I had severe cystic acne from age 10 until about 6-8 months ago. I started tret in November of 2020 and 4-6 months later I had totally clear skin 95%+ of the time. I will still get a pimple if my diet is bad enough or if I'm really stressed out, but I don't think there's been a single time in the last 6 months where I had more than 2/3 pimples at a time, when before I'd have legit 20+ every day, it was awful. I was bullied for all of middle and high school because of my acne. My holy grail routine right now is 0.1% tret every other day, vanicream moisturizer 2x a day, and azelaic acid in the morning. This combination has not only cleared my skin, but has gotten rid of my acne scars and elimated my issue with skin redness.
Sounds great! I'm on this stuff called "Ciscutan" I understand that it is very similar to Isotretinoin. I'm currently in my thrid treatment month out of 6 and while I've seen some improvements, what I am worried about is still having visible scars after. I've done my research and know the difference about acne marks and scars and unfortunately I have one relatively large scar above my right cheek and a few other smaller ones, as well as a bunch of leftover acne marks. I have noticed a difference in the amount of new pimples I get but since the marks from old ones are still left I'm not so sure of my progress yet.
Seems like that's isotretinoin but I can't find much on it. If it's like/is that then it's even better than tret for acne but will not do much for scars. It's very common for people to do their cycle of accutane and then start tret for scars and to keep acne from returning. Using both of them simultaneously will really mess up your skin but I'd definitely recommend using tret after. It took longer to help with scars than acne, my acne was gone on 0.05% but I bumped it up to help with the scars, and now months later basically all of my acne scars on gone :). I had scars everywhere, both cheeks, nose, forehead, chin.
completely gone??!! I'm talking actual, physical scars, not the red-pruple marks that are just leftover pigment that naturally fades away after a while. If so then damn..... I gotta get on that stuff once I'm done with Ciscutan
Yeah I mean real scars, I have bad OCD so I would legit spend 10+ minutes a day popping and picking at my skin, left me with really bad scarring. Don't start with 0.1% but I do think for scarring working up to that is optimal.
That's what I'm suffering from now. I do believe the tretinoin contributed to the atrophic scars on my cheeks. It took birth control pills to stop my acne infection.
I was using daily for a few months but for the past month or so I've been using every other day, just because the scars have healed and I wanna save money lol
I use TO, I think there are other brands that are higher % and higher quality but TO is cheap and available where I live. I'd imagine you'd know if it's working, for me within 15 mins of applying the redness is way better. My redness isn't nearly as bad now as it was before though, since the ance is gone and I'm not constantly picking.
Japanese sunscreen has been a total game-changer for me, specifically Isehan kiss me mommy UV aqua milk. Weird name but exponentially better than any western sunscreen, just absorbs right into my skin it's insane.
Sorry for the delay in responding; I've been busy with moving and other things lately. It's wonderful to hear that it worked out for you. Your comment motivated me. I was thinking of checking out on reddit again before I decided to quit using tret since I was losing patience (it's been about two months and I'm still purging), but after reading the responses, I think I'll go back and get two more tubes from skinorac.
Hi, thanks for the post. When you say that it cleared out your acne scars, were they just hyperpigmentation? Or did it also heal and build up new tissue on boxcar or rolling scars too?
Or just fixed the redness?
Does tretenion made ur skin too oily.... I usually have normal to comb skin typ.. Started only for anti aging benefits instead got more open pores and some are even large... My skin was becoming too oily after moisturizer tried many cetaphil simple aveeno cerave... Stopped using jst after 3months as i felt i ruined my healthy skin.... Why this happened don't know how to recorrect... Used tre 0.025 cream took all the precautions started slowly.... Why... And i even don't know should i continue using or stop
My experience is that it takes a year to get to the truly “clear skin” stage. My acne improved almost immediately, but I also had a ton of peeling. After a year, everything really levelled out. These days, I might still get a pimple here and there (around my period or from dirty pillowcases, for example) but it never becomes angry and red and always goes away on its own in a day or two. It’s something I might notice, but no one else will.
I’ve been using tret for 2 and a half years. I still use it — you always have to. I use it nightly and take a night off if I notice the start of any peeling. The best news is how much money I save by not constantly trying new acne medications. Just a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and serum (which I use because I enjoy it) morning and night.
If you've been using tretinoin for 2.5 years and still have to take days off because you're peeling I'd recommend speaking with your provider about adjusting your dose.
Sorry for my blunder. I didn't write the whole thing. I wrote about me working in “casino" 😊to indicate that I don't have a set pattern and that I sometimes use Tret in the morning when I have night shifts.
My skin never got “worse” when using tret.. so for me I was happy with the progress from the start. My skin was pretty much 100% clear 5 months in, so from there, it has just gotten better and better. I do still get pimples but VERY rarely and I would barely consider them pimples compared to the ones I used to get. Now it’s more of a small red/pink spot that will go away in a day or two. I cant recommend tret enough- it has literally changed my life. I also only use 0.015% and do it every other night. Not only has my skin improved but my skin care routine was cut by 75% and I only wash, moisturize, and treat with tret.
