You'll get more effective results from tretinoin than any other over-the-counter exfoliants like BHAs and AHAs. This is why there's usually no need to use other exfoliants when you're on tretinoin – it's best to avoid doubling up, which can damage the skin barrier and cause irritation.
No matter what, you'll likely get some dryness and flaking early on. If it bothers you, gently exfoliate. The best way is to massage the skin with a soft, damp washcloth. Don't scrub too hard—you could make your skin feel worse.
a lot of people are making in their skincare routine. If you're using retinol regularly, you really don't need to be exfoliating. Retinol enhances cell turnover. and actually thins out the outer skin layer. known as the stratum corneum. You don't need to use salicylic acid or glycolic acid.
Use Mild Skincare Products: Tretinoin demands a lot of your skin, so use the gentlest possible version of everything else. That includes your moisturizer and cleanser. Don't Use Too Much Tretinoin: Make sure you're using the smallest possible amount of tretinoin cream to cover your skin. More isn't always better!
Avoid other topical retinoids, and skin care products containing retinol, with tretinoin. You may also want to avoid salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and erythromycin gel (Erthygel), as these ingredients and products can cause dryness.
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.
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.
Once you've massaged the Tretinoin onto your skin, you can apply your serums and/or moisturiser if you use these at night. There isn't a golden rule about how long to wait before applying these as different formulations of Tretinoin take different times to absorb. If in doubt, wait for 15-20 minutes.
Vitamin B3 or Niacinamide is a common choice for compounding with Tretinoin due to its skin brightening and pore tightening properties.
We recommend following the 1-2-3 rule: apply retinol once a week for one week, twice a week for two weeks, three times for three weeks, then move towards every second night if there are no side effects happening. If you do experience flaking, redness or sensitivity, simply move back to a lower frequency for a week.
"It's a four-night cycling schedule: exfoliation night, retinoid night, recovery night, recovery night, repeat.” says Dr. Bowe, “You will get the most out of the active ingredients in your skin-care products while minimizing irritation by building in those needed recovery nights.”
Gentle exfoliation. While it's important to avoid over-exfoliating while using retinol, you can use a gentle scrub when necessary, especially before applying makeup. This helps to smooth the skin and remove flakes without causing further irritation. Use exfoliation sparingly, about every three days.
It depends. In many cases, combining retinol and exfoliants can provide faster and better results, especially if you have very specific goals, like reducing breakouts faster or targeting discoloration. However, for simple skin maintenance and age prevention, using a retinoid alone can be more than enough.
Tretinoin should be applied to the entire face nightly — AFTER washing your face and in combination with a moisturizer. When you first start tretinoin, your goal is to apply a pea-sized amount to your entire face 2-3 nights a week.
Tretinoin cream works by promoting rapid cell turnover, which helps unclog pores, smooth the skin's surface, and fade discolorations.
Option one: The sandwich technique
In this method we sandwich tretinoin between two layers of moisturiser. This buffers your skin from tretinoin and slows down the release. After washing your face, apply a layer of moisturiser. Allow it to dry down for 5-10 minutes.
Skin purging typically lasts anywhere between four to six weeks which is roughly in line with how long it takes for your skin cells to naturally turnover. During this phase, it might seem like your skin is getting worse but it should settle down and improve after you've passed this period.
The skin on the neck is thinner and more sensitive, so it may not tolerate tretinoin well, causing irritation. However, if you want to address signs of ageing on your neck, you may benefit from using tretinoin there. To avoid irritation, start with a lower frequency on your neck and build up as your skin tolerates it.
After 4-6 weeks, your skin will get used to Tretinoin and will begin to be noticeably smoother and more even. Depending on how often you use Tretinoin, you may begin to see full benefits by this point. A lot of the initial irritation will settle down and true “retinization” of your skin is in full force.
Tretinoin skin peeling is usually temporary and only lasts for a few months for most people, meaning patience is normally an effective approach. Use a moisturizer. It's totally okay to use a moisturizer with tretinoin. Apply the moisturizer first before tretinoin if you have skin dryness.
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.
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: fever; weight gain; swelling of the arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs; shortness of breath; labored breathing; wheezing; chest pain; or cough.
“The strength of tretinoin prescribed for anti-aging will depend on multiple factors. However, in general, a low to moderate strength of tretinoin (0.025% to 0.05%) is often recommended for anti-aging purposes, because it tends to be effective while minimizing the risk of irritation,” she added.
You can further boost the efficacy of both retinol and tretinoin by exfoliating for better penetration. Treatments featuring the alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), glycolic acid, can be great for unblocking the skin's surface by removing dead cells.