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Share your journey with other people just like you on the Patient Community. My Account. News Blog What's so special about Retin-A? How does Retin-A work? How is Retin-A used for beauty treatments? More Like This. Updates, advice and lifestyle tips from the ASPS delivered directly to your email inbox.
Join Connect. Related Posts. Can stress affect our skin? If you start injectables young, can you prevent aging? What you need to know about dermal fillers Getting the best results from nonsurgical body contouring. These side effects are uncommon and should be treated immediately by a medical professional. Finally, a small number of tretinoin users may experience allergic reactions to the medication, resulting in rashes, swelling, trouble breathing, severe itching and dizziness.
These side effects are very uncommon and require immediate medical treatment. On the whole, severe side effects from tretinoin are very uncommon.
Minor side effects from the medication tend to be temporary and often disappear on their own or with the use of regular, over-the-counter skincare products such as facial moisturizer. Would you like to learn more about the potential side effects of tretinoin?
Our guide to common and uncommon tretinoin side effects goes into more detail about the side effects of tretinoin as an acne and anti-aging treatment, as well as the best ways to deal with side effects as a user. Our guides to using tretinoin for acne and for anti-aging cover the two primary uses of topical tretinoin.
You can also learn more about the safety and potential side effects of tretinoin in our Tretinoin guide. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Insider tips, early access and more.
What We Treat. Sexual health. Mental Health. Top treatments. What is Tretinoin? How Does Tretinoin Work? As with all drugs, Retin-A may cause side effects. While some of the initial side effects may resolve as your body adapts to treatment, others may be severe and require temporary or permanent discontinuation of the medication.
Common side effects of Retin A include:. Retin-A is prescribed at the lowest effective dose to avoid side effects. When first starting treatment, it may seem as if your acne is getting worse. This is not uncommon and is due to the effects of the drug on pimples developing deep beneath the surface of the skin. Do not stop treatment as these symptoms will eventually improve.
Retin-A causes sun sensitivity photosensitivity by stripping away the outer layer of skin cells called the stratum corneum. This exposes the underlying cells to the effects of UV radiation. Side effects can become severe if you are out in the sun too long, such as for work or while playing sports. You can minimize these effects by using sunscreen, though they may still occur to some degree. Severe side effects of Retin-A include:. Treatment should be temporarily stopped if these side effects develop.
Once the skin has healed, a lower dose should be prescribed. If the severe side effects return, other treatment options should be considered. On rare occasions, allergic contact dermatitis has been known to occur after applying Retin-A. Severe allergic reactions, such as anaphylaxis , can sometimes occur with oral tretinoin drugs, but they rarely do with topical drugs like Retin-A.
Retin-A can interact with certain medications, cosmetics, and skincare products. Chief among these are topical products that contain alcohol, sulfur, resorcinol , or salicylic acid.
Using Retin-A with any such products can increase skin dryness. If products like these are being used, it is usually best to stop them and let the skin rest before starting Retin-A. Tretinoin was once available as an oral drug called Vesonoid used for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia APL.
The drug has since been discontinued due to safety and efficacy concerns. Retin-A tretinoin is a prescription cream used to treat acne. It is an option your healthcare provider or dermatologist may recommend when over-the-counter medications and proper skincare fail to provide relief. Applied once nightly before bedtime, Retin-A will generally improve acne symptoms within several weeks, although there may be skin drying, flaking, and the temporary darkening of the skin.
Breakouts may also temporarily worsen before skin starts to clear. Retin-A should only be used in adults and children over Retin-A is often chosen by dermatologists to get rid of closed comedones. Additionally, it can help prevent new comedones from forming. It does this by increasing the rate of skin cell production to the areas that Retin-A is applied, making it more difficult for pores to become blocked and cause acne.
It might take two or three weeks of using Retin-A treitinoin before its benefits can be noticed. However, in some cases, it may require at least six weeks of regular usage before results will appear. No, Retin-A is not effective in reducing acne scars. At most, it might make superficial scars become less obvious. Treatment of acne scars will depend on the type of scar. No matter which type of acne scarring is present, it will require professional help from a doctor or dermatologist.
At first, using Retin-A might cause acne to appear worse than before. This is a somewhat common symptom. If this happens to you, keep following the instructions given to you by a doctor or dermatologist. These symptoms will eventually clear up. When retinol is taken orally as a dietary supplement, it is used to help treat vitamin A deficiency. It is also available as a cream and applied topically for skin care, often used to reduce wrinkles.
Retinol is said to only be mildly effective as an acne treatment, so Retin-A might be better suited for that specific purpose. Dealing with acne can be frustrating. Our free guide provides expert tips to help you take control.
Sign up and get yours today. Ortho Dermatological. Package insert - Retin-A tretinoin. Updated June 10, Why topical retinoids are mainstay of therapy for acne. Dermatol Ther Heidelb. Retinoic acid and glycolic acid combination in the treatment of acne scars. Indian Dermatol Online J. Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation: a review of the epidemiology, clinical features, and treatment options in skin of color. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. Molecular basis of retinol anti-aging properties in naturally aged human skin in vivo.
Int J Cosmet Sci. A comparative study of the effects of retinol and retinoic acid on histological, molecular, and clinical properties of human skin. J Cosmet Dermatol. Is tretinoin still a key agent for photoaging management? Mini Rev Med Chem. Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Package insert - Retin-A Micro tretinoin gel microsphere.
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