Retin A

Retin A (Tretinoin)

Retin-A is a derivative of Vitamin A. It's a topical treatment for mild to moderate acne and skin that has been damaged by excessive exposure to the sun. Tretinoin irritates the skin and causes the cells of the skin to grow (divide) and die more rapidly, increasing the turnover of cells. The number of layers of cells in the skin actually is reduced. In people with acne, new cells replace the cells of existing pimples, and the rapid turnover of cells prevents new pimples from forming.

Also, tretinion can have some extra benefits such as reducing wrinkles, and those with sun-damaged skin. Brown spots begin to fade after six to eight weeks. Wrinkles decrease or disappear after three to six months.

My experience on Retin-A:

I have used this in the past, and had great results with my acne. It actually cleared it up and my skin was perfect. I had been living in Italy at the time and it was not hard to get, you just go to the pharmacy and get it, without prescription.

But.. in Canada, you must have a prescription. SO... it was a few months that I have been off of Retin-A and I started breaking out again. I went to my Dr. and got a prescription for it and re-started. I do not remember my first experience being so bad, but this time, I had quite an experience.

My skin, this time around turned very red, and very dry, even though the brand, and strength were the same. Go figure!!! Anyway, I had to slow down using it to every third night, then to every second night. At first my skin was very, very dry... which was very strange for me.. my skin is not normally dry, it is combination type, so I had to deal with something new altogether.. and the feeling of dry skin was not pleasant at all, dry, tight and itchy.. I hated it!! Not to mention .... flaky. But.. I kept up with the product. The Dr. told me, your skin will look worse before it will look better... mm mm... little did I know how true that statement was!!! ha ha. The breakouts did get worse as well before they got better.

Now... after being on Retin-A for a few months, I can say that it is great again. My skin is back to normal. It looks healthy, glowy, and normal.

I have no breakouts, no acne, no blackheads, smaller pores around my nose and cheeks, less wrinkles as well as less dark spots or sun spots... and I am very happy in the improvement of my skin. I can not say enough about this product. I never want to go without it again!!!

I am on 0.1% but I suggest that you start at a lower strength and work your way up slowly.

For me, I use it at night, before going to bed. I clean my skin first with my normal cleanser, and then I wait for about 20-30 minutes for my skin to dry. Your skin must be completely dry before putting on the Retin-A or else your skin will burn. So once my skin is completely dry, I add just a very small about.. (pea size) and gently rub this around my face avoiding my eye area, and around the creases of my nose, as well as really close to my lips. If you get close to these areas you could have some burning and bad skin peeling, not to mention cracking. So avoiding these areas is important. Once this is on my skin I wait another 20-30 min before adding a moisturizer, just to let the product settle into the skin. Then your finished, or I am at least... and this works very well for me.

Don't forget to use sunscreen, UVA & UVB  EVERYDAY!!!

Purchased from my local drugstore with Dr.'s prescription.