Retinol? Renova? Alldaychemist? Generic? Confusion!!!!
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Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:33 am

Hi everybody!

I've been reading about retinol A and it's positive effect on skinaging for a while. Here is australia I'm can only get it via prescription so I decided to research the topic on the net and find out where I can get retinol cream without prescription and which one to get.

The old dilemma struck me though: the more I read, the more confused I got!

I would be more than thankful if somebody could explain it palin and simple to me Wink

1. Which online chemist/shop should I order from? It seems medsmex has shut down and only alldaychemist remains?

2. What cream/gel should I buy? I know to start with .25 and slowly increase but I'm not sure if a gel or cream is better? Also, could somebody give me specific names as there are soooo many on the market? I heard something about Johnson & Johnson? Which ones have you tried in the past and have the best experience with?

3. Finally, I have found Renova on the net and it seems rather expensive ($100). Does it have something to do with the difference between a legitamete and generic drug? Are they equally effective? If buying a generic cream, which brand should I buy ?....which leads us back to question 2! Very Happy

Anyway, if somebody would be so kind to answer my questions (partly) I would appreciate it!

Many Thanks!!

Anja

free skin care · Sat Jun 05, 2010 1:15 pm

Hi Anja:

I will try to help make things less confusing. Here goes:

Retin A (Tretinoin) was first developed over 25 years ago as an acne treatment. It is actually a twisted form of the Vitamin A molecule.

What exactly does Vitamin A do? By its very nature, Vitamin A causes drying of the skin and peeling of the skin when too much is ingested orally. Topical Vitamin A has been suggested to build collagen fibers within the dermis in addition to its more superficial exfoliating property. This is the basis for its use in minimizing the appearance of wrinkles. The exfoliating properties of Tretinoin are also used for bleaching unwanted skin discolorations. Tretinoin is the cornerstone of the Obagi skincare system.

Tretinoin is available in 3 forms; Cream, Gel and Solution. Creams hydrate (Retin A Cream & Renova), Gels dry (Retin A Gel), Solutions are for those persons where Gels are not drying enough. Simple. Oily skin? You may need the gel, not the cream for additional drying benefits. Sensitive or dry skin that is still acne based? You may need a specially formulated base such as Retin A Micro Gel - Yes, I realize it's a gel, but it is supposed to be less irritating or drying because Micro offers the advanced microsphere technology (time released doses of the medication to minimize irritation and continually absorb facial oils)to reduce irritation and the appearance of a shiney face.

Renova is simply Retin A in a more moisturizing base aimed at aging women who typically have drier skin than that of oily teenagers. If you read the PDR, you'll notice that Retin A is not FDA approved for wrinkle use but Renova is. Confusing, but they are one and the same, just different bases. And should you have oily skin and require a gel base instead of the heavy moisturizing base in Renova, (or want an even higher concentration of tretinoin), there is no reason you should not try a different formulation of Retin A for these purposes. If you are unfortunate to find yourself with both acne AND wrinkles, I would recommend trying one of the Retin A formulations instead of Renova. Renova is heavy enough that it may cause a flare of acne in someone with pre-existing acne or someone prone to this condition.

Both Alldaychemist and inhousepharmacy are good places to purchase Retin A. You may see it listed as Retino A - that is the generic name but it is still made by Johnson & Johnson.

Hope this makes things clearer

free skin care · Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:21 pm

I've used brand name Renova, generic US-prescription-type "Renova" (retin-a in a cream base), and Alldaychemists retin-a, both cream (.05) and gel (.10).

Amongst the three different creams, I noticed no difference in effectiveness or consistency. The gel, of course, is stronger and much less moisturizing.

If you have skin more on the dry side, I'd recommend the cream base. If you are prone to acne, go with the gel.

For the creams, you can buffer it by applying another cream first. This makes it a little less strong on your skin.

The packaging from Alldaychemist comes in smaller tubes so you could get a .025 to start with and also a .05 to move up to.

free skin care · Sat Jun 05, 2010 6:44 pm

Since I have tried almost every brand of Retin-a I can give you my opinion on them.

When I tried the Johnson and Johnson brand creams I noticed that my skin would break out some and I later found out that their cream has pore clogging ingredients in it.

I then tried the U.S. name brand Retin-a Micro (the .04%) and with that all I noticed was continuous peeling and always having red irritated patches. The Retin-a Micro really irritated and tore my skin up.

Then I eventually ordered from ADC and I ordered the cream that they sale and the gel. The cream is actually Johnson and Johnson brand from India so I gave that to a friend who wanted to try it because I knew that it would clog my pores due to the pore clogging ingredients. Then I tried the ADC gel and since that I have never tried anything else. I now use the ADC gel .025% every day and I do not get any irritation but I do get a little peeling every few days that is manageable with exfoliation, and since ADC's gel has olive oil esters in it...that actually helps to keep the skin from drying out. (I also ordered some of their .05% gel but as of now I am seeing good results with the .025%)

I just hope that ADC never quits selling their gel form because if they do I don't know what I would use then. The last time I ordered I got 20 tubes which are stored in my refrigerator. So it should last me a while.

free skin care · Sun Jun 06, 2010 5:38 am

For those interested in buying Renova which is what I use, Medsmex will be back online soon.

It's the only site you can buy Renova from without a prescription at a great price.

Below is the most current email I received from my friend Debbie who worked there for a long time.

Hi Keli,

I appreciate your email and apologize for the delays in response. I think that you know that the customer service office in Oregon has closed, my affiliation with the company is over due to issues with the Oregon Board of Pharmacy taking issue with my providing "customer service" to a corporation based in Mexico City. However, I have been actively involved with the corporation for 12 years so I will always remain loyal to this company and to it's awesome customers!

