Botox, Sculptra and Tretinoin in the UK ... on a goal to look younger this year, what is everyone's experience with these treatments?

[AnnaBelIa]

I’m on a bit of a goal to look younger this year (or at least look less tired 😂) and I’ve been researching and started Botox, Sculptra and tretinoin

I’d love to hear from anyone else who has actually tried any of these...

Botox- How did you find the results? Did it make a noticeable difference to forehead lines, frown lines or crow’s feet? How long did your Botox results last, and did you feel it looked natural?

Sculptra- I’m particularly curious about this one because it seems quite different from traditional filler. Has anyone had Sculptra in the UK for collagen stimulation, skin firmness or facial ageing? How many treatments did you have and when did you start seeing results?

Tretinoin - Has anyone been prescribed tretinoin in the UK for anti-ageing, fine lines, pigmentation or skin texture? I’m wondering whether it’s genuinely worth the irritation and how long it took before you noticed a difference.

If you’ve tried one, two or all three, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience... especially results, side effects, cost, downtime and whether you’d do it again.

Or any other treatments anyone has tried that they would recommend?

Basically, what actually worked for you.

I use Dermatica for tretinoin as it's slightly cheaper than Skin + Me if you sign up for a year (think it worked out to around £18 p/m) but the tubes always last me 6 weeks so I can stretch the year subscription to 18 months, as they let you delay the deliveries, so works out even cheaper. I am happy to share my ref for a £2.90 trial (cancel anytime) - https://www.dermatica.co.uk/referrer/R1R2J6 (or use code R1R2J6 at checkout).

Before that, I was importing tret from a pharmacy in Spain for 18 euro, it was called Retirides, and this could be imported legally for personal use up until Brexit, when I believe the rules around importing topicals into the UK changed. I stopped ordering it in at that point, and started getting it through these UK prescription services. First I tried Skin + Me trial and then Dermatica and decided to stick with Dermatica as the tubes lasted longer.

Interestingly, I never got a single side effect with the stuff I imported before, such as Retirides, Tretiheal etc. ... so I did question their potency and authenticity compared to the prescription stuff I now get, which has made more of a dramatic difference, IMO. Tretiheal in particular, did not even make my skin red on the highest potency and smelled like baby powder ... I did Google it and saw other forum posts with people asking similar questions. I am glad I am now certain I am on the real stuff.

I have Botox for my 11’s twice a year, no frozen face or tight forehead. Makes me look fresher, I have a Klira prescription for my tret and rosacea have been using it for almost a year and my skin has never looked better. Also looking at Sculptra but because I work away a lot I’m not around for the time needed for each appointment so can’t have that done yet.

You can still order Retirides from Spain. I did it many times post-brexit before moving from the UK. Pharmacies in Spain aren't allowed to advertise it any more, so they say on their websites to email them if you want to order it. If you buy from a genuine pharmacy, it is of course the 'real stuff' as it's also prescribed for acne etc.

May I ask how much you pay for it now including shipping & customs? Part of the reason I switched was also because the cost difference/saving wasn't so big anymore since Brexit. I am considering going for a general health MOT in Turkey with my brother and heard you can also stock up cheaply on tret for cheap at their pharmacies, so I might also try this. Thanks for the info!