Is Tretinoin safe for mild rosacea?

Question

I've heard conflicting information about topical Tretinoin for rosacea. Some say it's safe if you ease into it, and others suggest avoiding it at all costs. I have mild rosacea and my skin seems to tolerate Tretinoin 0.05%. I just occasionally get some dryness. Is Tretinoin 0.05% safe for rosacea? Is it possible that it aggravates rosacea symptoms if I use it long-term?

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

retinol is much better for the skin than tretinoin when you have rosacea.

You need proper skincare with skincare lines like faith (specifically the essence serum clay mask and moisture enrich lotion), Restorsea liquid gold and 10x cream, Sente dermal repair cream and 24 hour bio complete serum.  At home peels like emerageskin AERIFY with LED light therapy like lightstim can make a big difference.

In office, redness is treated with

1. vascular lasers (excel v, vbeam, BBL, IPL, Aerolase, yellow laser)

2. Aquagold or micro ampule infusion (botox topically)

3. microsecond yag lasers (laser genesis, Aerolase)

4. proper medical grade skincare (faith, Restorsea, sente, emerageskin) and LED therapy (light stim)

5. non ablative, low level, low density lasers (clear and brilliant)

6. nano fractional RF (venus viva)

see an expert for a full workup.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Is Tretinoin safe for mild rosacea?

Answers (1)