My Adult Acne Journey: How Tretinoin Helped Clear my Skin
These two pictures are worth a thousand words, but I can sum them up in three: adult acne sucks! It’s tricky to navigate the sea of acne products and easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the options. Like many acne sufferers, I tried every product under the sun, but the one product that changed the game for me was tretinoin. If you’re interested in tretinoin, keep reading to learn about my experience with it!
What is Tretinoin?
“Tretinoin is a prescription-strength topical cream or gel that is used to treat acne and also helps with keratosis pilaris. It is the go-to cream for anti-aging as well” says Dr. Matt Innes, a Utah-based Board-certified dermatologist. Tretinoin is a retinoid, meaning it’s a form of vitamin A, that helps stimulate cell turnover so that new skin cells can rise to the surface, this helps to clear your pores and stops pimples from forming as they normally would.
While tretinoin is available in different strengths, 0.25%, 0.05%, and 1%, Dr. Inness typically starts his acne patients at 0.05%. For more information on Tretinoin and other retinoids, check out this Mixed Makeup video.
Side Effects
The most common side effects of Tretinoin are redness, peeling, and increased sensitivity, which is why it’s important to slowly introduce it into your routine, that way your skin can build up a tolerance to it.
My Prescription
I choose to use Apostrophe to get my prescription, which I highly recommend because the process is super simple and it’s entirely online. A Board-certified dermatologist will evaluate your skin based on a short questionnaire and photos and give you a prescription. I was given a topical prescription with tretinoin, spironolactone, and clindamycin. These three powerhouse ingredients work together to treat and manage acne at different levels.
Tretinoin targets surface-level acne like whiteheads and blackheads, spironolactone is an anti-androgen that fights hormonal acne, and clindamycin is anti-inflammatory and reduces under-the-surface zits. This combination is super powerful so it can be very irritating to the skin, which is why it’s great that you can work with a dermatologist online to see what works best for you.
MY SKINCARE ROUTINE
I use tretinoin in the evening and keep my routine super simple. I use the Green Clean Cleansing Balm ($34) as my first cleanse and then follow up with the Naturium Niacinamide Cleansing Gelée ($18). I also use my PMD Cleansing Brush ($99) every other night for a deeper clean. Every other night, I use my Apostrophe prescription on clean, dry skin and follow up with Naturium Plant Ceramide Rich Moisture Cream ($25). On nights I’m not using my prescription I use an exfoliating product like Glow Recipe Watermelon PHA + BHA Toner ($34) to replace the tretinoin step.
after one Week
After a week of using my Apostrophe prescription every other day, I started to notice an improvement in my hyperpigmentation and my pimples were less frequent. I did purge on my cheeks, which I assume was congestion coming up to the surface. My nose and mouth did start to peel a bit, but nothing a bit of Aquaphor couldn’t fix.
after three Months
My skin definitely looks the best it has in a long time. I still get the occasional pimple, but overall I’m super happy with where my skin is at. I don’t know why I waited so long to add tretinoin in my skincare routine! It’s a must-have if you struggle with acne. Next up, I’m going to add an oral spironolactone prescription into my routine to continue my journey to clear, acne-free skin.
Are you interested in Apostrophe? Use the code "MIXEDMAKEUP" to get $15 off your first dermatologist visit and $5 in Rx credit ($20 value).
