Can tretinoin make dark spots worse?

Tretinoin can fade spots on the face, evening out your skin tone and helping to hide the blotchy coloration that can affect many people's facial skin. In some cases, however, tretinoin can also cause small patches of skin to darken, producing noticeable skin discoloration.

Can Retin-A make dark spots worse?

“If the retinol you're using is too strong for your skin causing inflammation, darker skin tones may have a higher risk of discoloration, or hyperpigmentation, from the use of it," she adds. Dr.

Does retinol increase dark spots?

Takeaway. Retinol can be effective in lightening the skin and reducing the appearance of dark spots. It does so by promoting skin shedding, which improves cell turnover rate and hinders the activity of the enzyme tyrosinase, which encourages the production of melanin.

How long before tretinoin clears dark spots?

If you're using topical tretinoin to reduce wrinkles, discoloration, age spots, and/or rough feeling skin, it can take 3–4 months or up to six months before you see results.

Will tretinoin help dark spots?

Tretinoin can help dark spots fade, allowing you to have a more even skin tone. It decreases the amount of melanin in your skin cells (Zasada, 2019). When used for discoloration, tretinoin is usually combined with other skin-lightening products, sometimes in the form of a chemical peel (Lawrence, 2021).

SIDE EFFECTS OF RETIN A |SKIN DARKENING, SKIN PURGING, Peeling |Rachna Jintaa

Can tretinoin worsen melasma?

Moderate cutaneous side-effects of erythema and desquamation occurred in 88% of tretinoin-treated and 29% of vehicle-treated patients. Topical 0.1% tretinoin produces significant clinical improvement of melasma, mainly due to reduction in epidermal pigment, but improvement is slow.

Can retinol make scars worse?

Answer: Retin A does not make old acne scars worse

Retin A can actually help improve the appearance of acne scars, although it works much better on new scars than on old. Start using it slowly, twice a week at night time, and increase the number of days per week in such a way as to not irritate yours skin.

Which tretinoin is best for dark spots?

Tretinoin Cream 0.1% contains the highest available concentration of tretinoin, the active ingredient most prescribed by dermatologists to treat dark spots, fine lines, wrinkles, and signs of premature aging.

Why is tretinoin not working?

If you've been using a certain concentration for a while and your results have slowed, it might be time to increase the strength of your tretinoin prescription. Increasing strength can come with temporarily side effects. Using oils or moisturizers before tretinoin might reduce its effectiveness.

How long does it take for tretinoin to work for hyperpigmentation?

You may notice tretinoin starting to work within 2 to 3 weeks, but it can take 6 weeks or more to experience the full benefit. If you don't see improvement within 12 weeks, or if you have significant improvement and wonder if you should start using it less frequently, talk to your doctor.

Why does my skin look worse after using retinol?

In theory, retinol makes your skin cell turnover faster. The increased cell turnover temporarily sloughs off more dead skin cells. This creates a lag time before new, healthy cells come to the surface of your skin. Your new skin is exposed before it's ready, and redness or discoloration, and irritation is the result.

Can retinol make melasma worse?

There's a catch, though: Retinol can be irritating (which we know can end up making melasma worse), so start with a gentle retinol formula and use it slowly at first: One night a week for one week, two nights a week for two weeks, three nights a week for three weeks, then every other night indefinitely.

What fades dark spots fast?

Why is tretinoin making my face darker?

Tretinoin can fade spots on the face, evening out your skin tone and helping to hide the blotchy coloration that can affect many people's facial skin. In some cases, however, tretinoin can also cause small patches of skin to darken, producing noticeable skin discoloration.

Does Retin-A fade brown spots?

Retin-A can improve skin texture and fade dark spots and freckles because it causes skin cells to turn over more rapidly. It shrinks dilated pores and improves cell turnover within the pores so they are less likely to clog and become blackheads and whiteheads.

Does hyperpigmentation get darker before it fades?

Yes. Active treatment accelerates cell turnover, pulling pigmented cells to the surface at a faster rate. This increases the concentration of melanin in the epidermis, which can create a temporary darkening of the spots. The darkening means the pigment is coming up and is ready to be shed away.

When should I stop using tretinoin?

During the first 6 months of use, avoid overexposing the treated areas to sunlight, wind, or cold weather. The skin will be more prone to sunburn, dryness, or irritation, especially during the first 2 or 3 weeks. However, you should not stop using this medicine unless the skin irritation becomes too severe.

How long do tretinoin uglies last?

However, Green notes that the side effect should clear up within two weeks, saying, "These symptoms typically last five to ten days, depending on your skin type and the concentration of the retinol. Once your skin is done purging, your skin should be smoother, clearer, and brighter than it previously was."

Is 0.1 tretinoin too strong?

0.05% is seen most often for anti-aging preparations to reduce the appearance of fine lines. 0.1% has the most intense side effects but is often used for severe acne. The increasing strengths generally come with increasing side effects such as: Dryness, Peeling, Itching, and Redness.

Does retinol help hyperpigmentation?

Topical retinoids work by increasing the rate of cell turnover and are typically used as an acne treatment. However, because of the high cell turnover, it also works well to help fade dark spots and acne scars caused by hyperpigmentation.

Does tretinoin make acne scars worse?

Tretinoin can also be used to decrease the appearance of acne scarring. Since tretinoin speeds up cell turnover on your skin, it can encourage new cell growth at the site of your scarring. Tretinoin in several forms has been tested successfully as an effective way to treat acne scars.

How long does it take for retinol to fade scars?

The thing is, prescription-strength retinoids can take three months for visible results, while over-the-counter retinol products can take six to 12 months to see really noticeable results.

Why is my melasma getting worse?

Skin care products: A product that irritates your skin in general will likely make your melasma worse. Soaps: Some scented soaps are thought to cause or worse melasma. Tanning beds: The UV light produced by tanning beds damages your skin just as bad as the UV light from the sun, and sometimes worse.

How long does it take for tretinoin to fade melasma?

In short, the combination of hydroquinone and tretinoin works well as a treatment for melasma. Studies show that it lightens skin that's affected by melasma quite significantly, with results usually showing over the course of 12 to 24 weeks of treatment.

Why won't my dark spots go away?

The condition is called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), and it's insanely common among all skin tones. The spots typically appear after your skin has experienced some type of inflammation (acne, mosquito bites, or other traumas).