Retin A Micro

OMG... this stuff is THE BEST. I have been using Retin A for tretinoin cream (0.025% or 0.05%) over ten years and I still have trouble using it more than twice a week as I get so damn dry. A few weeks ago I tried applying the 0.05% every other day for the week and was SO DRY and peely. Frustrating. I went to see my dermatologist who recommended Retin-A micro. Of course it isn’t covered by my insurance as I am in my late 20s, but he was able to give me a special coupon to use at a pharmacy in Texas and I got a bottle of the stuff for just $35. I have been using it for about three weeks every other night and it is MIRACULOUS! No redness or irritation, and no dryness I can’t deal with (just a little around my nose). My face looks glowing. I can’t believe that switching to the micronized version would be this significantly better for my skin, allowing me to use it every other day!

Great Product. I’ve been wearing sunscreen everyday I go outside at all for over 5 years but I still needed something stronger than my serums and moisturizers to help improve my skin.

I got retin-a mirco to maintain healthy skin and reverse some sun damage. In the beginning it was very drying and gave me pih.

Now 6 months later it has evened out my skintone and it looks better than before I started, my skin is plump, smooth, bright, healthy and no longer dry. I used to get a couple pimples around my lip, jaw, and chin around the week of my period or if I ate unhealthy sweets — it also has eliminated this problem, I havent had a pimple in 3 months. Strongly recommend to anyone wanting to improve their skin.

I am only 5 weeks into treatment so I will update again in a few weeks with my progress. I am using Retin A micro 0.04% for treatment of closed comedones/clogged pores and mild inflammatory acne. I have always had mild acne, with the occasional cyst (typically when I don't leave a pimple alone or if I consume dairy).

In August I tried oil cleansing... big mistake. The first week into it my skin was glowing and spotless. Approximately 8 days after starting my forehead filled up with tiny skin colored bumps. (I have never had texture issues prior to this so these were new to me) I did a little reading and someone had said that the castor oil in the oil cleansing mix could be pulling out all of the bad stuff and to stick it out through this. The little bumps on my forehead should have been a major red flag for me but nope, I kept going. Within 4 or so more days my ENTIRE FACE was covered in these little bumps, except now some of them were becoming inflamed, some even cystic. I obviously stopped at this point but it was too late, the damage was done. Every single pore on my entire face was clogged. I had them on my upper lip, chin, cheeks, jaw, temples, forehead...everywhere. I went to Sephora to ask for help since I had never dealt with this before and the girl recommened PTR max complexion correction pads with Glycolic and salicylic acid to help exfoliate all of the clogged pores. I used this for 7 weeks, went through a bit of a purging phase and it seemed to be helping but the bumps that were leaving my face were quickly replaced by new ones and this product was extremely harsh on my sensitive skin with alcohol and fragrance so I discontinued. Then I tried water only, no make up, no moisturizers, no cleansers etc to see if my skin could naturally fix itself while I waited to see my dermatologist. My dermatologist said that my pores were severely clogged, and I would need an antibiotic and a retinoid. I was really hesitant to use a retinoid as I also suffer from occasional Perioral Dermatitis flare ups and did not want to trigger a flare up. So I asked for a prescription for Finacea (15% azelaic acid) to see if that might help to unclog things a little. It seemed to be working at first but by week 4 of applying once daily at night I was beginning to get cysts on my chin, a new one every 3 or so days that would swell up like crazy and disfigure my chin. I thought this might be the "purging" phase so I stuck it out for another 2 weeks but by 6 weeks I decided that this was definitely irritation and I needed to discontinue. At this point I'm willing to try anything, I have never felt more self conscious in my life.