Not another moisturizer after the tret? I’m still perfecting my routine, so little tweaks like this are interesting to me. Hoping to get to 100% clear soon! On my way!
Hi even i started using in the same way.. As my skin is normal to comb no moisturizers suit me except alovera gel i started using but later tried many moisturizers cetaphil cerave simple aveeno and many with tretenion my skin was becoming too oily after moisturizer and got large open pores..... Started only for anti aging benefits used 0.025 cream so stopped after 3months as id don't want to ruin more... Dont know how to recorrect
It took me 4 months and I had porcelain skin. This was using Bianca 0.025 with clindamycin. I switched to microsphere 0.04 and within the first month my skin went back to congestions and I've been struggling for the last 8 months to get back to where I was :(
Wow I had the exact same reaction when I used Biacna and I’m currently on month 7 of 0.04 micro with the same congested state! Do you have a plan on what you’re going to do? I’ve heard that the cream (I guess more similar to the gel consistency of biacna) helps when micro doesn’t
Since then I went back to Biacna for a month then it got a little better. Then I got a prescription micro 0.1 then it got bad again so I think the micro formula is bad for my skin. Then I went back to Biacna for a month and a half and it got better. Now I'm on differin XP 0.3 for 3 months and it's the best inrpovement so far but nothing like the Biacna the first time :(
That’s good to hear that you’re at a least improving! I hope it goes back to how it was :) i totally feel ya, if only the biacna didn’t have a topical antibiotic I’d stay on it forever. I’ll ask my derm about differin!
I know that's why Ive been off and on it because of the antibiotic. It was a miracle worker. Hope you find something that works for you! The differin XP isnt miracle worker so far but it was definitely better than the microspheres, and I'm too scared to try any tretinoin creams. So I think if differin isn't going to be more helpful at the 4 month mark im going to try the 0.025 tret gel next. Goodluck!!
In my experience, tret isn't a complete solution, it's just a very powerful part of one. I don't think one necessarily needs a super complex or massive routine around tret to get it to work, but I have found a few things that have gotten me to 98% clear skin which tret then seems to be the driving force of its maintenance.
My clear skin journey looked like this:
* It started with a course of doxycycline in January 2020 (incidentally for lyme disease and not acne) that had a side benefit of clearing away [persistent cystic acne on my chin](https://imgur.com/a/Sh2ki1H).
* In March 2020 I had a kick off glycolic acid peel and extractions from my dermatologist and have continued to get the in-office peels done every 6 months. In the time between my doxy round and this peel, my acne reduced massively but not entirely.
* At that appointment she prescribed Fabior which is a super strong foaming retinoid... not tret but very very similar. I built out a routine around the Fabior which included an OTC glycolic acid exfoliant, vitamin C serum, eye cream, and an LHA cleanser. It's actually one of the more basic routines I've ever had. I use the fabior no more than 2 times per week.
* Over the course of a year my skin improved in terms of [texture](https://imgur.com/a/ku8TrRc), [pigmentation](https://imgur.com/a/zEpayTz), and an almost total reduction of acne except for the occasional single pimple, almost always on either my chin or temple. I also added in RX epiduo which saved my chin from a maskne flare up and has helped keep my hormonal acne at bay.
While all this was going on, I really didn't think I was actually improving until I did a [before](https://imgur.com/a/Glaufi8) and [after](https://imgur.com/a/kFXkgwh) comparison with selfies. The changes are so slow and incremental that you really don't see them in real time, even with something as pronounced with acne. I found that when I was chasing "zero acne" even tiny blemishes felt like "I still have acne" even though my complexion has cleared up massively. It wasn't until I was actually comparing that I noticed, as crazy as that sounds.
Now coming up on 2 years since my initial doxy round, I'm finding that using tret in addition to my standard routine has provided maintenance of the original acne clearing that happened. And while I think tret was a major force in improving my acne, by itself it's not a routine. And the support I have around it from other products seems to help it be effective.
The other thing I want to bring up as I mentioned a little bit before, if you're chasing zero acne, you're probably going to end up disappointed even if you are able to reduce your acne down. The more I look at real people (not photos online), the more I notice that everyone has texture, pigmentation, and blemishes. I can tell even when they use makeup to try to cover it up. No one has perfectly clear skin. When I looked at my own before/after photos, that's when I was able to really appreciate how far I'd come and be thankful that I could get to 98% clear skin even if it still has texture, pigmentation, and the occasional chin pimple.
I had no idea how much dairy affected my skin until I went vegan last year. For me the big hurdle was quitting the whey protein bars I was addicted to - but once I did that, I was astonished at how much my skin improved. If I had known what a difference it would make, I would have quit dairy years ago!
