The Retin-A and Avita brands of tretinoin are used to treat acne. The Renova kind of tretinoin is used to reduce the appearance of fine wrinkles and mottled skin discoloration, and to make rough facial skin feel smoother.

Retin-A may also be used for purposes other than those listed here.

Important information about Retin-A

When using Retin-A avoid exposure to daylight or artificial UV rays (sunlamps or tanning beds). Retin-A can make your skin more receptive to daylight and sunburn may result. Use a sunscreen (minimum SPF 15) and have on protective clothing if you must be out in the sun. Avoid getting Retin-A in your eyes, mouth, and nose, or on your lips. If it does get into any of these areas, wash with water. Do not use Retin-A on sunburned, windburned, dry, chapped, irritated, or broken skin. Also avoid using this medication in wounds or on areas of eczema. Wait until these circumstances have healed before using Retin-A.

Use this medication for as several days as it has been prescribed for you even if you think it is not working. It may take several weeks or months of use before you notice improvement in your skin. If you are using Retin-A to treat acne, your situation may get slightly worse for a short time when you first start using the medication. Call your doctor if skin nuisance becomes severe or if your acne does not improve within 8 to 12 weeks.

Before using Retin-A

FDA pregnancy category C. It is not acknowledged whether Retin A is harmful to an unborn baby. Before having this medication, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. Tretinoin topical might pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use Retin A without informing your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I use Retin-A?

Use Retin-A accurately as your doctor has prescribed it for you. Using extra medicine or applying it more often than prescribed will not make it work any faster, and may increase side effects. Do not use Retin-A for longer than your doctor has set.

Wash your hands before and after applying Retin-A. Before applying, clean and dry the skin area to be treated.

Applying Retin-A to wet skin may cause skin irritation. If you use Renova, wait at least 20 minutes after rinsing your face before applying a thin layer of the medication.

Do not rinse the treated area for at least 1 hour after application of Retin-A. Avoid the use of other skin products on the treated area for at least 1 hour following application of Retin-A.

Applying too much amount of Retin-A gel may result in “pilling” of the medication. If this occurs, use a thinner layer of gel with the next application.

Retin-A should be used as part of a complete skin care program that includes avoiding sunlight and using an effective sunscreen and protective clothing.

Use Retin-A for as several days as it has been prescribed for you even if you think it is not working. It may take weeks or months of use before you notice development in your skin. If you are using Retin-A to treat acne, your state may get slightly worse for a short time when you first start using the medication. Call your doctor if skin annoyance becomes severe or if your acne does not improve within 8 to 12 weeks.

Store up this medication at room temperature away from moisture and heat. The gel components of Retin-A are flammable, keep them away from open flame.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Use the medication as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and wait until your next regularly scheduled dose. Do not apply extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Look for urgent medical consideration if you think you have used too much of this medicine. Retin-A is not expected to cause overdose symptoms.

What should I avoid while using Retin-A?

Keep away from exposure to daylight or artificial UV rays (sunlamps or tanning beds). Retin-A can create your skin be more sensitive to sunlight and sunburn may result. Use a sunscreen (minimum SPF 15) and wear protective wear if you must be out in the sun. Refrain from getting Retin-A in your eyes, mouth, and nose, or on your lips. If it does get into any of these areas, wash with water. Do not use Retin-A on skin that is sunburned, windburned, dry, chapped, or irritated. Also stay away from using this prescription in wounds or on areas of eczema. Wait pending these conditions have healed before using Retin-A.

Keep away from using skin products that can cause irritation, like harsh soaps, shampoos, or skin cleansers, hair coloring or permanent chemicals, hair removers or waxes, or skin products with alcohol, spices, astringents, or lime. Do not use new medication skin products except your doctor has told you to.

Your skin may be more receptive to weather extremes such as cold and wind while using this medicine.

Retin-A Side Effects

Stop using this medicine and get urgent medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction to Retin-A: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Less severe Retin-A side effects may include burning, warmth, stinging, tingling, itching, redness, swelling, dryness, peeling, irritation, or discolored skin.

This is not an entire list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

What other drugs will affect Retin-A?

Do not use skin products that have benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, resorcinol, or salicylic acid unless otherwise directed by your doctor. These goods can cause severe skin irritation if used with Retin-A.

The following drugs can interact with Retin-A, which can make your skin more sensitive to natural and artificial sunlight. Before using Retin-A, tell your doctor if you are using any of these:

• a diuretic (water pill);
• tetracycline (Sumycin, Panmyc, Robitet), minocycline (Minocin), doxycycline (Doryx, Vibramycin), demeclocycline (Declomycin), and others;
• an antibiotic like that of ciprofloxacin (Cipro), ofloxacin (Floxin), and others;
• a sulfa drug such as Bactrim, Septra, Cotrim, and others; or
• chlorpromazine(Thorazine),prochlorperaine(Compazine), fluphenazine (Permitil, Prolixin), promethazine (Phenergan, Promethegan), perphenazine (Trilafon), and others.

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can affect Retin-A. Tell your doctor about the medicine and over-the-counter medications you use. This consists of vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not initiate using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about Retin-A.

What does my medication look like?

Tretinoin topical is accessible with a prescription under brand names such as Altinac, Avita, Retin-A, Renova, and Tretin-X. Other brand or generic formulations may also be available. Ask your pharmacist any queries you have about this medication, especially if it is new to you.

• Keep in mind, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.
• Every try has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. (‘Multum’) is precise, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for utilize by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum’s drug information does not support drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum’s drug information is an informational supply designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not presume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information enclosed herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have queries about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

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