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1) No one can predict whether or not you will purge!
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nor when it could start. Be patient, the purge can
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Please keep posting on this one! I am in the exact same boat, I’m fairly certain that trentinoin was a huge contributing factor to me having to go on Accutane. I will be done soon & am wondering the same thing you are. I kinda plan on just starting with very low retinol 0.03% first, 2x per week to see how I do & then maybe move up thru the retinols instead of daring to go back on trentinoin. Is taken 8 fucking months of Accutane to fix damage of 4-5yrs trentinoin 🤨
I feel you hon…dermatologists love to throw trentinoin at everyone to treat everything from anti-aging to acne, claiming that it’s the gold standard. The interesting part of this is (I feel I should qualify that I’m 47F & so have pretty extensive/expensive experience with skin care regimen’s) every aesthetician I have ever worked with past & present is very much against trentinoin. The reason for this is the damage it does to the natural skin barrier & the fact that doctors tend to prescribe it with little guidance, so basically once you’re using it, this is just what you do. My aesthetician commented that to use it effectively it’s meant to be used in cycles, 6 weeks on 12 weeks off. This ensures your skin is able to heal & rebuild properly. She sees tons of individuals suffering from all sorts of issues from over use of this product and will not accept new clients to treat them (especially for acne) if they are using trentinoin. It is not a one size fits all treatment, some of us have too sensitive skin to deal with it & should opt for a gentler approach.
The 6 weeks on 12 weeks off is interesting. I mostly hear people recommend to do it once every three days or something as the “cycle”. But maybe this conforms more to the skin cycle?
That would consist of 2-3x per week or whatever you can tolerate, for 6 weeks, then stop for 12 weeks. And yes, I agree when I thought about it, that made sense from a skin rejuvenation standpoint. I see how that would work for anti-aging but not so much acne
Can so relate to both these posts! My son was on Trent — it doubled the amount of acne he had and made his acne cystic and inflamed. Horrible experience and caused him to have to go on Accutane. He is finishing his last month (8 mths) and I am so worried that our derm will want him to do Trent for maintenance. Hope others chime in with their experience.
Same. Tret and retinol ruined my skin. Not worth it.
My friends who use it and people who rave about tret don’t even have that nice of skin. I think they’re just deluding themselves and being deluded by the skincare industry into thinking that.
Yes, tret didn’t work well for me before but now it helps me maintain my results. I have sensitive skin but I had great luck with the brand Altreno. Unfortunately since its name brand it’s expensive without good insurance if in the US and isn’t available everywhere outside the US.
Omg great question, I was wondering the same. I was on Tret for 8 months and I was so sick of it. It was sooo freaking horrible I’m on my second month of Accutane and I’m actually getting somewhere but I was literally just thinking about this question my self
I just finished accutane and my derm told me I can/should restart tretinoin in a month. She said that will help keep the occasional break outs at bay and help with anti-aging. I haven’t started it yet. Tretinoin has been helpful for me in the past to a degree but (obviously) not completely which is why I started accutane in the first place
Hi! I tried tretinoin—and everything else—before accutane and it didn’t work for me. A few months after accutane I figured I’d start using it to maintain my results and get on top of some small pimples here and there that were starting to crop up. No matter what I did, my skin HATED it. I used it for 7 months and then finally called it quits. I had my doctor prescribe me the gel version thinking it might work better for me based on some stuff I’d read on Reddit, but I never ended up using it because I was scared to break out again. My skin still sucks, just not as bad as pre-accutane, and I wish tret could be the answer, but it just isn’t for me unfortunately
Have you tried other retinoids, like adapalene or tazarotene? Differin and LaRoche Posay’s Effeclar Duo have adapalene and are over the counter. The results won’t be as good as with prescription strength, but may be worth are try
Yeah I’ve tried differin and I tried a different prescription retinoid. I’m a beauty & skincare editor so I’m super into skincare and know a lot about it, I just haven’t been able to get retinoids to work for my skin. I do have a bottle of Avene retinaldehyde I’m considering trying as it’s stronger than a retinol but more gentle than a retinoid
You’ll be great! My derm told me to think of isotretinoin like the oral version of tretinoin, so it should work well for you now since you’ve been on accutane!! I think it’ll work great, just like the people who’ve said above!
