Beauty
And how to choose the right one for your skin care routine.
Retinol is one of the most beloved and dermatologist-recommended ingredients in skin care, and not without good reason.
When deciding between tretinoin and retinol, it helps to first understand how retinoids work.
Retinoid refers to a class of compounds that are derivatives of vitamin A,Dr.
Brendan Camp, M.D., board-certified dermatologist, tells Bustle.
Tretinoin is a kind of retinoid thats primarily prescribed fortreating acne.
Think of tretinoin as a more concentrated form of retinol, saysDr.
Tretinoin For Acne
Tretinoin helps quash acnein multiple ways.
New skin cells mean less acne, a more even skin tone, and fewer wrinkles, says Amin.
Should You Use Retinol Or Tretinoin?
If youre new to retinoids or have sensitive skin, experts universally encourage starting with retinol over tretinoin.
Dont let that deter you too much, though: Skin purging means a product is working.
Use a small pea-size amount on dry clean skin and agood moisturizer,and apply at night.
Retinoids also increase skins sensitivity to the sun, so using effective sun protection is key.
Be sure to sport yourstrongest SPF, reapply often, and opt fora sunhator visor for good measure.
Finally, experts suggest prepping your skin for tretinoin by usingsimilar but less potent retinol-based productsfirst.
Once your skin has adapted, you should have a smoother time incorporating tretinoin.
Studies referenced:
Babamiri, K., & Nassab, R. (2010).
40 years of topical tretinoin use in review.Journal of dermatology : JDD,12(6), 638642.
Draelos, Z. D., & Peterson, R. S. (2020).
Advance online publication.https://doi.org/10.1080/09546634.2020.1817298
Lavker, R.M.
An ultrastructural study of the effects of topical tretinoin on microcomedones.
Clin Ther.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1283729/
Leyden J. J. Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety.
Clin Interv Aging.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2699641/
Plewig, G. (2004).
Low dose isotretinoin combined with tretinoin is effective to correct abnormalities of acne.
JDDG.https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1439-0353.2004.03739.x
Schmidt, N. (2011).
Tretinoin: A Review of Its Anti-inflammatory Properties in the Treatment of Acne.