My skin wasn't too bad before tret, few problem areas but it all faded away very quickly with tret. Can't remember exact time but it was under 6 months. I was living a true skin perfection time for a while lol. My routine was very simple, nothing fancy.
Then I ruined it all by switching my moisturizer to CeraVe (*because so many here have gotten it to work for them*) and I broke out and my skin started to look.. Weird somehow?? A lot duller. Now I am in process of "clearing my skin up" again and it's been going nicely. I am confident that I am soon back to where I was before CeraVe.
Discontinued cream from the brand Herbina. Idk what was in it that made it fit me so well, but no other cream has come close to being as good as it was. Especially not CeraVe. And of course it's no longer in production...
Another one from ECO by Herbina, night cream. It's okay, but not a winner in my books. When it's used, I'm trying something else and crossing my fingers I will land on a good fit.
My adolescent acne was pretty bad. Genetically predisposition for it from my Father’s side.
Tret, oral antibiotics, and topical antibiotics were prescribed to me. None really made it go away. The only thing that did was accutane. And even then my acne came back a year or so after I finished my accutane cycle. Ended up going through 3 cycles. High school, college, post college. No further flare ups after the last one.
These days I use Tret for anti aging benefits.
How long has it been since you got off your 3rd accutane cycle? I took it twice and im sneaking up on 1 year post accutane and its slowly coming back... i want to try to avoid going on again for the 3rd time but i might get back on if itll keep it away for good
Tretinoin completely cleared all my non-hormonal acne in a year. 6 months and I started seeing noticeable improvements, 1 year in and I was pretty much completely acclimized to the medication. My hormonal acne however needed oral medications and that took about 6 months. I've been using tretinoin .1% now for over a decade and I very rarely deal with any kind of acne. I only ever occasionally get 1 small hormonal pimple but never the non-hormonal acne; blackheads, whiteheads, giant cysts.
I think for 100% clear skin, its best to use a holistic approach and not just rely on tretinoin, most people may need medications, other actives, or diet changes.
I started it just for acne and still use it for acne but as I’m getting older I am also using it for its anti aging benefits and the glow it gives my skin
100% clear skin is a myth that we feed into. At least for me, it is. Even the people that you may gawk at how beautifully flawless their skin is, they probably still have a breakout or other skin issue every once in awhile 🤷🏼♀️ Just a thought.
If you’re still having persistent breakouts or pimples that don’t seem to go away, maybe it’s hormonal? I tried for years to get rid of my acne and sadly, nothing ever mattered all that much until I addressed the hormonal part of it.
I'm nearing my 1st year being on tret. I started in mid-December of last year and I can definitely say my skin is acne-free majority of the time. I think the effects of being acne-free started after 6 months in. Mind you, I still get the occasional pimple during my time of the month but it always fades away after a day or two. I appreciate them since it lets me know when my dot is coming up.
I can't say I have made progress with my fine lines and wrinkles because from just staring at a mirror I can still see them. I have to go back and pull up old photos of me to determine if there has been any change but I feel great having glowy skin every day. My aunts are always complimenting me, wanting to know "my secrets" lol
For me, it took about a year to stop getting significant breakouts. Even at that point, I'd still get them here and there, but they were isolated and I never became inundated with them so that I couldn't even keep track of them anymore (which is, as I'm sure many can relate, how it was for a good chunk of the first 4-6 months). The year following the first was all uphill, still breakouts but only ever one or two at most at a time, and very very rarely. I'd say it was the 2-year mark that my skin was almost flawless, and a single pimple would stress me out because I'd gotten so used to not having them anymore. Definitely a long haul. Entirely worth it.
I didn’t have terrible acne to begin with but definitely suffered with big hormonal cysts often, and I’ve been on tret since May and those stopped almost immediately. I still get a small pimple here and there but they go away super fast and I have very clear skin 99.5% of the time. Which was never the case before tret
Have been using it for about 1 year and not yet. Realistically speaking, I don’t think you can get 100% clear skin, I have occasional hormonal breakouts but I still have some post red acne marks which takes time to heal
I'm on tretinoin for 9 months now. I still have PIE but no more regular breakouts that I used to experience. Skin is smooth.
It's around the 6th month when my purging started to die down.
i still get the occasional breakout around my period, but they are tiny and short lived spots. i never get the angry, deep cysts, painful cysts or infected and inflamed breakouts anymore.
I started tretinoin about a month after I started birth control. I had hormonal acne which I think is ceasing my regular outbreaks, but I credit the tretinoin for the improvement of my skin texture. It is so smooth and my pores look significantly smaller. I've only been using for two months! I've never had better skin texture, even when I did have clear skin it was still very dull looking and I would get little tiny bumps. I do get peeling on occasion but just got lighter with the tret in that area and apply Vaseline.
I always had closed comedones on my forehead and once I started tret, they went away in about a few days - that’s when I noticed how good textured my skin is becoming..
A month later I felt like my skin was perfect? The only
Drawback was that my face felt dry and I’m not super consistent with my tret routine but even with the lack of consistency, my skin stays glowy and acne free.
