Skin Care Review: Retin-A (Generic) Tretinoin 0.025%

Rating
Excellent

Benefits
Increased firmness and radiance, reduced pigmentation, smoother skin.

Drawbacks
Potential irritation, sunblock is mandatory, somewhat expensive.

Details
I have been using Retin-A on and off for over 21 years. It was first prescribed to treat my teenage acne. It was not very effective for me, but I continued to use it for several years in the hopes that once the acne subsided, I would have gorgeous skin. I stopped using Retin-A in my mid-twenties and my acne cleared up in my early thirties.

However, as a result of having used Retin-A for so many years, I have almost no acne scarring (despite years of cystic acne on the cheeks and jaw). Additionally, I have excellent skin - no crows feet or even fine lines at age 37.

I've recently gone back on Retin-A to reduce melasma which resulted from hormone treatment. This time, I'm using the 0.025% cream and I have experienced no irritation - probably helped by the fact that during the years I did not use Retin-A, I used AHAs and BHAs religiously and almost daily.

I would recommend this cream to anyone who can tolerate a fairly strong exfoliant. For me, it was not an affective acne treatment but has left my skin looking wonderful after years of treatment. I suggest using a mild but very effective sunscreen during the day and the gentlest of cleansing products.

Conclusions
I will continue to use tretinoin for skin modelling & overall skin health.

Price (paid by reviewer)
$70

Where to find it
Pharmacy