Topical all-trans-retinoic acid (tretinoin) alone and in combination with 0.5% minoxidil has been tested for the promotion of hair growth in 56 subjects with androgenetic alopecia. After 1 year, the combination of topical tretinoin with 0.5% minoxidil resulted in terminal hair regrowth in 66% of the subjects studied.
Abstract. Minoxidil enhances hair growth by prolonging the anagen phase and induces new hair growth in androgenetic alopecia (AGA), whereas retinol significantly improves scalp skin condition and promotes hair growth.
Tretinoin has been shown to promote and regulate cell proliferation and differentiation in the epithelium and may promote vascular proliferation. These factors are important for hair growth promotion. These preliminary results indicate that more work should be done on the role of retinoids in hair growth.
Is Tretinoin FDA Approved? Currently, topical tretinoin cream and gel are only FDA-approved for skincare and anti-aging uses but not for hair loss treatments. Because of this distinction, any use of topical and oral tretinoin for hair growth would be considered off-label.
Retinyl palmitate also strengthens the scalp by improving cell turnover, boosting collagen production to create the best conditions for hair to grow. At the same time, it can be used on sensitive scalps without irritation (we use a concentration of 0.5%).
Some bad news: the side effects of using retinol on your face go for your scalp, too. "You can experience sensitivity, redness, and irritation, which can make the situation worse resulting in hair loss or thinning," Dr. Green explains. "The same holds true with regards to sensitivity.
It's true that using retinol on your hair and scalp can potentially result in some unwanted side effects. Ironically, the most serious side effect of retinol that was reported on several years ago was actually hair loss.
"Retinol is used in anti-ageing, as it increases cell turnover. It may also enhance the effects of minoxidil (hair loss medication) on hair growth when mixed together." In other words, it could have some benefits for hair growth when combined with other ingredients.
Topical tretinoin usually doesn't cause side effects like hair loss, diarrhea, or weight loss, but it does irritate some people's skin. Even though tretinoin is a vitamin A derivative, it isn't stored in the liver, and it doesn't cause chronic liver disease that's often associated with excessive vitamin A intake.
“Topical retinoids, those used for anti-aging, may cause eyebrow hair loss,” Bossavy warns. That doesn't mean you need to give up your precious retinol products — just keep them off your arches. “Don't apply your retinoid to your eyebrow or the area immediately above, where it may migrate,” the pro suggests.
It could potentially reduce DHT production.
As mentioned above, retinol reduces excess surface oil on the scalp and also on the follicles. In doing so, Dr. Shainhouse shares retinol “may help to reduce DHT production. DHT is associated with genetic-type male/female-patterned hair loss.”
Tretinoin is an anti-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug. Tretinoin is classified as a "retinoid." (For more detail, see "How Tretinoin Works" section below).
Tretinoin is an FDA-approved drug that is used to induce remission in patients who have acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL, also known as "M3 AML"), a type of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with the t(15;17) translocation and/or the presence of the PML-RARa gene and who are intolerant of, refractory to, or have relapsed ...
It belongs to a group of drugs called retinoids, these are similar to vitamin A. It is not a chemotherapy drug, but you may have it with chemotherapy drugs to treat a type of acute myeloid leukaemia called acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL or APML).
Tretinoin minimizes pore appearance by increasing cell turnover and boosting exfoliation, which clears debris in the pores and allows pores to shrink back to their normal size.