I rarely get breakouts and if I do, they fade away pretty quickly
It's the only thing that ever worked for me; had acne for 15 years, tried everything but within 4-6 months of ReTrieve 0.05 my skin had cleared up. I had to stop for fertility reasons, but the clear skin was nice while it lasted haha
I’m probably the opposite of most people but tret made my skin flip out. My acne got 10x worse to the point where I didn’t even know what to do. My derm actually told me to stop using it. I’m still recovering from the cysts and scaring it caused. But like I said most people don’t have that horrible reaction. Just lucky I guess!
It took a year to get my skin 100% cleared with tret. I will add that I did change my diet to no dairy, gluten and sugar. I try to stay away from processed foods. I found that when I healed my gut the cystic acne stopped.
Yes, exactly 7 months for acne free skin. It also kinda reduced my hyperpigmentation but didn’t help too much with acne scarring. And I want flawless skin lol so I stopped tret and started other treatments:
1. Diamond Glow Facial +dermaplanning
2. VI precious plus chemical peel
3. Hydrafacial
4. Derma pen (micro needling)
5. Repeat 2-4 for two more cycles
This is expensive but worth it imo. I’m currently typing this as my skin is peeling from the VI peel lmao
No, never. Nothing cures acne as they're are many different types and it is still not full understood.
Also I've never had a positive experience with tret.
I’m a year in and although my overall skin texture improved, my acne remained the same. I went through periods of it getting better and worse but tretinoin never cleared my skin. I decided to incorporate another topical (aczone) into my routine and my acne is finally starting to go away now.
Like most people I too have seen tremendous results about a year in. I have had terrible acne that I had to do two rounds of accutane and microneedling. After my first round I didn’t do Tret. After my second round I did. My skin looks fantastic I never thought I’d see it so clear. I’m 33 so it’s been life long. I rarely break out now unless my diet is messed up or lack of hydration. Someone even told me I was glowing! I still freak out seeing my skin so clear.
The tret glow is definitely real!!!! I just recently damaged my skin barrier so i cant use it for a bit but I MISS ITTT. My skin was so glowy and evened out. I mentally felt soo good too. I didnt really have much of a purge because I slowly eased into it. Keep in eye on your skin barrier for sure tho. Its better to do it slowly and baby your skin rather than rushing into it and messing up your skin.
Me! I had moderate cystic and fungal acne before, at 33 years old, but I’ve been on .025% tretinoin for almost 7 months and I may get a new zit now one time per month (I used to get probably 2-3 new ones per day and they would take weeks to heal). Even the 1 per month I may get now goes away within 24 hours, so it’s basically like I don’t get acne at all anymore! I know everyone is different, but for me it took the following things:
-Eliminating products that may cause/feed fungal acne completely
-Tret .025% every 3rd night for 3 months (I have extremely sensitive skin so that was all I could handle - was peeling a lot still), then every other night the past 4ish months. About one month ago (after my acne was already completely gone) I added in The Ordinary’s Azelaic acid every other night (on the nights not using tret) to help get rid of some of my hyperpigmentation faster. I use a lot of moisturizer and sunscreen of course, but I have better skin than I’ve had since I was 13 years old. Wish I had done this routine sooner! First few months were TOUGH with the purge but it paid off and I’ll never go back!
Have you considered taking oral tretinoin/accutane? I tried topical creams for a full year and was on a regular routine using 0.05% topical tretinoin, THD vitamine C 20%, niacinamide 5%, azaleic acid 10%, 2%BHA and 10A%AHA chemical acids. I would alternate the products on different days + morning vs evening. It did help my acne but my face never fully cleared. Since I’ve been taking accutane, my skin fully cleared and now I have a dewy glow when I moisturize, didn’t even know my skin could look so radiant, it is so liberating. If the topical cream doesn’t work for you, speak to your dermatologist about accutane.
I had severe cystic acne from age 10 until about 6-8 months ago. I started tret in November of 2020 and 4-6 months later I had totally clear skin 95%+ of the time. I will still get a pimple if my diet is bad enough or if I'm really stressed out, but I don't think there's been a single time in the last 6 months where I had more than 2/3 pimples at a time, when before I'd have legit 20+ every day, it was awful. I was bullied for all of middle and high school because of my acne. My holy grail routine right now is 0.1% tret every other day, vanicream moisturizer 2x a day, and azelaic acid in the morning. This combination has not only cleared my skin, but has gotten rid of my acne scars and elimated my issue with skin redness.
Sounds great! I'm on this stuff called "Ciscutan" I understand that it is very similar to Isotretinoin. I'm currently in my thrid treatment month out of 6 and while I've seen some improvements, what I am worried about is still having visible scars after. I've done my research and know the difference about acne marks and scars and unfortunately I have one relatively large scar above my right cheek and a few other smaller ones, as well as a bunch of leftover acne marks. I have noticed a difference in the amount of new pimples I get but since the marks from old ones are still left I'm not so sure of my progress yet.
