Tretinoin — sold under the brand names Retin A, Avita, and Atralin Renova as well as generically — is a vitamin A derivative that was developed as an adult acne treatment over three decades ago. Now found on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, tretinoin is still very much an exciting buzzword in the world of skincare. That's not just because it can be incredibly effective at treating even very stubborn acne, but also because tretinoin has turned out to be a very promising topical treatment in the battle against aging skin.
Read skincare blogs all around the web and you'll quickly become convinced that you simply need some tretinoin, that this topical medicine is a miracle in skincare. Indeed, you may be right. Retin A isn't for everyone, however.
What Can Retin A Do For Your Skin?
Retinoids — that means any form of vitamin-A derived treatment — in general are pretty potent. Since the 1980s, Retin A and similar forms of tretinoin have mostly been prescribed to people with acne. That is because it removes dead skin cells, unclogs pores, and allows sebum to leave the skin rather than building up to form pimples. Usually prescribed to people dealing with mild and moderate acne, even some people with cystic acne, a severe and hard-to-treat form, have reported enormous success with Retin A.
As Retin A and other forms of tretinoin rose to popularity as an acne treatment, many users started noticing that it did many other things for them as well. Retin A, it turns out, leads to a clearer and smoother complexion, makes skin less oily, fades skin discoloration and, get this, reduces wrinkles. That's because tretinoin, as research found, increases cell turnover and has the power to reverse the effects of photo-aging, the kind of aging caused by too much sun exposure. It also boosts your skin's collagen and elastin, and both those things are essential for young-looking skin.
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By now, you may be sad that Retin A and other tretinoins are prescription-only products. Rather than being able to run out to the shop and start on your miracle all-in-one skincare regime today, you can't get your hands on Retin A unless you see a dermatologist, or in some cases your family doctor, first — and though you have an excellent chance of leaving with a prescription if you're suffering from acne, not all doctors will agree that you need Retin A just because you're showing some signs of aging. Though that sounds unfair, tretinoin requires a prescription for some extremely good reasons.
Why Is Tretinoin Prescription-Only?
Having the ability to transform the structure of your skin at the mollecular level, Retin A is classified not as a cosmetic product, but as a medicine. Browse skincare forums — like the one right here at SteadyHealth — and you'll quickly come across people who'd like to use Retin A even if they don't have a prescription, and are tempted to turn to dodgy online pharmacies to make their wish come true. Retin A isn't prescription-only just for technical reasons though, so hold off on ordering it from dubious sources without medical supervision!
Prescription retinoids may have the ability to do awesome things for your skin, but their use can also turn ugly pretty quickly. In fact, that's the exact term self-confessed "skincare junkies" use to describe the flaking, redness, and irritation that so many people experience on Retin A when they first start using it: "the uglies". Because it takes the skin some time to get used to tretinoin, and because different strengths are suitable for different circumstances, being monitored by a medical professional is key.
How To Use Tretinoin Correctly
Following instructions is extremely important when you first start using tretinoin. The most commonly prescribed strengths of tretinoin are 0.025%, 0.05% and 0.1%, and doctors will usually advise you to start with the lowest possible strength first. Available in cream form as well as gel form for lower strengths, the gel form has been shown to typically cause fewer side effects.
In addition, key factors you need to be aware of before you start using Retin A are:
- Tretinoin increases your skin's sensitivity to the sun. This is both why users need to be extremely strict about using a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and why the medication is only ever applied at night, and not during the day.
- Because it takes your skin a while to adjust to tretinoin, you may be advised to start off applying the product once every two or three nights rather than nightly.
- You need to wash your skin and wait 20 to 30 minutes before applying Retin A. Most doctors will advise you to use a moisturizer along with Retin A, either after application or prior to it. Retin A can cause some dryness in the skin, initially. Should you still suffer from irritation, burning sensations, redness and skin peeling, scale back as instructed by your dermatologist.
- Less is more: you only need a pea-sized amount.
- Keep tretinoin out of your eyes!!! If you're using it to reduce crow's feet, apply extreme caution.
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My Doctor Won't Give Me A Prescription For Retin A
Depending on where you live, your doctor will not prescribe tretinoin simply because you want to reduce wrinkles. In that case, you can still turn to retinol, another vitamin-A derivative that works in much the same way but is far less aggressive and likely to lead to side effects. This, too, is available in various strengths, even being incorporated in over-the-counter moisturizers more and more. In order to achieve a result comparable to tretinoin with retinol, however, you will need a higher strength.
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