Adapalene

Honestly, if you don't see any improvements on tret, don't fret - I'd give something else (e.g. Adapalene) a shot once you've exhausted the Tretinoin route. Some people do better on tret, others on Adapalene!

Adapalene may work better for this and its gentler.

As far as which retinoid to use--there are a lot of different forms of retinols, but the most evidence-backed option also happens to be pretty cheap--it's called adapalene, and it's available OTC in the US! I say its evidence-backed because it used to be rx-only, meaning that the manufacturer paid for clinical testing on their formulation so it could verifiably be considered as an anti-acne medication. Adapalene is also generally very well tolerated (i.e., low risk of irritation) compared to other retinoids.

Okay! I'd say, try Adapalene first. It's way gentler than the other retinoids, because it was MADE for acne prone skin. Try using it like, once a week for 3 weeks and then once every 5 days and then once every 3 days and then once every other and then however many times you can tolerate it. I really like it for my skin, and I have SUPER oily acne prone skin

The only products that made a noticeable difference for me were the Elemis resurfacing facial pads, Paula's choice BHA toner, and Adapalene every other night.

Go for a simple routine of normal cleanser, mild exfoliating washcloth 2x per week, adapelene (Differin, it’s a retinoid) in the evenings.

Tretinoin gel or adapalene will remove them since they are retinoids but it will take months.

You can slowly add adapalene like, doing it once a week then trying twice a week, then increasing frequency gradually. With adapalene things get worse before they get better, spreading it out will minimize this purging phase.