamed before showing results, which can contribute to temporary darkening.
You might think that, because tretinoin can heighten sensitivity to the sun, it's best to avoid using it altogether during the warmer months. However, consistency is key for achieving your skin goals – so, as long as you're protecting your skin from the sun, it's absolutely fine to use tretinoin during the summer.
Tretinoin can lead to more significant and faster results in anti-aging compared to retinol because it is more potent and it is clinically proven to reduce wrinkles, pigmentation and skin texture. While retinol is effective in improving signs of aging, the results may be slower and less dramatic compared to tretinoin.
Read below to find out how long it takes for Tretinoin to work. Most people start to see the benefit of daily derm-grade retinoid use around 6 weeks. If used every 2-3 days, then it would take around 10 weeks to see. If only used once weekly, it may take up to 3 months to start seeing results.
Applying excessive amounts of tretinoin onto the skin to make acne go away faster will not work. This can make the skin worse by causing extreme dryness, peeling, or redness. It may take up to six weeks of tretinoin treatment to see results.
Three inexpensive moisturizers that our physicians love are Vanicream Daily Facial Lotion with Hyaluronic Acid, Neutrogena Hydroboost Gel, and The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid Serum. All three of these are affordable, non-comedogenic,and blend well with tretinoin.
Tretinoin is thought to cause hyperpigmentation and a poorly tolerated dermatitis when applied to black skin.
Tretinoin must not be taken by patients who are pregnant or who may become pregnant. There is a high risk that tretinoin will cause the baby to be born with birth defects (physical problems that are present at birth). If you can become pregnant, you will need to avoid pregnancy during your treatment with tretinoin.
Schwartz suggests easing into it by using tretinoin every other night at first so that your skin can adapt to it and develop a tolerance. Then, if you and your doctor decide that you might need to use it more frequently, you can apply tretinoin daily.
Option one: The sandwich technique
After washing your face, apply a layer of moisturiser. Allow it to dry down for 5-10 minutes. Then, apply a pea-sized amount of tretinoin to your entire face. Allow this to dry down for 5-10 minutes.
How do you maximize tretinoin results? To maximize the results of tretinoin, start slowly, apply tretinoin at night on perfectly dry skin and between two layers of moisturizer, wear sunscreen with SPF 50 every morning, and combine with niacinamide or hyaluronic acid to minimize irritation.
Both adapalene and tretinoin will effectively cure your acne and dark spots, although tretinoin is likely to produce results more quickly, but adapalene gel is less irritating for patients.