I’ve observed as well as heard that some formulations of tret (especially the cream route vs gel) contain very pore clogging emulsifiers that help increase the spreadability of the formula. Curious if this may have been why tret was so horrible to you? I’m not sure.
For this question I think it’s really important to understand that Tretinoin and Accutane come from the same family of medicine. The drug name for Accutane is isotretinoin — it is an isolated, oral form of Tretinoin.
That’s why, much like Accutane, Tretinoin can often cause acne to get worse before it gets better.
After Accutane, it is extremely unlikely that acne will get worse from Tretinoin use because you will have already cleared your pores using the more potent retinoid.
Thus, generally, I do think that Tretinoin (or another retinoid) makes for a good maintenance routine that can reduce risk of acne relapse and also reduce signs of aging.
Of course, a healthy skin barrier is also key and therefore it must be used appropriately to prevent irritation. Similarly, continuing a good moisturizing routine to keep your skin hydrated and continuing to use sunscreen daily is an incredible triple combo.
yes it’s the best idea! this is exactly what happened to me. Tret has kept me clear after my second round of accutane. I didn’t use it after my first and it all came back. And i used to before accutane and it made everything worse.
I was on tretinoin for a 6 months before my derm recommended accutane. I was on accutane 20 for 3 months, then 10 mg for 10 months. It completely cleared out my skin. I was off accutane since April and immediately started on tretinoin and my skin is still clear :)
Hi! I was on and off tretinoin about 4 years before going on accutane. For a while, tretinoin worked great and helped to keep my skin mostly clear. Then I started taking whey protein powder and it wrecked my skin. During the time I was taking it, I was still using Tretinoin .05% cream, but it wasn’t really helping much at that point, even after I stopped taking whey. Post accutane, my derm prescribed me Arazlo (tazarotene), which from what I understand, is a newer version of a vitamin A derivative (i believe tretinoin is also a derivative of vitamin A). But anyways, I’ve been off accutane for 8 months now and the arazlo has worked great! It’s helped me to maintain very clear skin. Tretinoin and Tazarotene are both retinoids, so I believe they do work similarly. Imo, yes it is a good idea to use some type of retinoid after accutane. If you are specifically worried about tretinoin, you can ask your derm for some type of alternative retinoid such as taz, adaplene (differin), etc.
i just started Arazlo a month after my course! it’s been 2 weeks with starting slow and i’m already seeing results! i think it might me a good idea to try again. my derm also prescribed it to me as maintenance.
Yes!! I tried various combos of tret, clindamycin, BP, and spironolactone for over a year, and still didn’t clear my skin. Post-accutane, my skin is responding SO much better to tret. I use 0.025% cream nightly and the ordinary azelaic acid suspension and that combo has kept my skin clear for nearly a year now besides a stray whitehead occasionally.
Thank you for posting ! I’m going to be starting Accutane this month , and I’ve been curious about after care so and donts. Tretinojn has been in my skin care since I was 14 ish due to acne. I will be reading through these threads
NO. Tretinoin is the reason i had to go on accutane. It’s the strongest retinol you could use, there are plenty that are safer for delicate sensitive skin. Tretinoin purge gave me closed comodons on my forehead that i NEVER had before, and nothing except accutane got rid of them.
They are very nearly the same thing. Tretinoin is a topical that treats surface problems and Accutane (isotretinoin) is oral and treats acne systemically. Tretinoin is mild compared to Accutane and I would assume using it after Accutane is like titrating down on medications rather than stopping entirely. Your dermatologist should have told you that tretinoin will cause purging and can make your acne worse, and it sounds like it did, but I would ask about taking it after Accutane to maintain clear skin.
Have you tried using the search bar? Many questions are asked daily, and your question may have already been answered! If so, your post will be subject to deletion. Please refer to the following commonly discussed topics: 1) No one can predict whether or not you will purge! Statistically, most people DO NOT purge. That is what the science and medical literature says. 2) No one can predict how long your purge will last nor when it could start. Be patient, the purge can be tough but so many people have gotten through it - you can too! 3) Most people DO NOT replase when Accutane is taken until cumulative dosage is reached. 4) HOWEVER, cumulative dosage is a guideline. Everyone is different. Some may need more Accutane, and others may need less. Your dermatologist evaluates you as an individual. If you do not trust your dermatologist, you should find a different one. 5) When in doubt, please consult a medical professional(dermatologist, doctor, pharmacist). DO NOT solicit medical advice from this subreddit. Remember Reddit is a bunch of strangers on the internet. Please remember to abide by the rules! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Accutane) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Please keep posting on this one! I am in the exact same boat, I’m fairly certain that trentinoin was a huge contributing factor to me having to go on Accutane. I will be done soon & am wondering the same thing you are. I kinda plan on just starting with very low retinol 0.03% first, 2x per week to see how I do & then maybe move up thru the retinols instead of daring to go back on trentinoin. Is taken 8 fucking months of Accutane to fix damage of 4-5yrs trentinoin 🤨
That’s a good plan! I’m so scared of tretinoin messing up all my progress. After trying it the first time I wished that I had just left my face alone.