I started on January 10, 2018 with application every other night for a week and a half or so to gauge how harsh this was going to be for my skin. I didn't notice excessive redness or peeling right away but I did notice that my skin felt extremely sensitive for the first couple of weeks. My skin looked and felt better for the first two weeks as well. Old blemishes dried up and went away and no new ones came up. I thought maybe I would miss the dreaded "tretinoin purge" haha yeah... no. Week 3 I began getting cystic acne where I had previous under the skin bumps or where I had tried to squeeze a bump. I got two on my chin within a few days of each other and immediately panicked because I thought that maybe my skin was reacting badly again and this wasn't going to work. Another thing I noticed right away is that my forehead (which was pretty clear of bumps now from the finacea) had started to fill up with bumps again within a few days of applying the retin a. I am happy to report that my forehead is 90% clear of tiny bumps and there are no inflamed pimples on it whatsoever. There are more blackheads however I believe this is still the retin a surfacing all of the gunk and this will resolve itself with more use. The tops of my cheeks and my temples are clearing up nicely, most of my purging appears to be happening on my lower cheeks, jawline and chin where most of my congestion was. I will note that even though my cheeks are more broken out than they ever have been in my life, my skin seems to be smoother between the broken out areas and there are noticeably less closed comedones on my cheeks, some have become pimples but some have just left peacefully. I did experience quite a bit of peeling and dryness in week 3 and 4 however I changed my moisturizer and it made a world of difference. I was using pure 100% unrefined EAST shea butter with the pre/probiotic skin serum from Garden of Wisdom, but I am now using Avene Tolerance Emulsion and I love it. I still peel a little here and there but not quarter sized chunks of skin every day like before. I only peel a little here and there around existing blemishes, once they heal the peeling stops. MOISTURIZER IS KEY ON THIS TREATMENT. Less irritation = less inflammation.

Edit 02/23/2018
I am now just over 6 weeks into treatment and my cheeks have cleared immensely! There are still a lot of red marks from the initial breakout but the pimples I do get now are just that, pimples. not cysts. They resolve in a day or two instead of a week and a half. The number of closed comedones on my cheeks have reduced about 80%. I am finally starting to feel like myself again. I will note though, I was applying this daily and it is a harsh winter here in Canada. I think I may have given myself I slight burn on my upper lip as it has had a burning sensation and slight redness for about a week now. I also suffer from perioral dermatitis and although I was careful to avoid the areas around my nose this kind of freaked me out so I have since been applying every second day and avoiding the perioral area altogether.

Edit 03/30/2018
My red marks are fading fast, I maybe have 10 closed comedones left on my entire face which seem to be on their way out. I maybe get 1 pimple a week and it clears much faster. L

This prescriptive-strength medicine WORKS!

It's true:
- you will peel. I peeled off sheets of skin!
- you will become sensitive to UV light. This will ingrain the SPF habit into you!
- you can stop using any other exfoliating product for now (ie. benzol peroxide, AHAs, salicylic acid, etc.)
- your skin will look smoother, lines will diminish, surface imperfections will be sloughed off

My oily, sallow, tired looking skin has been transformed into smoother, younger looking complexion with a brighter pinkish colour after only 3 weeks. Yes, I looked red and chapped the first two weeks. (Someone asked if I just went running!) It works by accelerating the turnover rate of skin cells. It reduces the buildup of dead skin cells in pores.

EASE into this gel slowly. I started prepping by using for a few weeks a drugstore bought, weaker Retinol first.

I asked for this prescription in July, but my doctor recommended I begin this in the fall, when the UV index was much lower. I think this was a great suggestion. I really think the peeling during the direct hot sunlight days would have been a bad idea.

It's been one month of Retin-A, and my naso-labial lines have disappeared. The crease between my brows has also diminished drastically. I am completely ecstatic over the changes with this powerful treatment.

I find that rotating through cleansers seems to help with the speed of topical cellular turnover. In the shower I can massage off the dead layers.

I would say that Retin-A changes your complexion ALL OVER. My top eyelids are drier, even though I never applied Retin-A there.

I get this essentially free as my employer pays 100% for all my prescriptions. Free effective skin treatment. SCORE!!!

UPDATE | 30 December 2016
It's now 3 months since I started using Retin-A. My skin has calmed down with the crazy peeling, and I peel just minimally now. I've increased the strength of Retin-A on my forehead to 0.1% because that's where most of my fine lines were. Overall, my complexion looks smoother, brighter and my wrinkles are much less pronounced. I got carded at the liquor store about a month ago --- proof that I'm looking more youthful!

As I live in a northern climate (Canada), the cold temperature and dry wind REALLY dries out my face even more while I'm on this treatment. Moisturizing and daily 60 SPF are a must. A weekly green clay mask seems to loosen the flakey top layers well.

Seeing a few holiday party pics of myself, I have to say that I'm happy with the end results. I still use Retin-A nightly, and skip nights occasionally if my skin feels really dry. The first month is definitely hard and not pretty with all the flaking, but it's worth it at the third month.

