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Before Taking This Medicine
Allergies¡XTell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to acitretin, etretinate, isoRetin-A, Retin-A, or vitamin A preparations. Also tell your health care professional if y
u are allergic to any other substances, such as preservatives or dyes.
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Other Medicines
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to c
hange the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are using any other topical prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine that is t
o be applied to the same area of the skin. When you are using topical Retin-A, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:
- Ac
itretin (e.g., Soriatane)
- Etretinate (e.g., Tegison)
- Retin-A, oral ¡XMay increase chance of getting severe dryness or redness of skin
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Cautions
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. Do not use a sunlamp .
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How should this medicine be used?
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of Retin-A. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
- Dermatitis, seborrheic or
- Eczema
or
- Sunburn¡XUse of this medicine may cause or increase the irritation associated with these problems
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What side effects may occur?
Although side effects from Retin-A are not common, they can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- warmth or slight stinging of the skin
- ligh
tening or darkening of the skin
- red, scaling skin
- increase in acne sores
- swelling, blistering, or crusting of the skin
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What Is It
Use only nonmedicated cosmetics on cleansed skin. Do not use topical preparations with a lot of alcohol, menthol, spices, or lime (e.g., shaving lotions, astringents, and perfumes); they can sting you
r skin, especially when you first use Retin-A.
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