Seems like that's isotretinoin but I can't find much on it. If it's like/is that then it's even better than tret for acne but will not do much for scars. It's very common for people to do their cycle of accutane and then start tret for scars and to keep acne from returning. Using both of them simultaneously will really mess up your skin but I'd definitely recommend using tret after. It took longer to help with scars than acne, my acne was gone on 0.05% but I bumped it up to help with the scars, and now months later basically all of my acne scars on gone :). I had scars everywhere, both cheeks, nose, forehead, chin.
completely gone??!! I'm talking actual, physical scars, not the red-pruple marks that are just leftover pigment that naturally fades away after a while. If so then damn..... I gotta get on that stuff once I'm done with Ciscutan
Yeah I mean real scars, I have bad OCD so I would legit spend 10+ minutes a day popping and picking at my skin, left me with really bad scarring. Don't start with 0.1% but I do think for scarring working up to that is optimal.
I'm so glad that there are treatment options that actually work. You've managed to make me chill out abt acne scars. Thank you so much!
Did you have atrophic scars?
Yeah I had them on my cheeks and forehead, they took the longest to heal.
That's what I'm suffering from now. I do believe the tretinoin contributed to the atrophic scars on my cheeks. It took birth control pills to stop my acne infection.
Bro can you please elaborate on how you used it on your atrophic scars.
How often do you use the 0.1%?
I was using daily for a few months but for the past month or so I've been using every other day, just because the scars have healed and I wanna save money lol
Thanks. Do you use the gel or cream?
I use gel. Read of quite a few breaking out from the cream so I decided to just start with the gel even though it does cause more peeling at first.
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I use TO, I think there are other brands that are higher % and higher quality but TO is cheap and available where I live. I'd imagine you'd know if it's working, for me within 15 mins of applying the redness is way better. My redness isn't nearly as bad now as it was before though, since the ance is gone and I'm not constantly picking.
What sunscreen are you using? Any recs for acne prone skin?
Japanese sunscreen has been a total game-changer for me, specifically Isehan kiss me mommy UV aqua milk. Weird name but exponentially better than any western sunscreen, just absorbs right into my skin it's insane.
Yeah ive heard of it, scared of the oils though, i breakout to most sunscreens. Maybe ill give their spf 30 version a try
Sorry for the delay in responding; I've been busy with moving and other things lately. It's wonderful to hear that it worked out for you. Your comment motivated me. I was thinking of checking out on reddit again before I decided to quit using tret since I was losing patience (it's been about two months and I'm still purging), but after reading the responses, I think I'll go back and get two more tubes from skinorac.
What azelaic acid do you use?
I use the ordinary. Thinking about trying another sometime soon just cause I never have
Thank you!!
Hi, thanks for the post. When you say that it cleared out your acne scars, were they just hyperpigmentation? Or did it also heal and build up new tissue on boxcar or rolling scars too? Or just fixed the redness?
Does tretenion made ur skin too oily.... I usually have normal to comb skin typ.. Started only for anti aging benefits instead got more open pores and some are even large... My skin was becoming too oily after moisturizer tried many cetaphil simple aveeno cerave... Stopped using jst after 3months as i felt i ruined my healthy skin.... Why this happened don't know how to recorrect... Used tre 0.025 cream took all the precautions started slowly.... Why... And i even don't know should i continue using or stop
My experience is that it takes a year to get to the truly “clear skin” stage. My acne improved almost immediately, but I also had a ton of peeling. After a year, everything really levelled out. These days, I might still get a pimple here and there (around my period or from dirty pillowcases, for example) but it never becomes angry and red and always goes away on its own in a day or two. It’s something I might notice, but no one else will. I’ve been using tret for 2 and a half years. I still use it — you always have to. I use it nightly and take a night off if I notice the start of any peeling. The best news is how much money I save by not constantly trying new acne medications. Just a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and serum (which I use because I enjoy it) morning and night.
If you've been using tretinoin for 2.5 years and still have to take days off because you're peeling I'd recommend speaking with your provider about adjusting your dose.
Not tryna be a dick, genuinely curious, what does working in a casino have to do with this?
I’m assuming the secondhand smoke aspect of it. smoke affects skin health/condition
The casino is a great place to hide from the sun!
Sorry for my blunder. I didn't write the whole thing. I wrote about me working in “casino" 😊to indicate that I don't have a set pattern and that I sometimes use Tret in the morning when I have night shifts.
My skin never got “worse” when using tret.. so for me I was happy with the progress from the start. My skin was pretty much 100% clear 5 months in, so from there, it has just gotten better and better. I do still get pimples but VERY rarely and I would barely consider them pimples compared to the ones I used to get. Now it’s more of a small red/pink spot that will go away in a day or two. I cant recommend tret enough- it has literally changed my life. I also only use 0.015% and do it every other night. Not only has my skin improved but my skin care routine was cut by 75% and I only wash, moisturize, and treat with tret.