UPDATE | 06 JUNE 2017

My doctor originally suggested to start Retin-A in the fall and that was good advice. Now that the sun is shining, I'm finding it impossible to even do "maintenance" with Retin-A, even with wearing SPF 30 and 60. I sweat right through the sunscreen in the daytime playing sports, diminishing the protectiveness, and my skin can not handle the exposure to sunlight. I'm actually burning and my skin is crusting/flaking off badly. I've dialled it down to trying the 0.04 strength lotion once every three days on the lower half of my face, and 0.1 strength on my forehead. But even this makes my skin very photo-sensitive. I will resume Retin-A in the fall and for the time being, will go back to Neostrata Retinols which are milder. This is powerful stuff and not to be used without planning!

UPDATE | 07 MAY 2018

I'm getting close to the 2 year anniversary of when I began Retin-A (Sept 2016). It's been the best investment of time and energy. It's called the "gold standard" for a reason! If you want more info, check out this link:

https://beautyeditor.ca/2013/01/21/why-you-might-want-to-use-retin-a-because-im-back-on-the-wagon

I am on my 8 th week on tretinoin gel, to be honest definitely you need have patience. I start using Retin-a micro cream while m taking birth control pill ( Levonorgestrel ), that pill having negative side effect on my body. I asked to my doctor she recommend retin- a cream, now i'm quit satisfied.

I have used many different prescription acne medications, before being prescribed Retin A Micro (went from using Retin A Micro 0.08 to 0.1, before being put on Retin A 0.1 Cream). When it comes to my skin, it went over the years from being considered to be normal w/no breakouts, combination/oily w/breakouts, to becoming very sensitive, dry, still acne prone, and i also suffer with seborrheic dermatitis as well. I use medications on my face to treat my seborrheic dermatitis flareups and as well as to control my adult acne. I have been prescribed regular Retin A 0.025 in both the gel and cream forms, Differin 0.1 Gel, Differin 0.3 Gel, Onexton, Epiduo, Epiduo Forte, and even an antibiotic to take, before i ended up being put on Retin A Micro. I can say that i only was able to take one of the antibiotic pills prescribed and due to such severe upset, could not continue to take anymore of them.
While on Retin A Micro, i did receive the same side effects that i got while being on regular Retin A. However, with regular Retin A I do get more of a potent effect to my skin, which is why I chose to get back on it, plus, due to a change in insurance, Retin A Micro is not a covered drug by my health plan. So, as of right now, I am prescribed Retin A 0.1 Cream, which of course is the highest strength you can go, however, I would only recommend using such only if you have gone through the lower strengths first, before, jumping in and trying something as high of a level of Retin A that I am currently on.

For my skin (which is dry-to-sometimes very dry, sensitive, a d acne prone as well), I plan to just stick with using Retin A 0.1 Cream for helping to control my adult acne and for its added anti-aging benefits too.

I did my research on Retin-A Micro Gel before starting it. I was apprehensive about trying Retin-A, however my acne was so aggressive after quitting birth control I was willing to try anything.

Retin-A is a commitment. Your acne will more than likely get worse before it gets better and it WILL take 9 months- 12 months to really "work". However, the results are incredible and more than worth it if you can be patient. I have been on Retin-A for about 2 years now and have flawless skin. I never knew my skin could look like this. I still get the occasional break-out, but my overall complexion is like silk.

Warning: Retin-A dries your skin out. I have found Cetaphil SPF 50 is the best moisturizer. Also, over time my skin has adjusted to the Retin-A and the dryness is not as dramatic.

I'm on my second tube of 0.025 gel and nearly finished with it. Obviously I started out quite slowly, mostly due to fear from reading reviews. I think this has served me well, because I have experienced only ONE day where my chin peeled a very little bit.

Other than that, my results have been exceptional. My skin tone is noticeably more even in the past six weeks. Old acne scars and scars I have from picking at my skin are nearly gone. My skin is so soft. I have had no purging or peeling other than that one day. I skip some days but always use moisturizer--nothing particularly heavy, but I usually spray my face with a rose water spray like Mario bedescu beforehand so I know it will sink in. Over my entire face, I typically use cremo moisturizer because I know it doesn't break me out. Anywhere that feels parched afterwards, I use Nivea cream. Under my eyes I always use cerave eye cream and Vaseline. I also use about eighteen different lip balms throughout the day and haven't had too much trouble more than usual in that area.

