Is tretinoin good for your face?

Author: Modesto Lueilwitz  |  Last update: Tuesday, May 3, 2022

The bottom line
Tretinoin can be a safe, effective treatment option for acne. It can also help reduce the appearance of surface wrinkles and dark spots due to sun damage. While it can irritate the skin at first and you may not see results for months, it can help promote smoother, healthier skin.

What does tretinoin do to face?

One of the tretinoin creams is used to treat fine wrinkles, dark spots, or rough skin on the face caused by the damaging rays of the sun. It works by lightening the skin, replacing older skin with newer skin, and slowing down the way the body removes skin cells that may have been harmed by the sun.

Do I apply tretinoin all over face?

To use the cream, gel, or lotion form of this medicine: Apply just enough medicine to very lightly cover the affected areas, and rub in gently but well. A pea-sized amount is enough to cover the whole face. You may need to use a moisturizer while you are using the lotion.

What happens when you stop using tretinoin?

If you stop using the medication or are inconsistent with your treatment, any improvements you see may disappear over time. Always use the product as prescribed by your healthcare provider (Rodan, 2016).

How long can you use tretinoin on your face?

It may take longer than 12 weeks before you notice full improvement of your acne, even if you use the medicine every day. Check with your doctor if skin irritation becomes severe or if your acne does not improve within 8 to 12 weeks.

Is Tretinoin the BEST Treatment For Acne? | Dr Sam Bunting

Can I use tretinoin forever?

"You can use tretinoin or [over-the-counter] retinols forever."

Should I use tretinoin every night?

Generally, it is fine to use tretinoin every night, but you may not want to because of the initial side effects, especially when you first start. You should only use tretinoin as prescribed to avoid significant skin irritation, redness, and other side effects.

Is tretinoin cancerous?

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).

How do you know if tretinoin is working?

After 4-6 weeks, your skin will get used to tretinoin and will begin to be noticeably smoother and more even. A lot of the initial irritation will settle down and true “retinization” of your skin is in full force.

Does tretinoin make you look younger?

As a result of its effects on your skin's cellular turnover speed, tretinoin reduces the appearance of wrinkles, evens out your skin's pigmentation and also treats skin issues such as acne. The end result is smoother, younger looking skin that's much less affected by fine lines, wrinkles or other common signs of aging.

Can you mix tretinoin with moisturizer?

Yes. It's perfectly safe to use a moisturizer with tretinoin. In fact, tretinoin without moisturizer is generally not recommended. Many dermatologists advise their patients to moisturize while using it to reduce their chance of developing dry, peeling skin.

Is tretinoin 0.025 effective for wrinkles?

Tretinoin strength studies

While both were equally effective over a one year period, Tretinoin 0.1% was able to achieve cosmetic improvement in 6 months while 0.05% required closer to 12 months. Finally, 0.025% was compared to 0.1% and it was found that both produced similar improvements in photoaging.

Does tretinoin work for wrinkles?

In simple terms, tretinoin not only produces an improvement in skin quality and a reduction in wrinkles in short-term studies -- it's also highly effective at reducing wrinkles, discoloration and other signs of aging when used over the long term.

Can tretinoin make wrinkles worse?

First, the answer is yes, retinol can make wrinkles worse, especially when you first start using it. What is happening is a drying effect, and one can get epidermal sliding from separation from the dermis.

Is tretinoin stronger than retinol?

For the purposes of skin care, tretinoin can be thought of as a more concentrated version of retinol. This means that tretinoin is stronger than retinol. This difference in strength can help guide your decision-making when it comes to choosing a skin care product. Your skin is affected by more than what you put on it.

Does tretinoin lighten skin?

Tretinoin Does Not “Bleach” Your Skin

Contrary to popular belief, tretinoin is not a “bleaching agent” or medicine designed specifically to lighten your skin tone. While tretinoin can even out patches of hyperpigmentation and cause a mild change in your skin tone, it doesn't affect melanin synthesis.

Why is tretinoin prescription only?

Tretinoin gel, cream, or lotion requires a prescription because it's more powerful than retinol. Doctors prescribe tretinoin to treat skin conditions like: Acne. Psoriasis.

What can you not mix with tretinoin?

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).

Do you wash tretinoin off in the morning?

In the morning, wash your face with a mild facial scrub or rough washcloth. This will help reduce the noticeable flaking. After washing, apply a good water-based moisturizer. The moisturizer will make the drying effect of the medicine more tolerable.

Will tretinoin reduce pore size?

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.

Does tretinoin cause hair loss?

Tretinoin for Hair Loss — The Science

In this study from the Journal of Investigative Dermatology on the effects of oral retin a — oral tretinoin — on human scalp hair follicles, research showed that exposure to retinoic acid induced premature hair follicle regression.

Is retinol a chemotherapy?

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).

Does peeling mean tretinoin is working?

If it sounds a little grim, it's because it kind of is. But it's important to keep in mind that skin peeling is a normal effect of tretinoin treatment and not something to be overly alarmed about.

Do you put moisturizer on before or after tretinoin?

Just make sure you choose products without synthetic fragrances to keep irritation at bay. When starting out, apply moisturizer directly after applying tretinoin to minimize potential irritation. As your skin adjusts, you can leave tretinoin on for about 20 minutes before following up with a moisturizer.

Can I use Vitamin C with tretinoin?

Sheila Krishna, it's totally fine to use vitamin C with over-the-counter retinol products or dermatologist-grade retinoids—which, BTW, is the broader term for vitamin A derivatives, including retinol, tretinoin, and adapalene, just to name a few.

Previous article
What skin type is niacinamide good for?
Next article
How can I permanently get rid of acne on my forehead naturally?