Skin Care and Tretinoin-What is It and Does it Work?

With so many new products and catch phrases out there today when it comes to skin care, how do we really know what works? It seems like every day a new “miracle ingredient” is being touted on talk shows and on late night infomercials.

Now, we are hearing about skin care and tretinoin. But what is tretinoin? And why do we need it?

Tretinoin is basically a trans-retinoic acid. What is that? It is the active ingredient found in the popular Retin-A product. You might have been prescribed that for acne, once. It works by activating molecular switches in skin cells that are called retinoid receptors. These switches influence a lot of intracellular processes such as cell growth, synthesis and breakdown of proteins like elastin and collagen, and sebum production.

So it’s really important, right?

Well, sort of. Actually, it’s not the only thing that can trigger these retinoid receptors. Other retinoids can do it, too. Scientists are not looking into other retinoids that can do this so that they can be used to treat everything from wrinkles to acne.

Skin care and tretinoin: acne-does it work?

To an extent, yes. If you are using it for acne treatment, you might notice your acne actually getting worse before it gets better. This happens a lot with acne medications because the spots that were just under the skin tend to pop up as they are being stimulated. After that, they should begin to clear up. People who have not had luck with benzoyl peroxide, hydrogen peroxide, or salicylic acid might have luck with tretinoin.

What products contain tretinoin?

You can buy a straight Tretinoin Cream with 0.025%, 0.05%, and 0.1% when it comes to skin care and tretinoin. This particular cream is supposed to help your skin reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as control acne breakouts. This type of cream is available by prescription only.

You can also purchase a product called Maxi-Peel Exfoliant (Tretinoin & Hydroquinone) #3 Severe Cases 60 ml for your skin care and tretinoin treatment.

Skin care and tretinoin: anti aging-does it work?

As with acne, it can cause a peeling of the top layer of skin which essentially exfoliates and reveals the skin underneath that layer. That can be good in any skin care regimen as getting rid of dead skin cells is vital to the overall condition of your skin. Since Vitamin A, which is essentially what tretinoin is, is used a lot of anti-aging products and does show a decrease in fine lines and wrinkles, yes, it does help to an extent. You should notice some difference.

Skin care and tretinoin: are there any side effects?

Using it can lead to skin irritation such as dryness, redness, and mild stinging. However, these should not last long. You must use it as directed. Using more of it will not make the results appear quicker. As a matter of fact, it might actually make your skin appear worse if you use too much of it at once.