I am considering upping to the .05 gel and hope to remember to update this review accordingly. (But I'm forgetful, so, yeah.) it's a great product though and I recommend trying it. I buy mine online, but if you have a trusted dermatologist, you should of course seek their advice first :)

UPDATE: (yay, i remembered!)...i still love this product but after trying the .05 i am sticking with the .025 gel. if i am not lazy and apply it nightly, with a good moisturizer, it keeps my skin looking the best it has since i was in high school. if i don't, my skin goes back to looking like shite. i prefer the .025 because i do much better with routines and it's not too harsh for nightly usage, and i also definitely prefer it the cream version. hth!

I haven't been using Micro long enough to give it a review on effectiveness, but I will say that switching from Tazorac to Retin-A Micro has been a game changer for my skin. Tazorac fried my face. It was red and irritated every day, which made it difficult to use products that help with acne control.

I'll definitely be back in a few weeks to report on my skin's texture.

Alright. I finally feel like I've been using this long enough to write a review.
Firstly, gals, don't get over eager with this stuff.. It's a powerful treatment. Using too much or using it too frequently will not make it work faster, in fact, it will do the exact opposite.. Trust me, I know this from experience. :)
I'm using RA because I'm almost in my 30's, I want to prevent wrinkles, and boost collagen. I was starting to get little lines around my eyes and on my forehead. -I'm really expressive -hence my expression lines!

I started using the .05% in the cream version. I used it for about 2 months using every other day and didn't notice ANYTHING happening, not for good or bad.

So, I upped my dosage to 1% in the gel version. Now, like I said, take it slow. I didn't and I paid for it. I started using every day for the first 2 weeks. I was peeling.. All over.. Mouth, nose, eyebrows, eyes.. I couldn't even smile without the corners of my mouth cracking open (and that shit takes forever to heal).

I started using every three days. At night, after washing, I wait 20 mins then apply a pea-sized amount all over my face & neck. Also, I do use it under my eyes on the little lines - But, on that area, I first apply my eye cream. After I apply the gel, I wait 20 minutes, then apply Lamer cream - nice and heavy.

At first, you will most likely have your ugly-phase (flaky skin, break outs), don't worry, just suck it up and get over yourself. It'll pass! :)

It's taken me awhile to find the perfect routine for my face.. Because I'm now extremely sensitive & dry. But, I finally got it!

Here it goes..

AM - Cetaphil bar soap - nice and cheap, but AMAZING cleaning and moisturizing, doesn't strip or irritate the skin, doesn't leave behind residue. I then follow with Cetaphil moisturizer with spf 50 (PROTECT YOUR SKIN! THE SUN IS THE DEVIL TO YOUR PRECIOUS FACE) ...... I've been a sun-worshiper all my life. But, now I'm all safe, chemical free sunscreens and floppy hats :-p

PM - Now, this isn't for everyone, I'm surprised it works for me. But, I use organic extra virgin coconut oil to wash my face. It removes all of my makeup like a charm, and also leaves delicious oils that absorb into my skin after I dry. I wait 20 minutes, then apply apply my Retin-A (now I use it every-other day), followed by my Lamer another 20 minutes later.

Once a week I mix my coconut oil with honey & sugar, it's really amazing to gently remove all my dead skin cells - which I get a lot of because of the RA.

By the way, to all you obsessive blackhead, pimple squeezers, take it from me.. If there was ever a time to get over that nasty habit, now it that time. You'll squeeze, and nothing will come out, just oils. then you will have a peeling mark on your face for a couple days. I've noticed that if I don't squeeze, the pimple will be virtually invisible the next day anyway. The life-span of a breakout it really short when you use RA.

I've added some healthy life-style changes in the past few months that have given me a nice dewy glow.
-Drinking a TON of water EVERY day
-Juicing DAILY - lots of yummy greens, and veggies with beta carotene, and fruit.. Vitamins and minerals are the best! You are what you eat! Not only do I look better, but I have so much more energy! Which leads to...
-Exercising! Cardio! Sweat out those pores, detox!
-Omega 3 - YEESSS
-I sleep next to a humidifier to keep my skin from drying our from the heater/air conditioner
-Clean eating


That's it! After 10 months of Retin-A, my skin is much brighter and tighter. I had a couple of freckles that disappeared, too! My skin tone is nice and even. I get "empty pimples" once a month. But they're only visible if I can't resist..... And squeeze. :-p

MOISTURE IS EVERYTHING! GET A GOOD HEAVY NIGHT CREAM!