NEVER USE TRETINOIN, RETIN A- MY WORST NIGHTMARE

[veryworried82]

I've been reading alot of websites, doctors advice, books on dermatology about how Retin A can improve not only your acne but your overall skin. By erasing fine lines ("only cream to have been proven to erase wrinkles") -which is B.S. to say the least, gets rid of acne, builds collagen, youthful looking face!
Sounds like a deal. A general doctor just wrote me the prescription in 5 minutes and a day later I got a $150 dollar Tretinoin cream 0.1%. I was never given any instructions, warning, use of this product. So I put a layer of the cream all over my face with an spf moisturizer- EVERYDAY- for 1 week. I noticed my skin was soft at first but exacerbated into complete cystic acne face with craters /blemishes now, my eyes were red, irrtiated, crinkly,swollen, dry and which escalated into me developing conjunctivitis. I paid about $200 to get some conjunctivits ointment. Cant wear contacts and am severly sensitive to the light. My upper eyelid is so thin especially on one eye, Im having to get blepharoplasty because my eye gouges into my socket like an 80 year old and I have this thin skin just hanging over my eyes. I have dark circles with veins under my eyes and was told it was because of vascularization and needs to be removed by laser treatments..I slept on my side one day for not more than 1 hour and woke up with bruises on the side of my forehead -due to thin skin.


All you hear on the web, media for side effects of retin a are:
itching
peeling
redness
(stupid trivial things thats not life threatening)

Here are more severe life threatening side effects:
http://www.druglib.com/adverse-reactions_side-effects/retin-a/

I called so many dermatologists and tried getting advice on websites from "doctors" but all they say is the same thing

"Retin a does NOT thin the skin, it thins the outer layer and thickens the dermis"  (But what about the millions of people that used the retin a for 10 years that witness thin skin..are they not legit, what about the websites that state "Retin A will and does thin you skin but its worth it for good skin" are those all lies? is my thin skin an illusion?)

"Retin a builds collagen and is good for around the eyes"  (-then why are my eyes gouged in and why do people that use it for years look like a fat person that lost weight? Their skin tone is good but their skin is soo thin which altogether is quite kind of oxymoronic . the fact that these factors cancel each other out- doesnt make their skin overall look any younger or better.

You hear the doctors boasting of this product but then you hear the people that actually use it saying the opposite. Is this like the HPV vaccine? A money making business scheme?


But did anyone tell you that retin a would cause the following:
conjunctivitis
thin skin permanently- suseptible to injury, bruises, wear tear -old age skin
dark circles -  due to vascularization or liver problems which are ALL from long term use/ side effects of Retin A)
broken capillaries exposing veins
acid imbalance on the face
more wrinkles all over the eyes in all directions
more sensitive to sun so more prone to gettin wrinkles/cancer
long term use- undetermind side effects.........

Besides all the above being personal experiences that have yet to subside, they are all on legitimate websites on the internet..so dont take my word for it.
You invest in a $150 dollar tube and end up spending over $10,000 to get youself looking back to normal.
blepharoplasty  upper eyelid- $3k
fat transfer -over 1k
laser treatment for craters- over 1k
laser treatment for dark circles- over 1k
conjunctivitis- $300.000
wrinkle remove- TBD
pain and suffering?  NOTHING


Anyways, I know that "some respond differently to certain products" the dosage may have been too high" I used it too frequently"....
Its been 2 weeks since I stopped using it- My side effects are still present.

My question is. IS THIS PERMANENT WILL THESE SYMPTOMS/ SIDE EFFECTS EVER GO AWAY??????????????/"

IN GENERAL, ARE SIDE EFFECTS OF RETIN A PERMANENT?
(dry wrinkles, thin drooping upper eyelid, dark circles)

[LisaLisa0]

My heart just dropped.
I started tretinoin 0.1% 2 weeks ago. I went by the ddirections and. Applied light layer. No problem. Next morning, my skin felt OK, that night, applied it again. Skin got sensitive. By that night my skin felt like flames. Huge pustules like volcanos came out of my skin, my whole face was red, and on fire.
My eyes were swelling shut and itching fiercely. I took a benadryl. Tried to sleep. Maybe 45 minutes of sleep here and there...but I would scratch in my sleep. The pustules opened up the next day, revealing huge sores with craters. Swollen eyes an wrinkles around my cheeks and what would be described in that area as the sunburn from hell.
  I checked online, found that sensiderm for diaper/rashes helps. I had a lower back rash in the hospital,and it cleared it right up. So, I thought, did I take that home with me? Why would I, and low and behold I found it. I used it last night and it REALLY helped. It only has 15% zinc, but apparently that helps acne (and take a zinc supplement as well) there are other creams stronger but I was happy to see I had it . It has a protective barrier for denuded skin, and is hard to get off,because of the fact...we cannot scrub...we cannot use hot water. But I'm not leaving the house so,....so what. The other website said to use baby soap/Shampoo. Ordering that from Amazon Now.
   I hope these posts will educate some poor unfortunate souls like us, that have been scarred by this ( which is EXACTLY the opposite promised.)

