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Generic Name: Atralin (tretinoin-topical)

Atralin Reviews

For Photoaging of the Skin "I began using this as an anti-aging method along with Obagi Hydroquinone for dark spots. At first, I used it every night but almost immediately my skin dried up. It was embarrassing and felt uncomfortable. I went down to using it every two nights (so Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday for example) and within two days my skin returned almost to normal. There is still a tiny bit of flaking, a healthy amount. And I have to say the skin that's left looks amazing - so smooth. Other than the dark shadows under my eyes, for the first time in a long time, I feel I could go with little to no makeup. This product works fast."


For Acne "Amazing! It was very difficult at first - had a lot of peeling, dryness, and breakouts but I stuck it out. After about 4-5 months I started seeing a major improvement and now my skin is very smooth. Not only does it take care of acne but it smooths out fine lines. Great product, highly recommend. Try to stay patient through the first couple of months."


For Acne "My skin is very sensitive, and I have gone through countless topical creams and gels over the past few years. Atralin is one of the few solutions that did not hurt my skin. It also cleared it up very well, and I have only been using it for a few weeks now."


For Acne "I had pretty mild acne in high school but nothing more than a few pimples that I could treat with over the counter medication. I went on birth control and my skin got out of control. I went to college with the absolute worst acne I have ever seen. My face was literally covered, and I picked at it all the time. It was a mess. I was prescribed Atralin at night and Acanya in the morning. My skin started clearing up in about a month, and within two months it was about 50% better. After about 3-4 months on the product, my skin made a complete turnaround and my marks are faded. Thank God for this skincare regimen. I can finally go outside without makeup, and I am so much more confident."


For Acne "Atralin is an amazing ointment for acne-prone, sensitive skin. I got a prescription for the topical gel because I was having mild to moderate breakouts and had acne scarring that had occurred before I went on Accutane. My skin is very sensitive, so I needed a mild gel. Every night I put a pea-sized amount into my palm, mixed it with a small amount of my facial night cream, dabbed bits of the mixture all over my face and neck, and then applied my night cream as usual. At first, I was discouraged because I was very consistent with my regimen and did not see results for many weeks. Then, after about three months of daily use, my acne and acne scarring began to clear up dramatically. I have not had a blemish in months!"


For Acne "Never had acne but started breaking out in my mid-20s. I was put on Benzaclin, which helped heal faster but wasn't really preventing anything. I was really hesitant to go on any tretinoin cream because of the dreaded 'it gets worse before it gets better'. My dermatologist insisted this gel is very gentle, and most people actually don't have an initial breakout from this. I trusted him and decided to start using it. It was the best decision I made. I never had an initial breakout, only some peeling for the first few weeks until my skin got used to it. I have been on it for 5 months now and probably only have had one or two pimples since then, and they go away within a day or two now."


For Photoaging of the Skin "Atralin has a really nice consistency, seems to be mildly moisturizing, and didn't irritate my skin, perhaps because I'd been using a much milder tretinoin compound already. I love the improved texture of my skin after nine months of use. Rather than irritating my rosacea (I'm 51 years old), it speeds up the sloughing that I experience so that the episodes are shorter. My doctor and I discovered years ago that adding a tretinoin compound improved the results from using the rosacea product. Incredibly expensive but worth it."


For Acne "I have never written a review about a product until now! I'm a 34-year-old female, and I started getting chin acne in my late twenties. Nothing helped, I tried everything from Proactiv to Tretinoin to antibiotics! About 4 months ago, my dermatologist put me on Atralin, and oh my, what a difference in 4 months! I even go without makeup now! I never get a pimple now, it's wonderful, and it makes my skin look dewy and hydrated, not dried out and flaky as with the Tretinoin I tried. Highly recommend Atralin!"


For Acne "I am 39 years old, experiencing hormonal acne along the jawline and T-zone. As others noted, I used Acanya and Atralin together, experiencing excellent results. I now just use Atralin (and have for a year). I love it. I think it helps fade my melasma too. I also take a vitamin called Herpanacine. It has helped tremendously with my body acne, which is nearly impossible to fight without a horrible pill. It is natural, no side effects, and really, really works. I wish I had known about it earlier in life, would have saved me some heartache... which is why I want to share."


For Acne "I experienced a really bad stress breakout on my face, chest, and back. I was on an antibiotic for a bit, and it did nothing. I finally saw a dermatologist, and she prescribed me Atralin. After about two weeks of consistent use, I started seeing results. I have now been using it for about 6 months and am so happy with the results. It cleared up the acne on my back permanently, and I went from having big cysts on my face to now only a few blackheads once in a while, and I don't use it every day anymore. My chest was the worst, and it cleared up cysts that I had struggled with for MONTHS, and even helped to lighten the red marks they left behind, although they are still somewhat visible. Overall, I really liked this product."


For Acne "I had very good skin up until I hit 20 years old, and I started having breakouts, not anything major. But I would get a few on my forehead and chin, and I hated them! I had tried everything, so finally I went to my dermatologist, and she recommended Atralin gel and Aczone for pimples that rise. I cannot say more about how much I LOVE Atralin gel! It is absolutely amazing. The first week, I broke out badly due to it bringing everything to the surface, but I have been using it for the past month, and my face is spotless and so clear! I love this gel and will never use anything else. The only con is a little mild peeling, but just reduce your usage, and you will be fine. TWO THUMBS UP!"


For Acne "If you're suffering with acne, please go see a dermatologist! I wish I had started going to a dermatologist when I first started getting horrible breakouts (at the age of 9). I'm currently 20. I took my first trip to the dermatologist about two or three weeks ago. I was prescribed Sumaxin wash, Acanya morning cream, Atralin night cream, and an oral medication, but I forgot the name. My forehead is amazingly soft and clear, and the deep scarring is going away in my cheeks, as well as the acne. I recommend these products to anyone and everyone suffering with acne. Great for people with sensitive skin."


