Suggestions for best Type/Brand of Retin A for Anti-Aging?
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free skin care · Thu Jan 31, 2008 11:07 am

Renova is a brand that is recommended for anti-aging benefits without being so drying. However, it might be too heavy for you since you have a history of acne. You can also get regular Retin-A in a cream base instead of a gel. The Renova might be a heavier formulation but my Obagi Retin-A is fairly creamy. It was expensive though so my next tube is Johnson and Johnson's Retin-A cream that I ordered from inhousepharmacy; I haven't opened it yet to see how heavy it is.

free skin care · Thu Jan 31, 2008 1:11 pm

I use Retin A very infrequently but when I do use it I prefer Renova as it is less irritating and much less drying.

free skin care · Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:56 pm

You know, I've been looking into this too (we're Retin-A twins in two threads now! Laughing

) because I don't love all the ingredients in my Retin-A base, either. (I'm using the .04% micro-gel, which contains dimethicone, an ingredient that usually clogs my pores and causes acne flare-ups.)

Renova contains mineral oil, which is a MAJOR no-no for me, so that's out. And I totally agree that the gel is too drying -- I've only used it once, but as I recall, it contained an awful lot of alcohol, and it had a weird texture that balled up easily if you layered anything else on later.

I finally found links that show all the ingredients for all the different Retin-A formulations, side-by-side (except Renova, but I already know I don't want to use that):

http://www.retinamicro.com/RetinA.pdf -- for Retin-A gel, cream and liquid formulations
http://www.retinamicro.com/RetinAMicro.pdf -- for Retin-A micro formulation

I know this is kind of nit-picky, but it just seems insane to me to include ingredients that are clearly comedones. I may call my derm and try to switch to the cream version, but then I'll have to worry about the wait-after-washing issue you brought up in your other Retin-A thread. So I'm not sure what to do! Laughing

Let me know what you come up with -- I can tell you from experience with the gel, cream and micro-gel that the cream has always been my favorite formulation, though it did definitely irritate my skin more than the micro-gel does. But now I know that that may have been because I wasn't waiting long enough after washing to apply it!

free skin care · Thu Feb 21, 2008 10:24 pm

After struggling with Retin A,all forms, I switched to Tazorac at my derm's recommendation. Here's more info:
Chemically known as tazarotene, it is a synthetically derived retinoid with properties similar to those of tretinoin (active ingredient in Retin-A and Renova). Tazorac is a brand-name prescription drug, owned by Allergan, that is available in gel and cream textures and is prescribed for managing acne. Tazarotene is also sold under the brand name Avage (also from Allergan), and this version is marketed for treating wrinkles and sun-induced skin discolorations. Tazarotene works similarly to tretinoin by modulating cell differentiation and proliferation. It also has anti-inflammatory and immune-modifying properties, which is why it is used (often successfully) as a topical prescription for managing psoriasis Hope that helps!

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