Avita Gel: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Avita Gel contains tretinoin, a vitamin A derivative (retinoid), formulated into a gel for use on the skin. It is a prescription medicine used to treat acne vulgaris by reducing blackheads, whiteheads, and new clogged pores while supporting normal skin-cell turnover. It is applied once daily in the evening and should be used exactly as directed, with full benefits often taking several weeks to appear.

What is Avita Gel

Avita Gel is a prescription medicine for the skin. It contains tretinoin, which is a type of vitamin A (called a retinoid), mixed into a gel.

Avita Gel uses

• Treating acne vulgaris (common acne) on the skin
• Treats acne vulgaris
• Helps reduce blackheads
• Helps reduce whiteheads
• Helps prevent formation of new comedones
• Promotes normal skin-cell turnover

Benefits of Avita Gel

• Reduces the number of acne pimples and blemishes
• Helps clear blocked pores that lead to acne
• Helps new pimples heal faster
• Helps unclog pores
• Reduces acne lesions over time

How Avita Gel works

The gel works on the surface layers of skin. It causes skin cells inside hair follicles to stick together less and shed faster, which helps stop pores from getting clogged and forming acne.

Avita Gel dosage

Apply once a day in the evening to the skin where acne appears, using enough to cover the whole affected area lightly. Wash your face gently with a mild soap first and pat it dry. Wait 20 to 30 minutes after washing before applying the gel so your skin is completely dry, which helps lower irritation.

Keep the gel away from the corners of your nose, your mouth, your eyes, and any open wounds. Spread the gel lightly over your forehead, chin, and cheeks and smooth it into the skin; it should become invisible almost right away.

You may use cosmetics, but clean the treated areas thoroughly before applying the gel. You may use a noncomedogenic moisturizer or moisturizer with sunscreen in the morning after washing.

Using more gel or applying more often than directed will not work faster and may irritate your skin. Results are usually noticed after two to three weeks, but it may take more than six weeks to see full benefits.

Continue regular use until your doctor tells you to stop, even after your acne improves. Don't stop and start treatment on your own without talking to your doctor.

Available forms and strengths

• Gel

Side effects of Avita Gel

Common

• Skin redness
• Dryness, scaling, or chapping
• Burning, stinging, warmth, or tingling on application
• Itching or mild irritation
• Peeling
• Temporary lightening or darkening of treated skin

Serious

• Hives
• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat
• Severe burning, stinging, or irritation of treated skin
• Severe skin dryness
• Severe redness, swelling, blistering, peeling, or crusting

Warnings and precautions

• Avita Gel is flammable. Keep it away from heat and open flame, and keep the tube tightly closed.
• This medicine can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, so try to limit sun exposure and avoid sunlamps while using it.
• Keep the gel away from your eyes, mouth, the creases beside your nose, and other mucous membranes, since it can cause strong irritation in these areas.
• People with eczema should use this medicine with extreme caution because it can cause severe irritation on eczema-affected skin.
• Using harsh soaps, abrasive cleansers, or products containing sulfur, resorcinol, or salicylic acid together with this gel can cause extra irritation and should be used cautiously.
• Applying more gel or using it more often than directed will not give faster or better results, and may just cause more redness, peeling, or discomfort.
• Avita Gel should not be used during pregnancy. There have been no human studies proving it's safe for pregnant women, so tell your doctor if you are pregnant or think you might be before using it.
• It isn't known whether this medicine passes into breast milk, so it should be used with caution by breastfeeding mothers, and only after talking with a doctor.
• No specific kidney-related dose adjustment is generally required because topical tretinoin has minimal systemic absorption.
• No specific liver-related dose adjustment is generally required; use cautiously if there is severe liver disease and a clinician advises monitoring.
• Products with high concentrations of alcohol can irritate skin treated with Avita Gel and should be used with caution.
• Avita Gel is not expected to impair driving or alertness.

Storage

• Store below 30°C (86°F)
• Avoid freezing
• Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children

When to see a doctor

• Get medical help right away if you have signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as hives, trouble breathing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• Get medical help right away for severe burning, stinging, irritation, dryness, redness, swelling, blistering, peeling, or crusting of treated skin.
• Seek urgent medical care for serious eye symptoms like sudden vision loss, blurred or tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights.
• Seek urgent medical care for serious heart symptoms such as a fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat, fluttering in the chest, shortness of breath, or sudden dizziness or fainting.
• Seek urgent medical care for a severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, trouble walking, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady, very stiff muscles, high fever, heavy sweating, or tremors.
• If you develop severe or persistent skin irritation, stop using the gel and consult your physician.
• If you get sunburned while using this medicine, stop treatment until your skin has fully recovered.

Alternatives

• Adapalene
• Retin-A
• Tazarotene
• Azelaic acid