Tretinoin

[Enigma54]

For those of you who use tretinoin, where do you purchase it from please?

I have melasma which I want to try and tackle ( not easy!) but don’t want to commit to a monthly subscription ( yet)

I’ve seen that it can be bought from various online pharmacies, so just wondered which one might be best?

Am also aware that Tret works in partnership with hydroquinone for melasma. Maybe I would be better off with an online dermatologist?

Thanks.

Tret has made an enormous difference to my skin. I had melasma and it has gone, my skin is more even and my complexion is brighter. I didn't use it in combination with anything else for the melasma. I am frequently in Spain and buy it OTC in pharmacies when I am there. A €14 tube lasts me around 3 months. It's marvelous stuff!

Dermatica.

What do you ask for in Spain? Do you need to speak Spanish?

Dermatica

It’s called Retirides in Spain but is becoming increasingly difficult to buy without prescription. I did manage at Malaga airport two years ago but my Spanish friend tried to get some for me last year and was grilled by the pharmacist. My friend tried several pharmacies and managed to get one tube in the end but said it was very difficult. You can buy OTC in Thailand and Vietnam if you know anyone going there on holiday!

https://www.skinandme.com/?promocode=KATHC5VKH

This is my referral link so you can try a months free skin and me. I really like it because it's gentle and it builds up I have tried the stuff from Spain but it took my skin off so I've gone back to the prescription stuff from here.

I'm 56 and my skin has never been in better condition. Well perhaps it was in my Twenties to be honest but I'm really really happy with it for my age.

I didn’t want a subscription either so I buy from

https://www.timetotret.com/

also OP I have melasma too just incase you have t seen it the eucerin anti pigment range has worked really well on mine.

I've never had any issues. I came home with 4 tubes last month.

You don't need to speak Spanish, you can just ask for Retirides. You could screenshot an image from Google and show the pharmacist if you are nervous. Do read up on it though, don't use every night, wear decent SPF every day etc.

Thanks everyone, much appreciated.

I will have a good look at all the different options and online dermatology companies. It would be so good to tackle the melasma head on (it’s so stubborn!) I am a little wary of using these creams but got to start somewhere.

@Hereforthedramaz how bad was your melasma? Mine is forehead, upper lip, cheeks and nose. My face looks “ dirty” without a cover up. It’s getting me down. I do have the SPF50 eucerin and eucerin SPF30 day lotion. Fingers crossed!

I've used Skin&me and would recommend. Tret has completely rejuvenated my skin - melasma patches around my eyes are gone, all my teenage acne scarring too. My pores are smaller (not completely gone but much reduced)

However, after 18 months I am stopping with tret as the increasing dose is flaking my skin too much and I think I've reached peak with it. I'm now using some amazing K-beauty products which are improving my skin barrier and dryness that unfortunately is a side effect of the tret. Amazing stuff though.

@itsnothingoriginal Thanks for sharing. It seems that skin maintenance is a long term process. I’ve heard great reviews about tretinoin, but maybe it does have a time limit where the skin needs a break? Was it the tret alone which tackled your melasma, or did you use it in conjunction with another product?

The K beauty products sound good and I’m glad they are helping ( I will have a good at them too!)

Boots online. You go through a referral process which is approved by a GP but it cost me about £60 which is half the cost of my dermatologist

I use Renew and Me. I had really quite severe melasma, chemicals peels hadn’t shifted it and required more downtime than I like. I bought the Renew subscription on a promo (£5 for the first month I think?) then £25 a month after that. It’s been really, really good. Gentle enough to use every night, but effective enough to actually work. I’ve had no dryness, no irritation, no flaking, just a gradual erasing of my melasma. I’ve been using it since October and, despite a couple of hot weather holidays, my face is pretty much pigment free. I wear Medik8 SPF 50 on my face every day and use Renew at night. It’s worked for me.

Wow, that’s excellent news re: the eradication of your melasma. Renew and Me, is that similar to Skin and Me? What combination of products did you use with Renew? Thanks.

Thanks. So is the tretinoin £60 per tube or is that the initial subscription fee?

Tret is the best thing you can use for your skin and you won’t regret starting your journey. I’ve had amazing results with it. I tried Skin &Me first and it didn’t work for me, I reacted to it so I now get mine from Dermatica and it will really help your melasma together with loads of other benefits. I have a monthly subscription but you can delay delivery and payment dates each month which is useful because when you first start using it you build up slowly and don’t use it every night, so chances are you won’t use it all in a month.
The key when using it is to make sure you stay well moisturised to protect your skin barrier and spf is a must.
If you do decide to go with Dermatica please don’t pay full price. Loads of people will have discount codes to get £10 off. You are welcome to use mine, just put it in at checkout and it will deduct it. My code is 5EW47R

I pay $0 because I managed to get it on my insurance (US).

When I lived in the UK, I used Skin & Me and it was around £25/month, I think.

I tried skin&me before and it killed my skin. I had THE worst acne breakout ever (both times I’ve tried it). It was absolutely awful

@Enigma54mines also mostly on my forehead and a little on my upper lip, nose and high cheeks.

originally it was bad and I had laser which worked really well. There is now a bit left but much not as bad at all.

Using the Eucerin serum twice and day, followed by either the tinted spf or night cream (I think they do say it works best if you use 4 daily applications) seems to have worked well. Although I’m conscious I started in August and it will naturally fade a bit over winter!

Ive only been using the tret 3 times a week and I wen for a low dose so I’m not sure if its enough to have made any difference!

do not just buy some random tretonin from any foreign random website! you will burn your skin off. I use subscription with skin in me, they are very good back up on my skin. Looks awesome. I have been a member for over a year

@Enigma54 it’s not a subscription with Boots so you just buy as you need it. There’s an online consultation form to complete and you upload photo ID and photos showing the areas you want to treat. It gets approved by a GP and then you get a text message when it’s ready to collect. I ordered on Tuesday and collected yesterday, so it’s super quick

Thankyou, that is kind of you.
I do have plenty of moisturiser to hand, so will definitely be well prepared. I like the idea of staying in control of my subscription by being able to pause deliveries as and when. I will definitely have a good look at dermatica this weekend. Thanks again for the code.

Oh no, that’s not good. I guess these creams aren’t for everyone. Some more sensitive than others?