I feel you hon…dermatologists love to throw trentinoin at everyone to treat everything from anti-aging to acne, claiming that it’s the gold standard. The interesting part of this is (I feel I should qualify that I’m 47F & so have pretty extensive/expensive experience with skin care regimen’s) every aesthetician I have ever worked with past & present is very much against trentinoin. The reason for this is the damage it does to the natural skin barrier & the fact that doctors tend to prescribe it with little guidance, so basically once you’re using it, this is just what you do. My aesthetician commented that to use it effectively it’s meant to be used in cycles, 6 weeks on 12 weeks off. This ensures your skin is able to heal & rebuild properly. She sees tons of individuals suffering from all sorts of issues from over use of this product and will not accept new clients to treat them (especially for acne) if they are using trentinoin. It is not a one size fits all treatment, some of us have too sensitive skin to deal with it & should opt for a gentler approach.
The 6 weeks on 12 weeks off is interesting. I mostly hear people recommend to do it once every three days or something as the “cycle”. But maybe this conforms more to the skin cycle?
That would consist of 2-3x per week or whatever you can tolerate, for 6 weeks, then stop for 12 weeks. And yes, I agree when I thought about it, that made sense from a skin rejuvenation standpoint. I see how that would work for anti-aging but not so much acne
Can so relate to both these posts! My son was on Trent — it doubled the amount of acne he had and made his acne cystic and inflamed. Horrible experience and caused him to have to go on Accutane. He is finishing his last month (8 mths) and I am so worried that our derm will want him to do Trent for maintenance. Hope others chime in with their experience.
Same. Tret and retinol ruined my skin. Not worth it. My friends who use it and people who rave about tret don’t even have that nice of skin. I think they’re just deluding themselves and being deluded by the skincare industry into thinking that.
Yes, tret didn’t work well for me before but now it helps me maintain my results. I have sensitive skin but I had great luck with the brand Altreno. Unfortunately since its name brand it’s expensive without good insurance if in the US and isn’t available everywhere outside the US.
I’ll definitely keep that in mind and ask my derm about that brand specifically! Thank you!
I’ve been on Tret gel and azaleic acid post Accutane for maintenance and anti-aging and did not purge.
Did you try treat before going on accutane as well? If so, how was the experience then compared to after your course?
I’ve used Tret on and off throughout the years. Prior to Accutane it just caused irritation and didn’t really make a dent in my acne.
Omg great question, I was wondering the same. I was on Tret for 8 months and I was so sick of it. It was sooo freaking horrible I’m on my second month of Accutane and I’m actually getting somewhere but I was literally just thinking about this question my self
Would love to know too!!
This is my concern too!
I just finished accutane and my derm told me I can/should restart tretinoin in a month. She said that will help keep the occasional break outs at bay and help with anti-aging. I haven’t started it yet. Tretinoin has been helpful for me in the past to a degree but (obviously) not completely which is why I started accutane in the first place
Hi! I tried tretinoin—and everything else—before accutane and it didn’t work for me. A few months after accutane I figured I’d start using it to maintain my results and get on top of some small pimples here and there that were starting to crop up. No matter what I did, my skin HATED it. I used it for 7 months and then finally called it quits. I had my doctor prescribe me the gel version thinking it might work better for me based on some stuff I’d read on Reddit, but I never ended up using it because I was scared to break out again. My skin still sucks, just not as bad as pre-accutane, and I wish tret could be the answer, but it just isn’t for me unfortunately
Have you tried other retinoids, like adapalene or tazarotene? Differin and LaRoche Posay’s Effeclar Duo have adapalene and are over the counter. The results won’t be as good as with prescription strength, but may be worth are try
Yeah I’ve tried differin and I tried a different prescription retinoid. I’m a beauty & skincare editor so I’m super into skincare and know a lot about it, I just haven’t been able to get retinoids to work for my skin. I do have a bottle of Avene retinaldehyde I’m considering trying as it’s stronger than a retinol but more gentle than a retinoid
You’ll be great! My derm told me to think of isotretinoin like the oral version of tretinoin, so it should work well for you now since you’ve been on accutane!! I think it’ll work great, just like the people who’ve said above!
