Hello, Dr.Irwin:
I have oily skin recovering from acne and my dermatologist recently prescribed me Tretinoin Gel 0.025%, in which alcohol (denatured with tert-butyl alcohol & brucine sulfate) is listed as the 4th ingredient out of 4 ingredients. I\'m a bit concern about the alcohol content because I am a bit sensitive to alcohol. I would feel a burning sensation whenever I applied anything with a large amount of alcohol to my face. With this gel, there\'s a strong alchoholic smell to it and I felt a slight stinging sensation over certain areas of my face when I\'m applying it, but not my whole face. And the sting disappears within seconds. I know Paula says alcohol can be damaging to skin and tretinoin may also cause the sting. I\'m not quite certain whether I stick with the gel or ask my dermatologist to prescribe me a cream instead. Any sort of answer would be very much appreciated! Thank you for your time.
Definately switch to the cream!! Gels almost always have a higher alcohol content than creams. Dr. I