Can Retin A, or any generic tretinoin cause hair loss?

Question

If Accutane can cause hair loss, since both Retin a and Accutane are form of vitamin A, then is there a chance that Retin a can cause hair loss? I did not know it was possible until I read it somewhere online where couple of people discussed that it was causing them hair loss. Thank you for your answers.

Michael A. Greenberg, MD · Answer

If you go online, you will find that the moon is really made of green cheese, that we never really landed on the green cheese moon anyway, and that blue-green algae from Oregon will cure cancer.Having said that, I have used topical Retin-A for almost forty years and it does not cause hair loss.Aristotle discussed the logical fallacy of "Post hoc, ergo propter hoc."  It means because of this, that happened.  In other words, you can break your leg and have chicken pox at the same time.  Both are medical conditions but are unrelated.Hair loss is very common.  The human mind loves to link things that are unrelated.

Toral Patel, MD, MS · Answer

Topical Retin-A (generic name: tretinoin) has not been shown to cause hair loss, and has in fact been shown in some studies to help with hair growth when applied directly to the scalp in combination with other medications such as Rogaine. But there is no evidence to suggest that facial application of Retin-A affects hair growth of the scalp in any way.Accutane (generic name: isotretinoin) is high dose vitamin A taken orally, and as you mentioned, can cause hair loss; this is due to the systemic effects of the medication.

Can Retin A, or any generic tretinoin cause hair loss?

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Can Retin A, or any generic tretinoin cause hair loss?

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Everything you need to know about Retin-A

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