[BrokenPorcelain]

I was thinking of using the baby cerave diaper rash cream but I'm not sure if the zinc will just dehydrate the skin more.
And yes everything is very hard to get off his damaged skin for some reason.
I just want to die

[huskygalley]

the same thing happened to me and i'm only 21. now i look like an old lady. i'm going to kill myself if this doesn't go away by the end of the year

[BrokenPorcelain]

I know it sounds excessive but..SAME.

I'm dealing with the same thing and I will literally end my life if this doesn't go away.

If someone here has experienced this and fully recovered, PLEASE REACH OUT and say something.

[Ano_nymous7777]

Dont lose hope. Things get better with time. At moment things look hard and crazy but your skin will regenerate and look great soon. I promise u.

[Lonniemae34]

Did you experience this? What did your skin look like? Did it heal? What did you use to heal?

[Lonniemae34]

Did u get damaged too? Did it eventually resolve?

[sadsad_girl]

Wow...all this after that short period of time. Well anyway I am dealing with the same skin problems after a few years of tretinoin. My skin has become extremely sensitive & my face...seriously I used to have a fat face with nice big cheeks. Youthful looking! Now it is all skinny. Way less facial fat & everything looks sunken in and saggy. Really takes its toll on my self-esteem. Also extremely dry and dehydrated...can't use any cleansers & my moisturizers evaporate away. I never lost a bunch of weight or anything so I know it is not that. I cannot believe I was dumb enough to use this crap but hey when you have acne, you want to get rid of it. And the results were good...at first.  I am angry that doctors did not warn of these side effects. All I knew is the same trivial things you mention...that it would make the skin dry, sun sensitive, etc. I do not know what to do anymore & I want my youthful face back.

[S_89]

Hi sadsad_girl, this happened to me too. It has completely ruined my quality of life. If you'd like to contact me about this experience (I am seeing an internal medicine specialist to look into it and will be pursuing litigation if I can prove it (may also be useful for you)) please e-mail me: ***@**** and/or message me back here.

[Aredangel]