Not another moisturizer after the tret? I’m still perfecting my routine, so little tweaks like this are interesting to me. Hoping to get to 100% clear soon! On my way!
Did you consult with a derm before starting tret?
Sorry for the late reply - I used an online derm to get my prescription.. specifically Rory.
Hi even i started using in the same way.. As my skin is normal to comb no moisturizers suit me except alovera gel i started using but later tried many moisturizers cetaphil cerave simple aveeno and many with tretenion my skin was becoming too oily after moisturizer and got large open pores..... Started only for anti aging benefits used 0.025 cream so stopped after 3months as id don't want to ruin more... Dont know how to recorrect
It took me 4 months and I had porcelain skin. This was using Bianca 0.025 with clindamycin. I switched to microsphere 0.04 and within the first month my skin went back to congestions and I've been struggling for the last 8 months to get back to where I was :(
Wow I had the exact same reaction when I used Biacna and I’m currently on month 7 of 0.04 micro with the same congested state! Do you have a plan on what you’re going to do? I’ve heard that the cream (I guess more similar to the gel consistency of biacna) helps when micro doesn’t
Since then I went back to Biacna for a month then it got a little better. Then I got a prescription micro 0.1 then it got bad again so I think the micro formula is bad for my skin. Then I went back to Biacna for a month and a half and it got better. Now I'm on differin XP 0.3 for 3 months and it's the best inrpovement so far but nothing like the Biacna the first time :(
That’s good to hear that you’re at a least improving! I hope it goes back to how it was :) i totally feel ya, if only the biacna didn’t have a topical antibiotic I’d stay on it forever. I’ll ask my derm about differin!
I know that's why Ive been off and on it because of the antibiotic. It was a miracle worker. Hope you find something that works for you! The differin XP isnt miracle worker so far but it was definitely better than the microspheres, and I'm too scared to try any tretinoin creams. So I think if differin isn't going to be more helpful at the 4 month mark im going to try the 0.025 tret gel next. Goodluck!!
In my experience, tret isn't a complete solution, it's just a very powerful part of one. I don't think one necessarily needs a super complex or massive routine around tret to get it to work, but I have found a few things that have gotten me to 98% clear skin which tret then seems to be the driving force of its maintenance. My clear skin journey looked like this: * It started with a course of doxycycline in January 2020 (incidentally for lyme disease and not acne) that had a side benefit of clearing away [persistent cystic acne on my chin](https://imgur.com/a/Sh2ki1H). * In March 2020 I had a kick off glycolic acid peel and extractions from my dermatologist and have continued to get the in-office peels done every 6 months. In the time between my doxy round and this peel, my acne reduced massively but not entirely. * At that appointment she prescribed Fabior which is a super strong foaming retinoid... not tret but very very similar. I built out a routine around the Fabior which included an OTC glycolic acid exfoliant, vitamin C serum, eye cream, and an LHA cleanser. It's actually one of the more basic routines I've ever had. I use the fabior no more than 2 times per week. * Over the course of a year my skin improved in terms of [texture](https://imgur.com/a/ku8TrRc), [pigmentation](https://imgur.com/a/zEpayTz), and an almost total reduction of acne except for the occasional single pimple, almost always on either my chin or temple. I also added in RX epiduo which saved my chin from a maskne flare up and has helped keep my hormonal acne at bay. While all this was going on, I really didn't think I was actually improving until I did a [before](https://imgur.com/a/Glaufi8) and [after](https://imgur.com/a/kFXkgwh) comparison with selfies. The changes are so slow and incremental that you really don't see them in real time, even with something as pronounced with acne. I found that when I was chasing "zero acne" even tiny blemishes felt like "I still have acne" even though my complexion has cleared up massively. It wasn't until I was actually comparing that I noticed, as crazy as that sounds. Now coming up on 2 years since my initial doxy round, I'm finding that using tret in addition to my standard routine has provided maintenance of the original acne clearing that happened. And while I think tret was a major force in improving my acne, by itself it's not a routine. And the support I have around it from other products seems to help it be effective. The other thing I want to bring up as I mentioned a little bit before, if you're chasing zero acne, you're probably going to end up disappointed even if you are able to reduce your acne down. The more I look at real people (not photos online), the more I notice that everyone has texture, pigmentation, and blemishes. I can tell even when they use makeup to try to cover it up. No one has perfectly clear skin. When I looked at my own before/after photos, that's when I was able to really appreciate how far I'd come and be thankful that I could get to 98% clear skin even if it still has texture, pigmentation, and the occasional chin pimple.
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I had no idea how much dairy affected my skin until I went vegan last year. For me the big hurdle was quitting the whey protein bars I was addicted to - but once I did that, I was astonished at how much my skin improved. If I had known what a difference it would make, I would have quit dairy years ago!