For Acne "I love this product. It really cleared my skin up and it looks smooth, and makeup goes on so nice. Some comments talk about how their skin got worse...of course it did, but only at first. The doctor told me it brings everything to the surface and clears out everything, so of course it got worse before it got better. My skin looks great. This medicine rocks!"


For Acne "My 15-year-old son had moderate acne, mainly on his forehead, neck, and around his mouth. The dermatologist prescribed Atralin, as well as minocycline. These are working, but it really took a while to see the results, about 3 1/2 months! It's not totally cleared, but looks much less inflamed, and he doesn't have as many breakouts. He also is a major athlete, so perspiration plays a big part too, I'm sure! So my advice is to be very patient and give the medicine a good amount of time, it also does get a little worse before it gets better!"


For Acne "This gel is great, but you have to give it time. I went on it and after four months my acne only cleared a little, but then bam! After the next month everything was great, and then it's just all good from there. No random pimples popping up, just time for my scars to fade. I love it. And if you're a patient person who wants something gentle and not scary for their face, Atralin is it."


For Acne "About 5 months ago I had a MAJOR breakout on my chin. I'm 27, never had a problem with acne before. I'd been through a number of topical creams and antibiotics, without any result. If anything, the breakout was worse. I was a few weeks away from starting Accutane, when as a last resort my doctor gave me Atralin. It took about two weeks before I saw much of an improvement, but it works wonderfully. It didn't burn like any of the other topical creams and didn't make it worse before better, like most of the other ones. I've been using the Atralin for a couple of months now and my skin has cleared up completely. I have had maybe two or three very small blemishes since then, and even those are gone within a day or two. I highly recommend it!"


For Acne "I'm a 33 yr old female who has experienced mild acne for most of my life. I have tried everything from over the counter products to antibiotics for 3 months. It was just recently that I started using Atralin (3 weeks now) & I don't need to worry about wearing makeup anymore (dream come true). This medication is definitely worth a try paired with other treatments. I currently get a chemical peel once a month, plexion cloths to wash 2x a day and Atralin at night. If my skin continues this way I will be a happier person as I don't even worry about hiding my face anymore. "


For Acne "I used this medicine for about two months. I started out with very mild acne - a few pimples here and there, and I wanted something to help clear them up. I started using this gel and began breaking out worse than I ever have in my life - not just small pimples - large painful pimples that did not go away until I stopped using the medicine. "


For Acne "I have a 13 year old daughter and she started to begin to have acne and we went to a dermatologist and they prescribed Acanya for the morning and Atralin for the night and to use Cetaphil morning and night and the Cetaphil moisturizer at night. She started noticing a difference in about 4 to 6 weeks of using these great products. She has now been using this for about 3 months and her face is as clear as ever. She still gets a few pimples here and there but besides that this product is great."


For Acne "I am 27 and have always suffered from acne. I tried everything and was always disappointed as my breakouts continued. After a short stint with Spironolactone, my dermatologist said she wanted me on a topical and introduced me to Atralin. It took my skin a few weeks to get used to and probably 2 months for my breakouts to completely clear up. I haven't had a pimple in months. I finally feel comfortable enough to wear my hair up in public and can even go with no makeup. Great skin can really change your life!"


For Acne "Absolutely amazing product!!!!!! My face looked like a 14 year old boy's does when he is going through puberty. I began putting Atralin on nightly along with taking an PRObiotic (instead of taking an ANTIbiotic which is soooo bad for your gut) and my face did appear to be worse during the first week and a half but then all of a sudden it began clearing up sooo quickly!!!! I've been using it a little less than a month and still get a few pimples but it is so much better. Can't wait to see how it works within the next 3 months! I already see fine lines and acne scars improving!!!! AMAZING!"


For Acne "I have been using Atralin for about a month and a half now. I started out with very moderate acne, a few pimples but nothing substantial. I have been struggling with acne for five years and I just wanted something to totally zap my acne. Well Atralin is NOT that. I have very sensitive skin and I am still peeling after all this time. When I started using it it made me breakout and now my acne and red spots are worse."


For Acne "I started out on Differin, Duac and an oral skin antibiotic, which improved my acne about 90%. About 2 weeks ago, my dermatologist took me off the oral antibiotic and switched me over to just Atralin. So far, I am breaking out again but I am hoping it is just the initial adjustment period causing it to do this (getting better before it gets worse). I will give it another week or two and then I will probably go back in if it doesn't improve. The upside is that it does not cause a lot of peeling or irritation, as did the other creams. I have very sensitive and maturing skin so I thought this would be a great choice for me."


For Acne "I'm a 13 year old boy who has been experiencing major back acne. I tried Epiduo on my back which just made it worse. My dermatologist has prescribed me Atralin at night and Duac in the morning. I've been doing this for about a month and my back has never looked better. And I'm glad Atralin has permanent results."


For Acne "I have struggled with Acne since puberty. I started using Atralin in my 40's. This has been the only product to ever get my acne under control. So nice to be free from worry. Go to the beach, work out, wear no make up sometimes! I wish this was around when I was younger and perhaps would of avoided so much scaring. For me my scars are really all over except my face so I did luck out with that. Also it makes skin smoother and skin look younger. Cost has gone now which is a plus ,used to be very expensive when it first came out. If I stop it acne always comes back. So I have to use it every night. I combine it with another acne lotion from my dermatologist. I have light sensitive skin and it does not irritate it like other products."

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Professional resources

  • Atralin Gel prescribing information
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Other brands

Retin-A, Altreno, Renova, Avita, Refissa

Related treatment guides

  • Acne
  • Photoaging of the Skin