Hi, I just found this discussion board, and know it's been years and years since you posted your experience with Retin-A.
I wanted to say that I had scary results with Retin-A, also. This was about 12 years ago. My Derm Dr had prescribed the lowest dosage for the acne on my cheeks and jawline. I applied it only to me cheek area and jaw bone area (avoiding the eyes).
Weeks later, my skin started doing "strange" things. Painful cysts started forming (I had never had cystic acne before, only pustule). Once, after a sterile extraction, the skin formed into a lesion after 24 hours (instead of healing like normal skin). When my mom saw it she was scared for me and said it resembled a "bullet hole". I had to put Neosporin on it 24/7 to get it to heal.
The second scary thing that started to drastically change was my vision (even though the Retin-A never even came close to my eyes). I noticed when I was driving that the billboard and road signs were blurring at a distance. This really scared me, as I have always had really, really good vision (tested at 20/15).
I asked my Derm Dr about this, and I was told it was just a coincidence.
I wasn't able to shake the worry so I made an appointment with an Ophthalmologist. This Dr. admitted that the Retin-A meds COULD have an adverse reaction with the macular muscle and nerves of the eye, due to the fact that they penetrate to the dermis, where the blood is.
FINALLY! I had someone who didn't think I was crazy. He actually advised me against getting contacts because he was concerned I would encourage the eye muscles to go "lazy", rather I might do better with getting off the meds for awhile and monitor the results.
So I quit the Retin-A. To make a loooong story shorter, years later, my eyesight returned to normal for me! BUT- I did a lot in between there to regain the health of my eyes.
First thing is I came across this study from the Well Being Journal Jan/Feb 2005 issue by Scott Eugene Miners, of a man named Elton Baker who clinically cured himself of Glaucoma in 1967. He did it by high oral doses of ascorbic acid (vitamin c) - approx. 38 grams a day / every 2 hours so his body had enough around the clock to heal his eyes. Six months later he was cured, and his vision resulted even better than when he was young. (Eye tissue is made up of mostly vitamin c and meds deplete this right away, as vitamin c is water soluble and will not store in the fat for later use)
So, this was enough to convince me I could do this with my eyes, too. I was on a much lower dose for about 6 months. I took approx. 2 grams (20,000 mg) a day - spread out every 2 hours of vitamin c powder (Swanson Vitamin brand ascorbic acid), plus I took 30,000 IU a day of Beta Carotene (Solgar dry tabs). My vision healed!
Now as far as acne- that took a whole overturn in my eating. But I am now so clear skinned that I can do skin care modeling on HSN live-Tv with NO makeup on! My "prescription" for that started with reading "The Acne Prescription" by Dr. Perricone. I stopped eating ALL dairy and white sugar from my diet (which was very hard at 1st, but now it's 2nd nature), and the only meat I ate was Salmon.
My face started to clear up drastically. After a year, I took the leap and went completely vegetarian. (with emotional support from my family). My diet now consists of salads everyday, lots of brown rice, nuts, tons and tons of yummy bean and rice dishes, "cheeses and creams" made out of cashews, seeds, whole fresh fruit, millet breads, and a gallon of spring water to drink every day. And I still take all the supplement recommendations from Dr. Perricone.
For my face skin care, I now use a light glycolic cleanser, a "spray" of colloidal silver as the toner, then a light patting of Kukui oil for my moisturizer. And that's it.
Done. Eye problems fixed. Skin problems fixed. Face and skin look better than ever.
I hope this helps. I just wanted to encourage anyone else out there that healing can happen, and damage doesn't have to be permanent if you give your body what it needs. Alkaline it, and get off the meats and dairy. Our daily diet requires a measly 6% of protein and 94% of complex carbs. Carbs! I was lied to for so many years. I guess there's too much money involved with our meat and dairy industry in the US?
People ask me now, oh my gosh, you're skin is glowing, what do you do? I tell them, and the first thing out of their mouths is, "But where do you get your protein?" Sigh. Protein is in everything. Even a blackberry. And our bodies have the ability to "gather" all the amino acids from our foods in a 24 hour period to "complete" the amino acid profile our bodies need. People usually respond with, "Really?????"
Dr. Perricone explains acne (the reason we go to Retin-A in the first place) is inflammation. And inflammation is caused by an overly acidic diet. And acid comes from the meat and dairy aisle.
All I know is, I'm happy I'm cured, and my skin is youthful again.
Also, if you have a suspicion about a med, your body is probably trying to tell you it doesn't like it. There's almost always a healthier alternative out there.

[Jesabellica]

So you didn't read the instructions that came with the product? You can't blame anyone for your results but yourself. Sorry, but the instructions are very clear on quantity and where not to put it. I've come across your story on a couple of websites now. Why not turn your experience into a warning to "read instructions before use" rather than slam the product?

[Magicafe]

They’re not even slamming the product. They literally stated facts. It DOES cause thinning of skin and it does lead to those side effects for many people. Every person I see that uses these creams literally looks older than they really are. This is why I refuse to stick to prolong use of these creams.

[S_89]

NOWHERE on the instructions does it say: zombified hollow eyes, hollow sunken cheeks etc. NOWHERE. Why are you more concerned about the reputation of a "product" than what has happened to this poor person? I am from the UK where tretinoin isn't even licensed (for good reason I'm starting to think now) and I'm starting to think this is one big marketing ploy on the internet with people like yourself paid to uphold the reputation of the "product". Disgusting.

[mizznoemi]

I began using RA over two weeks ago. I went to my dermatologist because I felt that as a person past 40 (I'm 44), that the oiliness would not be as much as when I was a teen. After two hours of applying makeup, my face looked like I had smeared Crisco on it. While I awaited for a a preauthorization of RA, I was given the. 025% sample of the gel. The pores are way smaller and my face less oilier.  I never knew that it could be applied to under the eyes. I was already using ROC retinol for the eyes (formulation for sensitive skin).

When I was approved for the medication, I was given a a gel of. 01%, which is the lowest strength in a gel. I used it under the eyes and I have not noticed any redness, yet it lightly peeled. I wiped at it lightly and it came off. I think that for the eyes, a very low dose needs to be used since the undereye area is sensitive. It is recommended for ppl who are beginning to see fine wrinkles, not for pronounced wrinkles. Also, applying it lightly or directly to the wrinkle with a Q-tip is best. Some ppl overdo it thinking that more is better. At a high dose (.1%) right out of the gate before accessing tolerance is bound to cause trouble.