The skin care ingredient tretinoin is an effective acne treatment, helping to improve the appearance of blemishes, fine lines and dark spots. It also helps to minimise discolouration from sun damage. However, it cannot reverse severe sun damage or erase deep wrinkles. It is a prescription-only active ingredient and must be prescribed by your GP or dermatologist. Therefore, it isn’t available on the NHS in the UK. Many online dermatologist services like Get Harley, Dermatica and Skin + Me can prescribe tretinoin but these come at a cost of hundreds of pounds.
A good candidate for tretinoin is someone who has tried other forms of retinoids but has not seen a difference, says Dr Sheraz. “It is also ideal for someone who has mild to moderate acne, but not severe acne, as this tends to be more problematic and can lead to pigmentation, texture and uneven skin tone.”
Initially, your skin may feel dry and flaky when you start using tretinoin. This is because it speeds up the turnover of cells, getting rid of the old ones and generating new, healthy skin cells to replace them. It is important to keep up with your tretinoin usage as you will only see results after 6 months of consistent use.
You must use a sunscreen of at least 30 SPF everyday when you’re taking tretinoin as it makes your skin more sensitive to UV rays. You must also avoid exposing your skin to extreme cold or wind.tretinoin cream uk