Beauty Bug begs an answer: I’m currently reading Free Gift with Purchase, by Jean Godfrey-June, the beauty editor for Lucky. The books says that Retin-A helps with wrinkles and Beauty Bug wants the Beauty Brains to comment. Does Retin-A really get rid of wrinkles?
The Left Brain responds:
What is Retin-A
Retin-A is the brand name of a prescription drug called Tretinoin which is a derivative of vitamin A. In 1971, the FDA approved the topical application of Tretinoin to treat acne and sun damaged skin. This drug works by irritating the skin, which triggers the basal layer to produce fresh skin cells, thus increasing cell turnover. (Mmmm, turnover!) As new cells more rapidly replace the old ones, the skin takes on a younger, smoother appearance. So it does work, but there are a few issues you should be aware of.
5 Things You Need to Know About Retin-A
1) It’s a prescription drug so you can only get it from your doctor.
2) It doesn’t work over night. Wrinkles start to decrease or disappear after three to six months.
3) Some of the drug is absorbed into the body and may cause problems with pregnancy.
4) It can be so irritating that it burns and causes redness.
5) While it does help reduce wrinkles that doesn’t mean it gets rid of ALL your wrinkles. As they say, results will vary.
The Brains Bottom Line: Unlike so many wrinkle creams, this drug has been proven to really do something (despite the issues cited above.) And don’t fall for the claims of other products that are really just regular cosmetics with Vitamin A derivatives.
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi, Beauty Brains. Great blog! Thanks for visiting mine. I’ll be back to read more soon!
My dermatologist prescribes me tretinoin, and so I use it every night for acne. But I heard that tretinoin may thin the skin out, so it’s often combined with hydrocortisone (or some kind of steroid, I forgot which exactly) to counter tretinoin’s thinning effect. Is this true? I don’t want to be thinning my skin out in the long run! And what effect can thinning facial skin have?
This is a response to Sandra about skin thinning. I use a thick cream product that is 10% glycolic acid (sorry, can’t remember the brand, but it was over the counter), and was warned by the lady at the pharmacy that it can also cause skin thinning. This doesn’t mean that it will eat your face off! You can apply this product over and over, as long as you don’t get irritated by it.
What this DOES mean is that it causes dead layers of skin to fall away (I don’t notice anything, physically, although this can cause redness for some.) Because of this, glycolic acid can essentially give you age spots over time, because you are exposing more of your fresh, baby skin to the sun, instead of having those practically invisible layers of old skin to help protect it.
I imagine that physically having glycolic acid, or a product like tretinoin, on your skin while simultaneously being in the sun might essentially act as a magnifying glass. As such, I don’t wear the product on my face during the day, and put a suntan lotion for babies (SPF 50, it has Elmo on the bottle!) under my make-up. The effects of the product on my skin, however – smoother, less acne, shorter duration of a pimple, reduced scarring – are well worth any “thinning.”
Interesting…
Please also be aware of the potential for hair loss. I am a pre-med student (desire to become a derm.) and have suffered from acne since my teens. I recently used Retin-A Micro before trying Differin and noticed hair loss. As mentioned, results and side effects vary person to person. I was not aware of this however, and wanted to fully inform those who read the article.
”And don’t fall for the claims of other products that are really just regular cosmetics with Vitamin A derivatives.”
I don’t get it. In this article:
http://thebeautybrains.com/2007/05/24/finally-an-affordable-wrinkle-treatment-that-works/
you say vitamin A and retinol CAN help and now you say it’s useless :S
Can you clarify this for me please?
We didn’t say it was useless. We said that the things you buy in the store that are not prescriptions use vitamin A derivatives that don’t work. Vitamin A & Retinol do work. The derivatives of these compounds haven’t been shown to work.
Can I use Tretinoin Cream around the eye area if I mix it with a moisturizer? I have lots of fine lines forming around my eye and I heard that would help.
