Retinol and Tretinoin are key ingredients used to treat acne, sun damage, fine lines, and scars on the skin. Retinols are vitamin A derivatives used in the treatment of anti-ageing and acne scars.
Tretinoin, also known as retinoic acid, is used to treat fine wrinkles, sun damage, and acne scars. They differ in their effectiveness, usage, and concentrations.
Key Takeaways
- Retinol is a milder, over-the-counter form of vitamin A, while tretinoin is a prescription-strength retinoid.
- Tretinoin provides faster, more powerful results for skin issues like acne and wrinkles, while retinol offers slower, gentler improvements.
- Retinol is suitable for sensitive skin types, while tretinoin may cause irritation and should be used under a dermatologist’s supervision.
Retinol vs Tretinoin
Retinol is a form of vitamin A that is found in many over-the-counter skincare products. Tretinoin, also known as all-trans retinoic acid, is a more potent form of vitamin A and is available by prescription only. It is commonly used to treat acne, as well as to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Retinol is a kind of retinoid made from vitamin A. Retinol can penetrate deep from the epidermis to the dermis, forming the innermost layer of the skin.
It helps produce elastin and collagen, preventing the formation of fine lines, wrinkles, and large pores. They are also used to treat freckles, sun damage, uneven skin tone, loss of collagen, and photoaging.
Tretinoin is a synthetic version of vitamin A that is much stronger than Retinol. It can be purchased only through a prescription from a certified Dermatologist.
It is known as Retin-A, which forms to be its brand name. It is potent as it contains retinoic acid. It is a key component in treating anti-ageing. It is not much suitable for sensitive skin.
Comparison Table
| Parameters Of Comparison | Retinol | Tretinoin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Retinol is derived from vitamin A, an over-the-counter medication for treating anti-ageing, acne, and various other skin damage. | Tretinoin is a synthetic version of vitamin A used to treat sun damage, acne, scars, and anti-ageing, and they are the stronger version of Retinol. |
| Treatment | Retinol is used in the treatment of acne, fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, freckles, photoaging, uneven sun damage, hyperpigmentation, and loss of collagen. | Tretinoin is used in treating sun damage, improves the skin texture and appearance of fine wrinkles, decreases dark spots, exfoliates the skin, and reduces inflammation of the skin. |
| Precautions | While using Retinol, we should be very cautious about exposure to the sun as it may cause sun damage. It is advised to wear sunscreen before getting exposed to the sun while using Retinol. | Tretinoin usage focuses on minimising exposure to sunlight and sunlamps, wind and extreme cold, harsh skincare products, and products that tend to dry the skin. |
| Pregnant women | Retinol is not recommended for pregnant women as it can cause birth defects and miscarriage. | In the case of Tretinoin, it is highly recommended to consult the doctor as there are no clear studies to either recommend or not recommend the usage of Tretinoin. |
| Side Effects | Retinol may cause dryness and irritation that depends and varies according to the various skin types. They may also experience redness and itchiness. These side effects and temporary, and the skin gets adapted to it as per the usage. | Tretinoin users have to contact the doctor if they experience blistering, crusting, swelling, excessive redness, persistent irritation, and skin pigmentation. |
What is Retinol?
Retinols are Vitamin A derivatives that are over-the-counter products. They are the best version of the skincare ingredients used. They are specifically used in treating anti-ageing and acne, which are their primary concerns.
There are various other OTC versions of Retinols, such as Retinaldehyde, Retinoids, and Retinyl Palmitate. Retinol is the strongest OTC version when compared to the other versions.
Retinols penetrate deep inside the skin and from the epidermis to the dermis, reducing the acne-causing agents. When it penetrates inside the skin in the middle layer, it helps in boosting elastin and collagen in the skin.
Thus creating plumpiness that reduces wrinkles and fine lines and helps in the anti-ageing process.
Retinol helps treat acne, fine lines, wrinkles, sun spots, freckles, and photoaging, and it cures uneven skin texture, hyperpigmentation, and large pores caused by acne, oily skin, and collagen loss.
Retinol, besides treating numerous skin issues, can also have side effects as well. Retinol may cause temporary redness, itchiness, peeling skin, dryness, and irritation that can be reduced with proper usage.
Retinol is advised to be applied at least 30 minutes after face wash to reduce skin irritation. They are most preferable during the night as they can reduce exposure to the sun and thus lead to protection against sun damage and sunburns.
Pregnant Women are advised to be very cautious about using Retinols, which also have side effects for them.
What is Tretinoin?
Tretinoin is a derivative of Vitamin A. They mainly treat acne, sun damage, and fine lines. They are available in a lot of brand names, such as Renova, Retin-A, Refissa, Rejuva, Tretin-X, and Atralin.
They are also used along with various products such as Solage, Tri-Luma, Veltin, and Ziana to make their active ingredients.
Tretinoin is a synthetic version of Vitamin-A that is stronger than Retinol. They are not over-the-counter products, as they are only provided when there is a prescription from a certified Dermatologist.
They are not much suitable for sensitive skin. Usage of tretinoin is very cautious towards exposure towards the sun as it may cause sun damage when exposed to an extent immediately after its application over the skin.
Tretinoin helps reduce inflammation associated with acne, preventing follicular plugging, and deeply exfoliates the skin.
It also reduces wrinkles and fine lines, improves sun-damaged skin, improves the skin texture and tone, it also reduces the dark spots and pigmentation of the skin as well.
Tretinoin is not recommended for pregnant women as no studies suggest the same. They are advised to consult the doctor for its proper dosage if required.
They are also advised to wear sunscreen after the application of tretinoin to avoid sun damage to the skin. It also has side effects such as crusting, blistering, swelling, redness, and temporary skin pigmentation.
Main Differences Between Retinol And Tretinoin
- Retinol is a derivation of Vitamin-A that is in natural form, whereas Tretinoin is a synthetic version of Vitamin-A.
- Retinol is milder and less irritable for sensitive skin, whereas Tretinoin is much stronger and is not advisable for sensitive skin.
- Retinol is an over-the-counter product and can be bought without any prescription, whereas Tretinoin is not an over-the-counter product and has to be bought only when there is a prescription from a certified Dermatologist.
- Retinol is advised to have a proper consultation with a doctor before using it for pregnant women, whereas the case of Tretinoin has no studies suggest its usage as good or bad for pregnant women, so it is not recommended for them.
- Retinol causes temporary redness, itchiness, irritation, and dryness, whereas Tretinoin can cause blistering, crusting, skin pigmentation, irritation, and redness.
- https://academic.oup.com/jn/article-abstract/132/9/2895S/4687694
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962286702429
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
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