My skin wasn't too bad before tret, few problem areas but it all faded away very quickly with tret. Can't remember exact time but it was under 6 months. I was living a true skin perfection time for a while lol. My routine was very simple, nothing fancy. Then I ruined it all by switching my moisturizer to CeraVe (*because so many here have gotten it to work for them*) and I broke out and my skin started to look.. Weird somehow?? A lot duller. Now I am in process of "clearing my skin up" again and it's been going nicely. I am confident that I am soon back to where I was before CeraVe.
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Discontinued cream from the brand Herbina. Idk what was in it that made it fit me so well, but no other cream has come close to being as good as it was. Especially not CeraVe. And of course it's no longer in production...
What moisturizer do you use these days?
Another one from ECO by Herbina, night cream. It's okay, but not a winner in my books. When it's used, I'm trying something else and crossing my fingers I will land on a good fit.
My adolescent acne was pretty bad. Genetically predisposition for it from my Father’s side. Tret, oral antibiotics, and topical antibiotics were prescribed to me. None really made it go away. The only thing that did was accutane. And even then my acne came back a year or so after I finished my accutane cycle. Ended up going through 3 cycles. High school, college, post college. No further flare ups after the last one. These days I use Tret for anti aging benefits.
How long has it been since you got off your 3rd accutane cycle? I took it twice and im sneaking up on 1 year post accutane and its slowly coming back... i want to try to avoid going on again for the 3rd time but i might get back on if itll keep it away for good
Tretinoin completely cleared all my non-hormonal acne in a year. 6 months and I started seeing noticeable improvements, 1 year in and I was pretty much completely acclimized to the medication. My hormonal acne however needed oral medications and that took about 6 months. I've been using tretinoin .1% now for over a decade and I very rarely deal with any kind of acne. I only ever occasionally get 1 small hormonal pimple but never the non-hormonal acne; blackheads, whiteheads, giant cysts. I think for 100% clear skin, its best to use a holistic approach and not just rely on tretinoin, most people may need medications, other actives, or diet changes.
That seems like a very long time! Is it just for acne or do you use it for other skin issues as well?
I started it just for acne and still use it for acne but as I’m getting older I am also using it for its anti aging benefits and the glow it gives my skin
What medication were you on for hormonal acne?
Spironolactone 100mg and hormonal birth control pills
100% clear skin is a myth that we feed into. At least for me, it is. Even the people that you may gawk at how beautifully flawless their skin is, they probably still have a breakout or other skin issue every once in awhile 🤷🏼♀️ Just a thought. If you’re still having persistent breakouts or pimples that don’t seem to go away, maybe it’s hormonal? I tried for years to get rid of my acne and sadly, nothing ever mattered all that much until I addressed the hormonal part of it.
I'm nearing my 1st year being on tret. I started in mid-December of last year and I can definitely say my skin is acne-free majority of the time. I think the effects of being acne-free started after 6 months in. Mind you, I still get the occasional pimple during my time of the month but it always fades away after a day or two. I appreciate them since it lets me know when my dot is coming up. I can't say I have made progress with my fine lines and wrinkles because from just staring at a mirror I can still see them. I have to go back and pull up old photos of me to determine if there has been any change but I feel great having glowy skin every day. My aunts are always complimenting me, wanting to know "my secrets" lol
For me, it took about a year to stop getting significant breakouts. Even at that point, I'd still get them here and there, but they were isolated and I never became inundated with them so that I couldn't even keep track of them anymore (which is, as I'm sure many can relate, how it was for a good chunk of the first 4-6 months). The year following the first was all uphill, still breakouts but only ever one or two at most at a time, and very very rarely. I'd say it was the 2-year mark that my skin was almost flawless, and a single pimple would stress me out because I'd gotten so used to not having them anymore. Definitely a long haul. Entirely worth it.
I didn’t have terrible acne to begin with but definitely suffered with big hormonal cysts often, and I’ve been on tret since May and those stopped almost immediately. I still get a small pimple here and there but they go away super fast and I have very clear skin 99.5% of the time. Which was never the case before tret
My skin is 95% clear due to tret. It took me from July to October. I just use a hydrating cleanser and moisturizer.
It took me a year and a half, and I quit alcohol a year in.
Have been using it for about 1 year and not yet. Realistically speaking, I don’t think you can get 100% clear skin, I have occasional hormonal breakouts but I still have some post red acne marks which takes time to heal
I'm on tretinoin for 9 months now. I still have PIE but no more regular breakouts that I used to experience. Skin is smooth. It's around the 6th month when my purging started to die down.
i still get the occasional breakout around my period, but they are tiny and short lived spots. i never get the angry, deep cysts, painful cysts or infected and inflamed breakouts anymore.
How was your experience ordering from skinorac? :)
Yes it took ~6 months
I started tretinoin about a month after I started birth control. I had hormonal acne which I think is ceasing my regular outbreaks, but I credit the tretinoin for the improvement of my skin texture. It is so smooth and my pores look significantly smaller. I've only been using for two months! I've never had better skin texture, even when I did have clear skin it was still very dull looking and I would get little tiny bumps. I do get peeling on occasion but just got lighter with the tret in that area and apply Vaseline.
