What skin type is best for tretinoin?

Author: Dock Runolfsdottir  |  Last update: Wednesday, June 4, 2025

It is often best for beginners or those with skin of colour, sensitive skin or Rosacea. It provides a gentle introduction, effectively treating acne and early signs of aging while minimising potential irritation. Moving up, the 0.05% Tretinoin strength is up to 10X stronger than over the counter retinoids.

What kind of skin is tretinoin good for?

Tretinoin is used to treat acne or other skin diseases as determined by your doctor. It works partly by keeping skin pores clear. 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.

Who should avoid tretinoin?

Tretinoin must not be taken by patients who are pregnant or who may become pregnant. There is a high risk that tretinoin will cause the baby to be born with birth defects (physical problems that are present at birth). If you can become pregnant, you will need to avoid pregnancy during your treatment with tretinoin.

What is the downside of tretinoin?

Topical tretinoin can cause your skin to become dry, red, swollen, blistered, or flaky. It may also cause your skin to itch, be painful, or feel like it is burning. Stop using topical tretinoin and call your healthcare provider if these symptoms become worse or do not go away.

Does tretinoin make you gain weight?

Check with your doctor right away if you start to have chest discomfort, pain, or tightness, cough, fever, swelling in the hands, ankles, or feet, trouble breathing, unusual tiredness or weakness, or weight gain. This medicine may cause leukocytosis (high white blood cell count), which may be life-threatening.

TRETINOIN - The GOAT of Skincare Ingredients?

Does tretinoin increase facial hair growth?

studied tretinoin therapy for androgenetic alopecia. They reported an increase in terminal hair after using topical Tretinoin in 7 out of 12 individuals[18].

Is tretinoin hard on the liver?

Retinoids have been implicated in causing mild-to-moderate elevations in routine liver tests, but these elevations are usually asymptomatic and transient, resolving spontaneously even with continued therapy.

Is it OK to use tretinoin forever?

Dr. Mohta says that tretinoin can be used long term, even your entire life, as tretinoin is commonly used for the treatment of acne, fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation. Dr. Mohta, also says that it may be necessary to use tretinoin for a few weeks before you can notice changes in your skin.

How long is tretinoin purge?

How long does your face purge on tretinoin? 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.

What moisturizer goes well with tretinoin?

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.

What Cannot be mixed with tretinoin?

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.

Does tretinoin age your skin?

Unlike over-the-counter anti-aging products, tretinoin has anti-aging ingredients that go deep beneath the outer portion of the skin to the epidermis. It boosts the production of new collagen in around six months, resulting in smoother, younger-looking skin.

Does tretinoin grow hair?

Tretinoin was shown to stimulate some hair regrowth in approximately 58% of the subjects studied. One female subject with pronounced alopecia for more than 20 years had regrowth of hair using only tretinoin for a period of 18 months.

Is tretinoin 3 times a week enough?

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.

Does tretinoin peeling ever stop?

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.

Is tretinoin 0.05 or 0.025 better?

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.

What are the tretinoin uglies?

Vitamin A can be unstable as an ingredient, and this can mean your skin will become more sensitive. There is often an initial phase when using retinoids for the first time, known by many as the 'retinoid uglies'. Essentially, your skin can see a decline before improvement during an adjustment period.

How to tell 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. 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.

Does tretinoin thicken or thin skin?

Topical tretinoin stimulates epidermal proliferation and differentiation by upregulating heparin binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF), which causes increased exfoliation and thickening of the epidermis.

Can I use vitamin C with tretinoin?

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.

Is tretinoin the fountain of youth?

Dubbed the fountain of youth, tretinoin is considered the benchmark ingredient for youthful, clear skin. Though tretinoin has been more in the background compared to the ease of getting other OTC anti-aging retinols, the superstar powerhouse has seen a rise in popularity.

Is tretinoin bad for the heart?

Treatment with this drug may lead to higher cholesterol and triglycerides. The effect of these changes on heart health is not known. Talk with the doctor.

What is the tret glow?

Fans of retinoids often boast of an effect called “tret glow”, which is the glowing complexion they get after using the product for a while. You can get that glow faster and treat underlying skin concerns with the following aesthetic treatments to enhance your retinoid results.

Does tretinoin increase collagen?

Tretinoin effects collagen in two ways. With consistent long term use, tretinoin will increase the production of collagen while simultaneously decreasing the rate of collagen degradation. In other words, a win-win benefit.

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