This is a response to the guy using retin a and a topical steroid cream. Please be aware that topical steroid creams DEFINATELY have a thinning effect on the skin and whilst using retin a which makes skin hypersensitive this could further damage you skin. Redness and swelling of skin is normal with the use of retin a treatment but if it gets bad enough that you need a topical steroid cream all you have to do if apply it every Other night. DO NOT USE BOTH TOPICAL STEROID CREAM AND RETIN A TOGETHER and make sure to use a natural calming moisturiser and sunblock during the day whilst using Retin A
I guess I don’t really understand what “skin thinning” is. To me, it sounds more serious than redness or irritation. It seems like it would make the skin look old, which defeats nthe whole purpose. I’m confused.
no cream can cure wrinkles permanently , or fillers are temporary , if you want that baby soft skin permanentaly , theres only one way to get it……pranayam and yoga belive me else every thing is rubbish and wast of money…
its takes years 2 cure wrinkles permanently around 4-5 years but cure is for last long till u die…after doin this pranayam a person even die with a young skin, …….if u wana know about this technique you can contact me , my id is [email protected]
regular yoga not only remove your wrinkles permanent but also make you look sexier day by day……awasome
I would urge you all to stop using retin-a. It’s a joke! I was using it for 1 year and it did nothing for the long term.. It thinned my skin out badly! now I have more wrinkles because of the skin thinning.. awful product, be very careful
Retin-A is good, it has peer reviewed evidence behind it. It has gone through many tests to be given a drug status. The mechanism behind it is known. Yes it does thin your skin, that is the whole point of Retin-A.
One important caveat though (and your DR will tell you this) never use Retin-a WITHOUT SUNSCREEN. Retin-A will thin the skin making you more suseptable to the sun, which will cause even more aging effects, possibly more than the cream it self will fix.
It’s a shame it didn’t work for julie, maybe it doesn’t work on her, maybe she didn’t use suncreen (ahhh), maybe she caused too much irritation, or maybe she’s just got a year older, but theres no need to urge people away from one of the very few proven ingredients.
Aqua Glycolic face wash is the best thing to use while using retin a you can order it on line or get it behind the counter at the pharmacy it works great i have had bad skin my whole life and it is finally clearing up.
I have been using Retin A for over 30 yrs. now. Have really liked it! Now, I have been told that I should not use it every night anymore. My skin is getting thinner because of my age and I was told that the retin A would thin it more. Is that really true?
not sure what you all mean by retin a thins out the skin. It actually stimulates collagen production. collagen makes up about 35% percent of the body tissue and retinol is a natrual occuring subatance in the skin. i know the abilities of reitnoids but no one knows why it works so well. some consider retinoids an exfoliater. it is not. at first it seems like its doing that. but thats just your skins way of getting used to it. it increases cell turnover and creates collagen production. since new skin is at the top it can be damaged a little bit easier. skin is made up of long chains of amino acids which are protiens but the muscles in convert them into amino acids. You want to keep the collagen DONT EAT LARGE AMOUNTS OF SUGAR. sugar will break up the collagen and its real easy to consume alot of it withOUT realizing it. Vitamin D is needed daily to maintain collagen as well as Vitamin C. C is water soluable so the body cant manufacture and use it when it needs it. Taking in small amounts of C each day is recommended. to much of it creates an imbalance in the body. The commerical where the lady drinks a whole gallon of the stuff is a LIE AND EXTREMELY UNHEALTHY. the tablets are worthless and not healthy. im going off here, take care of everybody. oh yeah one more thing. Its possible that these people could be on steriods and steriods do thin out the skin. Ya just never know. its a to each their own
sorry to come back. and blogg thats if anyone cares. i doubt that people want an apology. but here we go retinoids are extremely powerful and i bet most people who are complaining about the reactions after the inital 6 weeks grace period are over using it and using it during the day. its a real drug and the directions should be honored and taken seriously. retin a doesnt thin the skin in essence. it does take of the top layer and thickens the inner layers pushing the wrinkles up and out. so no it doesnt thin the skin. its actually a thickner because didnt your derm tell you it causes your skin to create collagen. its a wonder product indeed if used correctly but it can be the worst thing for you if you arent willing to follow the directions and use a sunscreen. less is better. its not an exfoliater. it does help the skins matrix function younger. dont bother with it if your thinking inside more is better. dont slather it on its extremely potent. your skin works with your immunity. it protects your insides. bad skin is based around inflammation. and thats a battle to figure out whats going on in there. it is. but with great skin comes great looks. so again if you use it follow as directed and use no other directions. if you have superhyper sensative skin it IS NOT recommended for use.
