Tretinoin should always be paired with a moisturizer and sunscreen with a SPF 50. In addition to these two items, you can also pair it up with Vitamin C (applied before your sunscreen in the morning) and hyaluronic acid or niacinamide 10 minutes after applying your tretinoin cream.
Vitamin C is doesn't interact with tretinoin. The reason it's usually advised not to use them together is because ascorbic acid can be irritating.
The answer is a resounding YES! The combination of Vitamin C and Retinol in a skincare regimen can help you achieve glowing, healthy-looking skin, while improving the look of dark spots and uneven skin tone, as well as visibly improving signs of skin aging including fine lines, wrinkles and loss of firmness.
Which skin products are compatible with tretinoin? Hyaluronic acid is the standout topical compatible with virtually everything, followed by niacinamide. Some prescription formulations combine retinoids with other ingredients such as hydroquinone.
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it is especially important to avoid using the following skin products on the same area as tretinoin: Any other topical acne product or skin product containing a peeling agent (eg, benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol, salicylic acid, or sulfur).
Niacinamide. Vitamin B3 or Niacinamide is a common choice for compounding with Tretinoin due to its skin brightening and pore tightening properties.
Using Tretinoin Correctly
The best time to use Tretinoin is at night. This is because light can degrade Tretinoin and make it less effective. Even more importantly, your skin regenerates the most at night and so your skills will get the maximum benefits from Tretinoin when it is applied during this period.
Can You Use Tretinoin and Hyaluronic Acid Together? The short answer: YES. The long answer: You should use them together—but strategically. Tretinoin works hard to renew your skin, but it can leave it dry and sensitive in the process.
Option one: The sandwich technique
After washing your face, apply a layer of moisturiser. Allow it to dry down for 5-10 minutes. Then, apply a pea-sized amount of tretinoin to your entire face. Allow this to dry down for 5-10 minutes.
The 15+ minute wait allows the skin barrier to recover and minimizes irritation. This helps reduce the risk of tretinoin induced retinoid dermatitis, a common issue for many tretinoin users.
Oils create a skin barrier, blocking the absorption of water-based products. Adding Vitamin C (water-soluble) to retinol (oil-soluble) results in the non-absorption of Vitamin C, thus no skin benefits. So, you see how mixing the two is a waste of skincare products, money, and time.
Bakuchiol: Nature's Answer To Retinol
Among beauty and skincare enthusiasts, the focus has shifted towards natural, plant-based ingredients that lend the same benefits as retinol. Bakuchiol, for instance, is regarded as one of the most effective natural retinol alternatives out in the market today.
SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic is a vitamin C serum that's often recommended by dermatologists. In fact, all four dermatologists we consulted mentioned this as a good (though pricey) choice. “It's dermatologist-approved,” says Amy Huang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist with Medical Offices of Manhattan in New York.
Vitamin C and tretinoin are both effective skincare ingredients for anti-aging. However, it is important to use them correctly in order to get the most benefit. By applying vitamin C before tretinoin, you can help to protect your skin from irritation and enhance the effectiveness of tretinoin.
What happens if you stop using tretinoin for acne? For many, tretinoin is highly effective at treating acne, but it's still possible to experience breakouts once you stop using it.
Using a water-based moisturizer after applying tretinoin is generally recommended. This can help protect your skin from some side effects of the treatment, including dryness, peeling, and irritation.
How do you maximize tretinoin results? To maximize the results of tretinoin, start slowly, apply tretinoin at night on perfectly dry skin and between two layers of moisturizer, wear sunscreen with SPF 50 every morning, and combine with niacinamide or hyaluronic acid to minimize irritation.
Some people may notice that this side effect goes away within a few weeks of use, while others may have flaky skin for up to two months. Regardless of how long it takes to subside, tretinoin peeling is temporary and will go away once your skin gets used to the product.
What does skin purging look like? It can cause side effects like redness, swelling, dryness, itchiness and possibly more pimples than when you started. This is because Tretinoin boosts the rate of skin cell turnover to help prevent your pores from getting clogged and turning into acne.
Hyaluronic acid and tretinoin tend to balance each other. While tretinoin can sometimes be drying,¹⁰ hyaluronic acid acts as a moisturizing humectant,¹¹ helping to alleviate potential adverse effects. These findings suggest that using hyaluronic acid and tretinoin together can be a beneficial skincare strategy.
The skin goes red, inflamed, and peeling because retinol has chemically burned away the upper layer of skin, the new exposed skin has not had enough time to build up its natural protection film to UV light and pollutants that a good UV moisturising oil can help with and reduce the exposure to skin cancer risk, ...
Dr Malvina Cunningham: Retinoids like tretinoin and vitamin C work well together as they both promote collagen production and enhance each other's effect. Vitamin C is generally less of an irritant so these can often be applied in combination. Retinoids like tretinoin and niacinamide work well too.
For those battling mild to moderate acne, a starting dose of 0.025% is often recommended, providing effective treatment while minimising irritation. As the skin adapts, some may benefit from incrementally increasing to 0.05% and then 0.1% if needed to enhance the acne-fighting properties.
Three inexpensive moisturizers that our physicians love are Vanicream Daily Facial Lotion with Hyaluronic Acid, Neutrogena Hydroboost Gel, and The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid Serum. All three of these are affordable, non-comedogenic,and blend well with tretinoin.
When you first start using tretinoin, you may start with a lower percentage that you apply just two or three times a week. After two weeks, if your skin is adjusting well to the tretinoin, you can consider increasing use to every night as tolerated.