Anti-Wrinkle Ingredients: Tretinoin

Tretinoin

General Overview

Tretinoin is an acidic variant of Vitamin A which is also known as all-trans retinoic acid, as well as various brand names (Aberela, Airol, Renova, Atralin, Retin-A, Avita, Retacnyl, Refissa, and Stieva-A, to name a few). Tretinoin is normally used as a treatment for serious acne, and it was the first retinoid that was developed for topical use. Tretinoin is included in product recipes for the intended purpose of treating a wide variety of conditions, including aging of the skin, wrinkling of the skin, loss of hair, appearance of stretch marks, and to increase the production of collagen in the skin.

Side Effects & Potential Dangers

Some commonly reported side effects that result from using products that contain Tretinoin include bone pain, fever, headache, nausea, tiredness, weakness, dry skin and mouth, hair loss, increased sweating, rash, vomiting, and itching. These side effects are normally non-life threatening, but if you experience symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, hearing loss, persistent headaches, abnormal bruising or bleeding, uncharacteristic weight gain, dizziness, heart attacks, shortness of breath, or changes in vision, you should seek medical attention immediately.

Some people have reported having a heightened level of susceptibility to sunlight, and ultraviolet light in particular, as a persistent side effect that resulted from their use of products that contained Tretinoin. Hyper-pigmentation and hypo-pigmentation, as well as vulnerability to sunburns, are commonly reported conditions in people who are adversely affected by products containing this ingredient.

Clinical Research

Tretinoin has been subjected to clinical testing involving both living and inanimate organic test subjects, including laboratory experimentation on mice and similar rodents. In these clinical trials, subjects experienced a moderate reduction in the appearance of fine wrinkles, tactile roughness, and mottled hyperpigmentation. As a result of these tests, tretinoin was found to be ineffective as a topical retinoid unless it is included as part of a persistent regimen.

To find out information on products that contain this ingredient, be sure to check out our product comparison chart, where we compare the top products on the market today.