What is a Milder Alternative to Retin A?

We offer a milder form of Retin-A , called Retinal from SkinTx.  Check with your physicians office on what medical grade skin care products they carry.  Always make sure you are using "medical" grade to insure you are getting your money's worth in product.

Retin-A, by prescription, is the most studied and most effective topical antiaging product. It should be started at a low concentration, and slowly the strength can be increased (e.g. every 4-6 months). If you have difficulty tolerating it, you can try using it as short contact therapy (e.g. wash off after 1 hour), and then work your way up. Or, put a moisturizer on over top of it. Or finally, go with a milder form such as over-the-counter retinol.

Retin-A (tretinoin, retinal) is a great product for improving sun damaged skin. For most of my patients, the main reason for not tolerating Retin-A products is due to too frequent application initially. There are several tricks I use to make the product more tolerable for my patients.

1. I always advocate starting slowly-- a pea size amount is sufficient for the entire face. Use only twice a week (i.e. Mondays and Fridays) for a few weeks, then if tolerated, go to every other night. Finally, if you can tolerate every other night application, you can try doing it every night.

2. If it is still too drying even with infrequent application, I recommend using a moisturizer such as Cetaphil or Neutrogena first, then applying the Retin-A. This often will reduce irritation.

3. Next I would consider changing from generic versions of Retin-A to several new formulations which are much more hydrating for the skin. Both Renova and Refissa by Spear Pharmaceuticals contains tretinoin in an emollient base. Atralin by Valeant Pharmacueticals contains a glycerin based humectant. Avita, by Mylan Bertek, comes in a lower strength tretinoin so it is generally less drying. These brand name versions are usually more expensive. While they are not necessarily more effective for wrinkles, they are definitely more tolerable to use.

4. And Finally, some of my patients really do have very sensitive skin that just can't tolerate retinals. In those cases, I would recommend using an over the counter product containing retinols. Retinols are precursors to retinals. Since our bodies do not readily convert all of the retinols into retinals, they are usually more tolerable, though they tend to be less effective as well.

No matter which you choose, make sure you use a sunscreen during the day!