Remember, tretinoin may be the “gold standard,” but that doesn't mean it works for everyone's skin. Also, one person's skin may clear up faster than another's, which is why following your dermatology provider's instructions is so important—they can provide proper professional advice based on your unique skin's needs.
The tretinoin problem: Why it's not for everyone
Common side effects include dryness, redness, peeling, stinging, and increased sensitivity to sunlight, which can be especially harsh on sensitive or dry skin. These issues can make it difficult for some people to tolerate, especially during the early stages of use.
Signs you should stop using tretinoin
It's normal to experience some dryness, peeling, and irritation—maybe even some purging—as you adjust to using tretinoin. But if the side effects become severe or don't go away, it might be time to hit pause and give your skin a breather.
Your unique skin type
Everyone's skin is unique, and different skin types react differently to tretinoin and retinoids more generally. If you're a Dermatica subscriber, reach out to your dermatology team through your dashboard. Sometimes adjusting the concentration, or how frequently you use it, can increase results.
These unwanted effects — particularly skin dryness and acne breakouts — are widely referred to as the “tretinoin purge.” While they don't affect everyone, many tretinoin users experience some degree of purge effects during the first several weeks of treatment.
Another randomized vehicle controlled parallel comparison trial of tazarotene cream at various strengths compared to tretinoin 0.05% cream and found tazarotene at higher concentrations (0.1%) was associated with improved mottled hyperpigmentation and fine wrinkles compared to the tretinoin 0.05% group.
Retinol is a powerful tool against aging skin and acne, but it's not for everyone. If you're prone to allergies or have sensitive skin, you might want to try skincare products with alternative antiaging or skin-clearing ingredients.
During the first 3 weeks you are using tretinoin, your skin may become irritated. Also, your acne may seem to get worse before it gets better. It may take longer than 12 weeks before you notice full improvement of your acne, even if you use the medicine every day.
Tretinoin works best when it's applied to your skin consistently. If you forget to use your medication or skip certain days, you may need to wait for longer to see improvements. How sensitive your skin is to the effects of tretinoin. Some people experience faster results from tretinoin than others.
Tretinoin, of course! Tretinoin helps prevent acne breakouts, improves fine lines & wrinkles and can help treat early pre cancers (actinic keratoses).
Neutrogena® Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream
Speaking to Hello Giggles, Nicole Kidman confirmed that she is no retinol sceptic — “I believe in retinol, I do think it works,” she said.
You should aim to use tretinoin every night, however, you must start slowly as your skin needs to get used to it. The first 2 weeks apply it 2 to 3 nights per week, after that try applying it every other day, and then if your skin can handle it, apply it every night.
Using Tretinoin Correctly
The best time to use Tretinoin is at night. This is because light can degrade Tretinoin and make it less effective. Even more importantly, your skin regenerates the most at night and so your skills will get the maximum benefits from Tretinoin when it is applied during this period.
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.
Skin purging is a common side effect of using tretinoin. It usually appears right after the medication is first used, or when you increase the dosage. This can be a shocking experience for new users.
Microneedling is a more effective and permanent treatment option for comedonal acne compared with tretinoin. Patients' satisfaction with the improvement in acne severity is also higher with microneedling procedure.
Tretinoin is strong and not suitable for everyone or all skin types. Dr. King warns that it can cause skin irritation.
Tretinoin may be a better choice than Botox for many people, because it is less expensive, doesn't involve needles, and can last longer.
Almost everyone will experience irritation with tretinoin; it really depends on the concentration, frequency of use as well as innate skin sensitivity. Retinoids are great if you can tolerate them, you are far better off with a good retinol compound as it is easier to use.
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.
After 4-6 weeks, your skin will get used to Tretinoin and will begin to be noticeably smoother and more even. Depending on how often you use Tretinoin, you may begin to see full benefits by this point. A lot of the initial irritation will settle down and true “retinization” of your skin is in full force.