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Tretinoin is one of a category of medications called retinoids. It’s a form of vitamin A that acts on the skin by increasing skin cell production and turnover. Tretinoin boosts the exfoliation process, causing your skin cells to slough off and regenerate more quickly.
Topical tretinoin has a variety of uses in skin care products. Because it acts to increase cell production and slough off the outermost layer of skin cells, tretinoin is great for revealing an overall healthier complexion and more youthful skin with an even complexion.
Tretinoin specifically can reduce the appearance of dark spots, liver spots, melasma, and hyperpigmentation. It is useful in treating sun damage in general to the face and neck and gives the skin a brighter, more uniform, and youthful color.
It is also used to treat acne by expelling comedones or clogged and infected pores. Rough, irritated skin flakes off and a healthier complexion is left in its place.
Because tretinoin promotes skin cell regeneration, it's also one of the best anti-aging ingredients out there.
Tretinoin comes with many skincare benefits, but it also has many drawbacks.
Because tretinoin works by sloughing off skin cells and regenerating new ones quickly, when you first start using it, you will likely have patches of redness, irritation, and flaky skin. If you have acne, it may look and feel worse for a week or two because there have been blemishes and pore blockages forming in the deepest layers of your skin that are coming to the surface. People with skin sensitivities can experience severe irritation, redness, inflammation, and burning. It may take up to 8-12 weeks before your skin starts to look more healthy and youthful.
Another drawback to tretinoin is that it makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight and sunburn. Tretinoin is also not approved for use in anyone under 18 or for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.
Because of the many drawbacks of tretinoin, it's only available via dermatologists' prescription or telemedicine brands, making it harder to get.
Sunspots are rather common. They are also called liver spots or solar lentigines. Anyone can have sunspots; however, those who are more fair-skinned, or older than 40-years-old are more susceptible to sunspots. Sunspots tend to be pretty harmless, and it is more of a personal preference if you choose to treat them. The most predictable areas for sunspots to appear are on the back of the hands, the face, your shoulders, and forearms. They are easy to identify, as they are flat brown spots that develop to sun exposure. Real sunspots are harmless and are noncancerous. However, if you see change in your spots or new ones appearing, it is always recommended to have your dermatologist examine your skin for good health.
Vitamin E, vitamin C, and ferulic acid work well to not only lighten the sunspots but to help maintain the elasticity of your skin. Vitamin E protects the skin against the damaging affects of the sun, which can make more sunspots or make the ones you already have appear darker. Combining vitamin E and vitamin C can also help lighten existing sunspots.
tretinoin may be effective for sun spots, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
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