What I do know is that Medicine Mexico (the corporation in Mexico City) is undergoing some much needed restructuring of their operations & the corporation itself. They have been a supplier for 12 years online and I believe that they are going to be purchasing a pharmacy to cater to the tourism in one of the beautiful coastal towns and the "new" structure of the corporation is going to prove to be much larger, and much more organized.

I can't tell you how difficult it has been due to all the other websites and businesses turning up online, attempting to replicate Medsmex and the confusion people have by thinking they are Medsmex or in some way affiliated with Medsmex.So in short, yes, their site (or I should say their "new" site) will be available shortly and I am confident that this new business structure is going to take away issues with merchant accounts, payment options, shipping options, etc. Unfortunately when there are so many sites out there copying Medsmex.com it creates alot of issues for Medsmex when these other companies get shut down, have legal issues, cheat people, etc. Kinda leaves the corporation in a position of having to "prove" that they are not affiliated with each other.

An email will be sent out with an announcement to all customers of Medsmex.com soon.

Take care & as always Thank You.

Debbie

I personally buy alot of things from ADC but prefer getting my Renova from Medsmex. The Renova they sell is brand name and a 30 gram tube is under $20.00. They also have a new generic 30 gram tube of Renova they are now selling. The generic Renova is under $10.00. Medsmex also sells both the .025% and the .05% strength Renova. In the US you can only buy the .02% strength.

Medsmex's web site should be back up and running within the next month for those of you like me prefer to use Renova.

Tue Jun 08, 2010 6:39 am

I recently put an order into Medsmex, have been using this company for some years, and although, very slow at times, I have never had a problem until now. It has been almost a month, and no delivery. I have tried to access the web site, to no avail. I have sent 4 emails, no response, the phone #no longer shows on the invoice, and no fax either. Not a very good way to do business, my advice use someone else

free skin care · Fri Jun 11, 2010 3:02 am

If a person wants to use Renova, and get it without a prescription, there is no other place to get it except Medsmex. If you get a written prescription from your derm you can go almost anywhere to get Renova.

If you use Retin-A, well, then you have many places to buy it without a prescription, ADC, Inhousepharmacy,4cornerspharmacy, etc.

The customers who are signed up for email notifications from Medsmex were pre warned that the company was shutting down for restrucuring. That is why I haven't placed an order recently. I knew I wouldn't get it and should wait to order when they re-open.

free skin care · Tue Nov 30, 2010 1:54 pm

Ladies,

Which of the three: Renova, Retin Micro gel or Retin cream is best suited for sensitive skin?

Thanks!

free skin care · Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:58 pm

Unfortunately the old Medsmex that many of us have ordered from in the past is no longer running the site. Apparently the new site has been taking customers money and has not been shipping the products. Greg

free skin care · Wed Dec 01, 2010 6:33 pm

RussianSunshine wrote:

Ladies,

Which of the three: Renova, Retin Micro gel or Retin cream is best suited for sensitive skin?

Thanks!

Retin Micro is micro-encapsulated for a timed release. This is suppose to mitigate the typical symptoms of dry flakey skin. It's definitely the way to go for sensitive skin. And even though it says it's a gel, it comes out somewhat creamy. (A clearer cream at that)

free skin care · Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:40 am

I haven't ordered from Medsmex since February. I was in for a nice shock when I went to place my order. The shipping is $39.95. It used to be $10.00. I know I am going to just have to pay it. I have been using the Renova 0.25% for over a year now and I really don't want to stop using it.

free skin care · Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:05 am

I just did some searches on this site and am afraid to order from Medsmex now. I used to get really great service from them. I wonder where I am going to get my renova cream from now. I think that was the only place you could get it. I have one tube left that expired in September 2010. Can I still use that one or will it have started to lose it's effectiveness?

free skin care · Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:34 am

packratmack wrote:

I just did some searches on this site and am afraid to order from Medsmex now. I used to get really great service from them. I wonder where I am going to get my renova cream from now. I think that was the only place you could get it. I have one tube left that expired in September 2010. Can I still use that one or will it have started to lose it's effectiveness?

Have you checked All Day Chemists, Inhousepharmacy,4cornerspharmacy, unitedpharmaciesonline? Many have purchased their Retin A from one of these. Smile

free skin care · Sat Dec 18, 2010 12:22 pm

packratmack wrote:

I just did some searches on this site and am afraid to order from Medsmex now. I used to get really great service from them. I wonder where I am going to get my renova cream from now. I think that was the only place you could get it. I have one tube left that expired in September 2010. Can I still use that one or will it have started to lose it's effectiveness?

If it is an unopened tube then you should be fine otherwise it probably isn't effective anymore, but you should be able to tell when you use it. Greg

Mon Dec 19, 2016 1:34 am

My friend asked me what is the difference between Renova and Retin-A. I've tried to find some info on the forum. So, I know the thread is old but I didn't think it was necessary to create a new thread about it. Well, Both Renin-A and Renova have the same active ingredient, tretinoin. Renova has some moisturizers in it and tends to have a more elegant feel. Renova also tends to be more expensive. Renova is a 0.02% tretinoin formulation while Retin-A comes in 0.025, 0.05, and 0.1%. Retin-A is so much cheaper here http://www.datemio.net/choose_nonc.php?q=Retin-a (the website I buy it from) than renova. Im not bothered what brand the tretinoin is if I'm honest. Hope this helps!

free skin care · Thu Feb 16, 2017 1:20 pm

I just ordered PSF time release retin A. I am scared of using it from some of the threads on here saying that retin A has ruined their skin and caused large open pores and orange peel skin. The skin care line I am using now has retin in it and I am fine with it.

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