Yes, apparently studies on the Ordinary RETINOL 1% shows that it is one of the fastest degrading retinoids on the market which is probs why you didn't notice much difference .Probs worked for a l iottle bit and then stopped working because it had oxidised.

Hi there. I am confirm the effectiveness of Avene RetinAL 1% (Avene) which contains RETINALDEHYDE. I'm caucasian, Fitzpatrick 3/4 with dry skin. Been using for over a year and have terrific skin, but saw skin texture and tone results within 6-8 weeks on Avene..and i'm talking like really noticeable diminishing of sunspots / chloasma and nice smooooth skin. I couldn't stop touching my face it was sooooo soft. Unlike TRETINOIN (TRET), RETINALDEHYDE is a natural product that, while taking a little longer to see noticeable results in terms of sagging, giving lift, reduction of nasiolab. folds, and working on the deeper skin conditions where the real ageing takes place, studies have confirmed it is just as effective as TRET 1% (a synthetic product)..but.. only if you stick with it...and give it time..like they say...a RETINOID program is not a sprint, but a marathon. Ive recently wanted to try TRET to see whether it stands up to the hype, so i started on TRET 0.025% about three weeks ago, using every second day and alternating with my Avene. I've never had issues with flaking, peeling, redness or irritation ...ever....and I put it down to the "starting slow and working up" method, so i havent had any transition issues with the TRET. But I can confirm to someone's previous post that I alternate every other day between the two without issue. RETINALDEHYDE converts into Rentinoic acid in the skin quite quickly (only 1 conversion step to provide the magic in the skin) so there doesn't appear to be any conflict between the two because the conversion of RETINALDEHYDE happens almost as quickly as yhe immediate conversion of the TRET. Ive read somewhere that RETINOL shouldn't be used with TRETINOIN because (a) very irritating and (2) it converts to RETINOIC acid in the skin a lot slower (two conversion steps..much much slower than retinaldehyde) ..and before it gets a chance to do its thing, the TRETINOIN (immediate no conversion) has already provided the RETINOIC acid in the skin, so the RETINOL is in effect, wasted. There you have it. Ill put a couple of useful SCIENTIFIC STUDY links on RETINALDEHYDE in so you can read about it. Its terric stuff..affordable, can get it without a script, no purging issues, and for the most part, more gentle and less irritation than TRET. If I was starting out that would be my "go to" if you want a "no hassle" intro into the RETINOID family. Oh yes..no matter which member of the RETINOID family you choose to use, a big tip! Theres recently been a lot of ladies presenting to dermatologists with dry and irritated eyes. RETINOIDS apparently can ruin the delicate tear glands in your eyes (ever noticed your eyes are stingy and water within moments of applying?) Make sure to use a cotton bud (aka q-tip) and smear a bit of vaseline or similar occlusive around your eyelids, edges of nostrils, around mouth, and along the rings of venus (if you're like me and do your neck and decolletage) to prevent drying and irritarion in those delicate areas. RETINOIDS travel 2 inches under the skin out from where you apply it, so be careful. These delicate areas are called deadzones because the RETINOID, when it reaches those areas has nowhere to go and pools in the crevices. All the best and happy skincare!

Cheers! J

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25607905/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7798613/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29663701/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30027612/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10473963/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10473955/

Anonymous wrote:I've been using tretinoin for about a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. I recommend that you start with the .0025 percent, the lowest percent, instead of the .005 percent. Its very potent and your skin will need time to adjust. I think this is especially true if you plan to start now, in the winter months when your skin will be more dry anyway. Tretinoin takes a LONG time to start working - I didn't really start seeing results until I had been using it everyday for about a year. A lot of people experience a ton of irritation when they first using it; its important to start slowly so you can give your skin the best chance to adjust, so you can work it into your regular skin care routine for the long term. I plan on using it everyday for the rest of my life.

Wow. It took a year to see results? I've been using the Avene RetrinAL 0.1 and have seen really good results in 6 weeks though I do complement it with a glycolic. Most likely, Tretinoin would take it to another level once the Avene 0.1 effectiness has maxed out. Even Tretinoin has different levels to progress to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been using tretinoin for about a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. I recommend that you start with the .0025 percent, the lowest percent, instead of the .005 percent. Its very potent and your skin will need time to adjust. I think this is especially true if you plan to start now, in the winter months when your skin will be more dry anyway. Tretinoin takes a LONG time to start working - I didn't really start seeing results until I had been using it everyday for about a year. A lot of people experience a ton of irritation when they first using it; its important to start slowly so you can give your skin the best chance to adjust, so you can work it into your regular skin care routine for the long term. I plan on using it everyday for the rest of my life.

What OTC retinol did you use, if any, before you started Tretinoin?

I used over the counter retinol products from The Ordinary and Neutrogena before I went on tretinoin. I liked the one from Neutrogena but I didn't notice much of a difference in my skin with The Ordinary products. If you decide to go ahead with tretinoin, make sure you look it up on GoodRX before you have your dermatologand ist send the prescription to the pharmacy. They always have coupons, and you will want to fill it at the pharmacy where they have the lowest price. This is kind of a pain to do, and yo may have to move around your refill prescription several times based on which pharmacy has the lowest price, but it can save you a lot of money. Without a coupon tretinoin can be over $200, but with GoodRX coupon I've paid anywhere from $68 to $98. Its still pricey but many over the county retinoids cost around that much or more.