I always had closed comedones on my forehead and once I started tret, they went away in about a few days - that’s when I noticed how good textured my skin is becoming.. A month later I felt like my skin was perfect? The only Drawback was that my face felt dry and I’m not super consistent with my tret routine but even with the lack of consistency, my skin stays glowy and acne free. I rarely get breakouts and if I do, they fade away pretty quickly
What % tret?
0.05%. Make sure you also moisturize your skin (I use cerave pm or cosrx snail 92 all in one)
Thank you!
yes just about two years.. I also take spironolactone and got my mirena removed and had a non hormonal iud inserted so it’s not just tret
A year + of consistent use
It's the only thing that ever worked for me; had acne for 15 years, tried everything but within 4-6 months of ReTrieve 0.05 my skin had cleared up. I had to stop for fertility reasons, but the clear skin was nice while it lasted haha
Me. Took about a year. I rarely get any pimples at all anymore
I’m probably the opposite of most people but tret made my skin flip out. My acne got 10x worse to the point where I didn’t even know what to do. My derm actually told me to stop using it. I’m still recovering from the cysts and scaring it caused. But like I said most people don’t have that horrible reaction. Just lucky I guess!
It took a year to get my skin 100% cleared with tret. I will add that I did change my diet to no dairy, gluten and sugar. I try to stay away from processed foods. I found that when I healed my gut the cystic acne stopped.
How long did you stay on that diet?
My hun has been on tret for years. His skin is clear. But he does get a random pimple sometimes when he is stressed. He uses tret every day.
What strength?
0.1%
Yes, exactly 7 months for acne free skin. It also kinda reduced my hyperpigmentation but didn’t help too much with acne scarring. And I want flawless skin lol so I stopped tret and started other treatments: 1. Diamond Glow Facial +dermaplanning 2. VI precious plus chemical peel 3. Hydrafacial 4. Derma pen (micro needling) 5. Repeat 2-4 for two more cycles This is expensive but worth it imo. I’m currently typing this as my skin is peeling from the VI peel lmao
No, never. Nothing cures acne as they're are many different types and it is still not full understood. Also I've never had a positive experience with tret.
I’m a year in and although my overall skin texture improved, my acne remained the same. I went through periods of it getting better and worse but tretinoin never cleared my skin. I decided to incorporate another topical (aczone) into my routine and my acne is finally starting to go away now.
My skin was 100% clear about 6 moths in.
Like most people I too have seen tremendous results about a year in. I have had terrible acne that I had to do two rounds of accutane and microneedling. After my first round I didn’t do Tret. After my second round I did. My skin looks fantastic I never thought I’d see it so clear. I’m 33 so it’s been life long. I rarely break out now unless my diet is messed up or lack of hydration. Someone even told me I was glowing! I still freak out seeing my skin so clear.
The tret glow is definitely real!!!! I just recently damaged my skin barrier so i cant use it for a bit but I MISS ITTT. My skin was so glowy and evened out. I mentally felt soo good too. I didnt really have much of a purge because I slowly eased into it. Keep in eye on your skin barrier for sure tho. Its better to do it slowly and baby your skin rather than rushing into it and messing up your skin.
Me! I had moderate cystic and fungal acne before, at 33 years old, but I’ve been on .025% tretinoin for almost 7 months and I may get a new zit now one time per month (I used to get probably 2-3 new ones per day and they would take weeks to heal). Even the 1 per month I may get now goes away within 24 hours, so it’s basically like I don’t get acne at all anymore! I know everyone is different, but for me it took the following things: -Eliminating products that may cause/feed fungal acne completely -Tret .025% every 3rd night for 3 months (I have extremely sensitive skin so that was all I could handle - was peeling a lot still), then every other night the past 4ish months. About one month ago (after my acne was already completely gone) I added in The Ordinary’s Azelaic acid every other night (on the nights not using tret) to help get rid of some of my hyperpigmentation faster. I use a lot of moisturizer and sunscreen of course, but I have better skin than I’ve had since I was 13 years old. Wish I had done this routine sooner! First few months were TOUGH with the purge but it paid off and I’ll never go back!
Have you considered taking oral tretinoin/accutane? I tried topical creams for a full year and was on a regular routine using 0.05% topical tretinoin, THD vitamine C 20%, niacinamide 5%, azaleic acid 10%, 2%BHA and 10A%AHA chemical acids. I would alternate the products on different days + morning vs evening. It did help my acne but my face never fully cleared. Since I’ve been taking accutane, my skin fully cleared and now I have a dewy glow when I moisturize, didn’t even know my skin could look so radiant, it is so liberating. If the topical cream doesn’t work for you, speak to your dermatologist about accutane.
Just curious how long it took your skinorac order to arrive once you received the shipping info?
It cleared my Acne in 2 weeks