oh yeah one more thing since i am huge fan of tretinoin and retinols. you can go out into the sun you really can. Heres the rub that isnt usually clear with people when they use it. its not so much the newer fresher skin getting burned from the sun. Its that retin a or retinols are sensative to the SUN. if your wearing the treatments durning the day then yes absolutely your going to burn your face. retin a and the sun do not mix. Its only to be USED AT NIGHT ands thats it. Thats why i cant understand why a high concentrated retinol with an spf can be worn during the day. I DONT GET IT. someone tell me about that. sun block only lasts for so long.
can you help me out? i’ve been using the tretinoin cream .1% for about 3 months now. so far, the thing on the prescription says wait TWO TO FOUR weeks for the initial side effects to subside, and i guess the side effects are better than how it was when i initially started using it…but my doctor initially prescribed this to get rid of my acne and so far it is not working out. i have more pimples than i had before i started using the cream..and its been 3 months.
THE THING IS…
i didn’t know i couldnt use “abrasive” cleansers w/ all those little ingredients. i’ve been using 2 face washs (one @ night one in the morning) neutrogena oil free acne wash (the grapefruit smelling one) and the AcneFree facial wash (because one bottles in the shower the other on the sink) but ANWAY.
my question finally, is. is my acne gettign worse b/c of the tretinoin cream or could it because i was using the cream whilst using the face wash(es)?
maybe this is a late answer to your question but my doctor told me that your skin get worse the first weeks because the whole impurity comes out. So the aggravation is regular and will end after some time, I think.
I am not an expert but if you use tretinoin I would prefer gentle cleansers without harsh ingredients because the tretinoin itself can be very irritating and 0.1% is a high dose.
Kally- I had a combination of acne/rosacea for over 30 years before I cured myself. But during the suffering, I tried everything, including REtin-A. Be sure your acne is not a combo of acne and Rosacea ( which is irritated by Retin-A ). I cleared my acne rosacea naturally with prolonged cleanses. Most skin irritation like acne is temporary as you go through puberty. If it extends beyond that, this is yeast ( candida ) overgrowth. Don’t ask your dermatologist- they are clueless. Read everything you can on curing Acne naturally. My body suffered from the prescription drugs I took internally, including liver damage, cholitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, permanent bruising, gray tooth discoloration, and 35 lbs. of weight gain. Read anything you can get your hands on about curing it naturally. Candida Clear is a supplement by NOW vitamins. Candida Freedom also makes excellent products..both with acidophilus supplements and other natural mineral items, and soaps. Cut out the processed foods. Drink pure spring water. Exercise. Have regular bowel movements at least once or twice a day.
You can also confuse and irritate your skin by using different products such as benzoil peroxide and salicylic acid for the same problem.
For acne, try prescription Clindamycin liquid. It is a 1% topical antibiotic you apply from a bottle with a dabber. IT is effective but not irritating. It is an RX. A bottle of 60ml will last you 3 weeks to a month, and may cost about $30 without health insurance. Ask your dermatologist and refuse any other crap the doctor tries to give you. Also use a mild non soap such as Basis liquid gel from Walgreens. mY TEEN son uses Benzyclean wash which is also found in Walgreens, for his puberty acne.
Hi, I was needing to no if the Retin-A really works, because I am 49 years old,and I am getting more wrinkles,I hate to look in the mirror in the morning,so I need so help very bad,Please write me back Thank you.