I'm 51 and want to start using Retinol/Retinoids

[Anonymous]

Two questions:

1) Do I really need a provider to use these? My dermatologist is part of a large practice and she doesn't do anything cosmetic, so I can't go to her for an RX or anything.

2) These are so widely used that I don't really want to pay a gajillion dollars for a visit and prescription. Is there guidance on the internet of what to use, etc.? And I know someone on here posted that they got their product from a website - which one?

[Anonymous]

I go through https://ro.co/dermatology/custom-rx-treatment/

Super easy, inexpensive compared to what I had from my Derm, and great results. I use different tretinoin strengths on different parts of my face, so they let me buy trial size of the strongest one as needed and you can control how often you need your items.

[Anonymous]

I do it through Agency -- similar website to the above. Super easy.

[Anonymous]

The micro retinol I got from my derm was around 20.00 and worked fantastic. No peeling. As a comparison the skinceuticals 1.0 was over 100.00 a tube. It’s worth the trip to the derm to get it. Far cheaper and much better quality.

[Anonymous]

I'd go to your derm and ask. Even though you say she doesn't do anything cosmetic, you should still ask her if she'd be willing to write you an Rx for tretinoin. She might not do lasers and things like that, but she should most definitely be willing to prescribe you Retin-A.

[Anonymous]

What is it that you're trying to accomplish? All depending, you might be too late to the game. You have to use these very regularly for many years to really see a difference, and most women give up long before then because they're not noticing improvement.

What are your goals?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd go to your derm and ask. Even though you say she doesn't do anything cosmetic, you should still ask her if she'd be willing to write you an Rx for tretinoin. She might not do lasers and things like that, but she should most definitely be willing to prescribe you Retin-A.

Ehh, I'm with Kaiser Permanente and they told me no. They said I had to go to a cosmetic dermatologist, not a regular dermatologist. (I was there for mole checks). They wouldn't prescribe me tretinoin.

I get mine for $6 through alldaychemist.com

[Anonymous]

Well Differin doesn't require a provider visit. It's OTC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well Differin doesn't require a provider visit. It's OTC.

Differin doesn't do anything, particularly for a 51 year old. Tretinoin is much, much better.

[Anonymous]

I also do Agency. It is an easy process and they slowly ramp you up in strength over months, so no irritation.

[Anonymous]

I tell my regular non-cosmetic derm that I need it for acne...I'm 45- we both know I want it for cosmetic reasons. He writes the script and my insurance is still covering it- Dr. Singh in silver spring

[Anonymous]

Buy bulk overseas.

[Anonymous]

I first used Apostrophe, which requires you to upload photos, then a derm provides a prescription based on your needs. I started with .025 tretinoin, then after 6 months when I wanted to increase the concentration, I just switched over to All Day Chemist. ADC is so much cheaper and it has worked well for me since.

[Anonymous]

Don’t waste time with anything that’s not prescription, and the easiest way is with one of the websites mentioned above.

[Anonymous]

Wow. My internist will write me script and so will my reg Derm. It’s $7 with my insurance. Our healthcare system is wack