But you can buy them without a prescription for the same amount without the hassle:

https://www.starsskincare.com/retinol/tretinoin-0-1-cream/

https://www.mintrxpharmacy.com/obagi-tretinoin-cream-1/

https://www.weloveskinstore.com/obagi-tretinoin-cream-0-1/

I started at the lowest. .o25,then .05 then .1 The .1 definitely took some getting used to. My face peeled off and on for about a month but now its great. I have tried Sunday Riley 5% and its not nearly as effective as 1% tretonin.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been using tretinoin for about a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. I recommend that you start with the .0025 percent, the lowest percent, instead of the .005 percent. Its very potent and your skin will need time to adjust. I think this is especially true if you plan to start now, in the winter months when your skin will be more dry anyway. Tretinoin takes a LONG time to start working - I didn't really start seeing results until I had been using it everyday for about a year. A lot of people experience a ton of irritation when they first using it; its important to start slowly so you can give your skin the best chance to adjust, so you can work it into your regular skin care routine for the long term. I plan on using it everyday for the rest of my life.

What OTC retinol did you use, if any, before you started Tretinoin?

I used over the counter retinol products from The Ordinary and Neutrogena before I went on tretinoin. I liked the one from Neutrogena but I didn't notice much of a difference in my skin with The Ordinary products. If you decide to go ahead with tretinoin, make sure you look it up on GoodRX before you have your dermatologand ist send the prescription to the pharmacy. They always have coupons, and you will want to fill it at the pharmacy where they have the lowest price. This is kind of a pain to do, and yo may have to move around your refill prescription several times based on which pharmacy has the lowest price, but it can save you a lot of money. Without a coupon tretinoin can be over $200, but with GoodRX coupon I've paid anywhere from $68 to $98. Its still pricey but many over the county retinoids cost around that much or more.

Anonymous wrote:I've been using tretinoin for about a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. I recommend that you start with the .0025 percent, the lowest percent, instead of the .005 percent. Its very potent and your skin will need time to adjust. I think this is especially true if you plan to start now, in the winter months when your skin will be more dry anyway. Tretinoin takes a LONG time to start working - I didn't really start seeing results until I had been using it everyday for about a year. A lot of people experience a ton of irritation when they first using it; its important to start slowly so you can give your skin the best chance to adjust, so you can work it into your regular skin care routine for the long term. I plan on using it everyday for the rest of my life.

What OTC retinol did you use, if any, before you started Tretinoin?

Anonymous wrote:I've been using tretinoin for about a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. I recommend that you start with the .0025 percent, the lowest percent, instead of the .005 percent. Its very potent and your skin will need time to adjust. I think this is especially true if you plan to start now, in the winter months when your skin will be more dry anyway. Tretinoin takes a LONG time to start working - I didn't really start seeing results until I had been using it everyday for about a year. A lot of people experience a ton of irritation when they first using it; its important to start slowly so you can give your skin the best chance to adjust, so you can work it into your regular skin care routine for the long term. I plan on using it everyday for the rest of my life.

What OTC retinol did you use, if any, before you started Tretinoin?

Angie of Hot and Flashy is great! I've watched and rewatched all of her videos when my regimen changes. She is spot on about Tretinoin and uses retinaldehyde on her neck.

I also subscribe to a couple of dermatologist blogs/videos like Dr Anthony Youn and Dr Sam Bunting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been using tretinoin for about a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. I recommend that you start with the .0025 percent, the lowest percent, instead of the .005 percent. Its very potent and your skin will need time to adjust. I think this is especially true if you plan to start now, in the winter months when your skin will be more dry anyway. Tretinoin takes a LONG time to start working - I didn't really start seeing results until I had been using it everyday for about a year. A lot of people experience a ton of irritation when they first using it; its important to start slowly so you can give your skin the best chance to adjust, so you can work it into your regular skin care routine for the long term. I plan on using it everyday for the rest of my life.

What % are you on now? How did you titrate up?

I'm currently on the .01 percent, which is the highest percent. I started on .0025. I started using it every other day, and then when I thought my skin was adjusted, I bumped up to using it everyday. I did experience some peeling, but it was manageable. When I used up the tube of .0025, which took a little over 6 months, I bumped up to the .005 percent. I used that for about 8 months, and then bumped up to the full strength .01 percent. When I started on the .01 percent, I really started seeing results. To help control irritation, I use the Cereve moisturizing cream in the big tub and hydracortisone cream. There are lots of youtubers that have great videos on how to start out on Tretinoin. I particularly like Angie at Hot and Flashy, she has a lot of very informative videos to help you get started. Also, if you do decide to start on tretionion, whatever you do, make sure you wear a solid layer of sunscreen every single day and reapply throughout the day if possible. You need to apply about 1/4 of a teaspoon of SPF in order to get the advertised SPF level, so make sure you apply it generously!

My dermatologist has practiced for 25 years. Her skin looks fabulous, and I assumed she used Tretinoin.
She does not use Retin-A products because her sensitive skin will not tolerate it and says while it is the 'gold standard' not everyone can use it. She uses a pricey retinol product from PCA skin along with other facial skin care.

Bottom line is while many espouse the wonders of Tretinoin, there are other products that work but the cell turn over results are not as immediate as Tretinoin

Anonymous wrote:I've been using tretinoin for about a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. I recommend that you start with the .0025 percent, the lowest percent, instead of the .005 percent. Its very potent and your skin will need time to adjust. I think this is especially true if you plan to start now, in the winter months when your skin will be more dry anyway. Tretinoin takes a LONG time to start working - I didn't really start seeing results until I had been using it everyday for about a year. A lot of people experience a ton of irritation when they first using it; its important to start slowly so you can give your skin the best chance to adjust, so you can work it into your regular skin care routine for the long term. I plan on using it everyday for the rest of my life.

What % are you on now? How did you titrate up?