Can Retin-A Stop Working Once Skin Has Developed a Tolerance to It?

The benefits of Retin A are cumulative and one should stay on it forever, in my opinion. Make sure you are either using the Retin A micro gel 0.1%, (not any generic) for optimal  stability and bioavailability. I do love Tazorac and it might be worthwhile to upgrade, but it is not correct for you to think you must continue to see irritation for the benefits to occur for your skin.

Retin A helps decrease skin pigmentation and sallowness as well as minimize fine wrinkiling due to sun damage.  Normally the way retinoids are used is a 6 month treatment period, followed by maintenance.  All the gains in reversing sun damage with topical retinoids are lost if treatment is discontinued.  However the improvements continue widh continued treatment. Since Retin A decreases the amount of stratum corneum (the dead skin cell layer at the very top)... more

The first recommendation I would offer is to increase the strength of the Retin A first, it is offered in .025, .05 and .1 Cream.  You can add other supplements to the Retin A regimen such as Vitamin C (an antioxidant) for healthy skin, hydroquinone for dark spots and blotchy skin, and other collagen/growth factor ( SkinMedica) creams for yet another approach to healthy skin.