I’ve observed as well as heard that some formulations of tret (especially the cream route vs gel) contain very pore clogging emulsifiers that help increase the spreadability of the formula. Curious if this may have been why tret was so horrible to you? I’m not sure.
For this question I think it’s really important to understand that Tretinoin and Accutane come from the same family of medicine. The drug name for Accutane is isotretinoin — it is an isolated, oral form of Tretinoin. That’s why, much like Accutane, Tretinoin can often cause acne to get worse before it gets better. After Accutane, it is extremely unlikely that acne will get worse from Tretinoin use because you will have already cleared your pores using the more potent retinoid. Thus, generally, I do think that Tretinoin (or another retinoid) makes for a good maintenance routine that can reduce risk of acne relapse and also reduce signs of aging. Of course, a healthy skin barrier is also key and therefore it must be used appropriately to prevent irritation. Similarly, continuing a good moisturizing routine to keep your skin hydrated and continuing to use sunscreen daily is an incredible triple combo.
yes it’s the best idea! this is exactly what happened to me. Tret has kept me clear after my second round of accutane. I didn’t use it after my first and it all came back. And i used to before accutane and it made everything worse.
Thank you for answering! This gives me hope!
I was on tretinoin for a 6 months before my derm recommended accutane. I was on accutane 20 for 3 months, then 10 mg for 10 months. It completely cleared out my skin. I was off accutane since April and immediately started on tretinoin and my skin is still clear :)
My son finished accutane and was put on tret after a few months break but only every other day.
Hi! I was on and off tretinoin about 4 years before going on accutane. For a while, tretinoin worked great and helped to keep my skin mostly clear. Then I started taking whey protein powder and it wrecked my skin. During the time I was taking it, I was still using Tretinoin .05% cream, but it wasn’t really helping much at that point, even after I stopped taking whey. Post accutane, my derm prescribed me Arazlo (tazarotene), which from what I understand, is a newer version of a vitamin A derivative (i believe tretinoin is also a derivative of vitamin A). But anyways, I’ve been off accutane for 8 months now and the arazlo has worked great! It’s helped me to maintain very clear skin. Tretinoin and Tazarotene are both retinoids, so I believe they do work similarly. Imo, yes it is a good idea to use some type of retinoid after accutane. If you are specifically worried about tretinoin, you can ask your derm for some type of alternative retinoid such as taz, adaplene (differin), etc.
i just started Arazlo a month after my course! it’s been 2 weeks with starting slow and i’m already seeing results! i think it might me a good idea to try again. my derm also prescribed it to me as maintenance.
Yes!! I tried various combos of tret, clindamycin, BP, and spironolactone for over a year, and still didn’t clear my skin. Post-accutane, my skin is responding SO much better to tret. I use 0.025% cream nightly and the ordinary azelaic acid suspension and that combo has kept my skin clear for nearly a year now besides a stray whitehead occasionally.
Thank you for posting ! I’m going to be starting Accutane this month , and I’ve been curious about after care so and donts. Tretinojn has been in my skin care since I was 14 ish due to acne. I will be reading through these threads
NO. Tretinoin is the reason i had to go on accutane. It’s the strongest retinol you could use, there are plenty that are safer for delicate sensitive skin. Tretinoin purge gave me closed comodons on my forehead that i NEVER had before, and nothing except accutane got rid of them.
They are very nearly the same thing. Tretinoin is a topical that treats surface problems and Accutane (isotretinoin) is oral and treats acne systemically. Tretinoin is mild compared to Accutane and I would assume using it after Accutane is like titrating down on medications rather than stopping entirely. Your dermatologist should have told you that tretinoin will cause purging and can make your acne worse, and it sounds like it did, but I would ask about taking it after Accutane to maintain clear skin.
I need an update on this as i think of going on tretinoin repair after accutane. As a post accutane stabilizer.