Tretinoin enhances and boosts your skin’s natural skin renewal process in at least three ways. It also decreases inflammation and prevents bacteria from clogging your pores.
This powerful prescription medication is more potent than nonprescription retinol products. It rapidly permeates your skin layers and controls cell behavior, including what job the cells should do and how fast they should grow (Yoham, 2020; Zasada, 2019).
Before applying tretinoin gel, make sure your face is completely clean.
Acne Treatment
Tretinoin is a powerful topical retinoid that works by increasing epidermal turnover, your body’s internal process of creating new skin cells. This fast exfoliation helps clear acne and even out skin tone. It also reduces redness and calms inflammation, preventing future breakouts and diminishing the appearance of active ones.
This all-trans retinoic acid has been around for almost half a century and is considered a mainstay in acne treatment. Its comedolytic properties—the ability to stimulate the growth of new cells, unclog pores, and normalize sebum production—are well-documented. However, there is a growing appreciation that it may have additional immunomodulating effects.
To minimize irritation, avoid over-washing or scrubbing your face while using tretinoin gel. Wash your skin no more than twice a day, with warm water, and pat dry before applying the medication. Using a gauze pad or cotton swab, apply enough medicine to cover the affected area. A brief sensation of warmth or tingling usually occurs immediately after application, but should fade with continued use.
Anti-Aging
A topical retinoid is one of the best anti-aging products available. It is proven to reduce and prevent wrinkles by stimulating new collagen production in the skin. It also lightens age spots and other areas of hyperpigmentation. It has also been shown to slow down the aging process by shrinking oil glands and blocking inflammatory pathways.
A dermatologist will recommend the best tretinoin gel for your specific needs. Some are available as gels, while others come in cream or lotion form. Typically, it is recommended that patients start using the product in their teens or twenties to see the most benefits from the treatment.
Tretinoin can make your skin sensitive to the sun, so it is important to wear sunscreen every day while using it. This is especially important if you are taking other medications that can cause sun sensitivity, such as oral contraceptives or accutane. You should also avoid tanning beds and extreme weather conditions that can cause sunburn.
Anti-Wrinkle
Wrinkles appear as your skin gets older, a process that usually starts in your 20s and 30s. They get deeper, broader and more obvious as time passes, thanks to sun damage and the natural loss of your skin’s collagen.
Topical vitamin A-based medications such as tretinoin (Retin-A) have been scientifically proven to reduce fine wrinkles and smooth your skin’s texture. It also fades actinic keratosis spots, lightens hyperpigmentation and evens out skin tone.
Tretinoin does this by speeding up your skin cells’ turnover rate, so that your body replaces old cells on the surface of your face with newer ones. This makes your skin look smoother and younger-looking, especially when combined with a moisturizer that’s gentle on your skin and helps soothe it (like a noncomedogenic lotion). Before applying the medication, wash your hands and dry them completely. Avoid touching your eyes or mouth. It’s a good idea to cover your face with a scarf or other protective covering when going outside, as tretinoin can make you extra sensitive to cold temperatures and wind.
Skin Lightening
Tretinoin is a powerful ingredient that can do a lot of good for your skin. It’s best for treating fine lines and combatting pigmentation but it can also do other things such as help prevent acne breakouts and even out your skin tone. Tretinoin is only available with a prescription and you must visit a dermatologist to get an in-person consultation which can be time-consuming and expensive.
Tretinoin works to even your skin tone by dispersing melanin granules (a natural pigment that contributes to hair, eye and skin color). This helps eliminate hyperpigmentation caused by sun damage, hormonal changes or medications.
It also helps reduce wrinkles, blemishes and other signs of aging by increasing the turnover of new skin cells. It can be used alone or combined with hydroquinone (a skin-bleaching agent) in higher strength combinations for better results. These creams often contain other ingredients like hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, butylated hydroxytoluene, sorbic acid, polyoxyethylene 40 stearate and fish collagen hydrolyzates to reduce irritation. tretinoin gel