Tretinoin purging: Tretinoin commonly causes a skin purge, characterized by acne breakouts, dryness, and irritation, especially when first used or when the dosage is increased.
Tretinoin is used to treat acne or other skin diseases as determined by your doctor. It works partly by keeping skin pores clear. One of the tretinoin creams is used to treat fine wrinkles, dark spots, or rough skin on the face caused by the damaging rays of the sun.
The skin purging from tretinoin usually lasts for anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months. It can range in severity from a few minor pimples, to major breakouts, skin dryness, flaking, peeling and other skin irritation.
Those colorless bumps are known as closed comedones and are common during a retinol purge. This indicates that the retinol is working by bringing dormant comedones and cysts to the surface, speeding up the skin turnover process.
For those of us who do suffer from purging, it can look like: breaking out in pustules (pimples), the appearance of flaky, peeling skin, irritation and dry patches. Getting these symptoms can be demotivating, especially if you're already feeling unconfident about your skin.
The only way to completely prevent a tretinoin purge is to avoid using tretinoin products. You can minimize tretinoin purge by starting your regimen slowly. Start using the products once or twice a week and gradually increase until your skin adapts to daily use.
“During the skin purge, your skin speeds up the cell turnover faster than it's used to so the substances clogging your pores get pushed to the surface of your skin faster, so you may experience slight inflammation, contributing to additional breakouts,” says Dr. Fernandez.
When purging your skin, you'll typically see blackheads and small, flesh-coloured bumps rather than inflamed pustules, nodules or deeper cysts. But this is not an absolute rule. Overall, acne caused by skin purging often tends to appear and then disappear much faster than classic breakouts.
Retinol works for acne by preventing clogged pores. You may still see pimples for the first couple of months of treatment — your skin might even look worse (this is sometimes referred to as the retinol purge). But if you stick with it, you'll see clearer skin.
You will be able to tell that Retinol is working if you start to see improvements in the texture and general appearance of your skin. Some people might be able to spot changes in their skin quite quickly, while others will have to be more patient.
Again, tretinoin users specifically may experience symptoms of “purging.” As tempting as it is, do not pick at any red spots, squeeze or pop blemishes, scratch rough patches, or excessively touch other inflamed spots which might pop up.
Vitamin A can be unstable as an ingredient, and this can mean your skin will become more sensitive. There is often an initial phase when using retinoids for the first time, known by many as the 'retinoid uglies'. Essentially, your skin can see a decline before improvement during an adjustment period.
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.
Scientific studies suggest that acne on certain areas of the face may be due to bacteria, excess oil production, hormonal changes, or external factors such as the use of waxy hair products. Addressing these issues with lifestyle changes, practicing good skin care, and trying topical treatments may all help clear acne.
What is the strongest dose (strength) of tretinoin? The strongest dose (concentration) of tretinoin is 0.1% which is sold as a cream under the brand name of Retin-A and is sold as a gel under the brand name Retin-A micro.
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.
You may notice an initial increase in acne, inflammation or dryness a.k.a. purging when you start using Retinol due to this reason. However, it's important to note that this is often a temporary side effect that can improve over time as your skin adjusts to the Retinol.
Lotion and cream with medicines, such as salicylic acid, lactic acid, urea, or tretinoin, can help reduce the bumps.
Gentle Exfoliation. One effective way to address tiny bumps is through gentle exfoliation. Exfoliation helps to remove dead skin cells and unclog pores, allowing for better penetration of skincare products and encouraging cell turnover.
When the skin begins to purge and get rid of excess oil and dead skin cells, it's preparing to clear what isn't needed out of the body. While it goes through this process, acne and breakouts improve over time. Avoid touching, picking, or popping pimples.
A comedo, or basic acne lesion, is a hair follicle that has become clogged with oil and dead skin cells. Comedones (the plural of comedo) can develop into bumps called whiteheads and blackheads. Products that may trigger comedones are called "comedogenic."
You might notice the appearance of whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustules, and hard bumps in clusters. These combined effects can make the skin look rough and uneven. The term “purging” reflects a process of purification or cleansing, which is exactly what your skin undergoes during the retinoid purging phase.
Retinoids have been implicated in causing mild-to-moderate elevations in routine liver tests, but these elevations are usually asymptomatic and transient, resolving spontaneously even with continued therapy.
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.
Some people may notice that this side effect goes away within a few weeks of use, while others may have flaky skin for up to two months. Regardless of how long it takes to subside, tretinoin peeling is temporary and will go away once your skin gets used to the product.