What is a Milder Alternative to Retin A?

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.... more

You still might tolerate Retin A in another form. There are four Retin A's which have been designed for patients whose skin is sensitive and irritated by the standard Retin A's. A new one has recently hit the marked called Refissa. It is made by Spear Pharmaceuticals. It has extra emollients and is an elegant product. My patients seem to like it. Renova, made by Ortho, the company which manufactures Retin A, also is a much less irritating product than its progenitor. Similarly, Avita and... more

Retin-A is a great way to rejuvenate the skin but can be too strong for some people. I generally recommend that patients use the mildest concentration of Retin-A as it is easiest to tolerate. Some find that diluting Retin-A with a moisturizer can help. Also, Retinol is available over the counter and is not as strong as Retin-A but still can rejuvenate the skin.

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.