All tretinoin made by major pharmaceutical companies should have a potency expiration date stamped on the box or tube. Be sure the expiration date is at least six months away since one large tube may last you this long. Keep the tube capped, since exposure to air and light can inactivate tretinoin. Also store the tube at temperatures under 80F, or it will degrade faster.

Unless you have tretinoin prescribed for acne, insurance companies usually won't pay for a doctor's visit or a prescription. You can obviously pay for a skincare consultation with your regular doctor or a dermatologist, but you can save money by simply having your doctor give you a prescription at your next insurance-covered visit. If you have the money, you can also ask for a prescription for a 30 gram tube of 0.05% or 0.1% tazarotene (Tazorac) gel or cream, and compare it to tretinoin on different sides of your face.

The tazarotene cream is an emollient-type, containing mineral oil, so people with oily skin may find it too greasy. (Use tazarotene very lightly initially since it may cause irritation.) Some doctors may not be familiar with tazarotene yet, so you may want to take copies of the medical paper abstracts listed above. If you go to a dermatologist, be sure to also ask for tretinoin and tazarotene samples; they often have small tubes to give away to patients.

Since tretinoin is now considered a routine skincare product, your regular doctor may also be willing to call in a prescription to your pharmacy without an exam. Some clinics can also schedule a lower-cost consultation with a nurse practitioner or physician-assistant who can give you a prescription for tretinoin.

Always be sure to ask that the prescription specify the maximum number of refills, so you can simply go back to the pharmacy when you need a new tube. When you run out of refills, often you can get the doctor's office to call the pharmacy to authorize more without having to pay for another visit.

Safety of Retin

Animal skin tests suggest that topical tretinoin application is safe, and it has been widely used by acne patients for many years without significant reported problems. However, there are only a few small-sample, multi-year human safety tests, so the risks of using it daily for many years are unknown.

For this reason, it is a good idea to decrease application frequency after 12 to 24 months (depending on the concentration you are using) to two or three times per week - which is all that is needed anyway for maintenance.

Because of its effect on pigment cells, tretinoin will also lighten your skin slightly. With some people, it will significantly lighten freckles after about a year. You should not use tretinoin if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. (An excess of vitamin A and related compounds in the body may cause birth defects.)

Don't apply any other medications or moisturizers to your skin over tretinoin. As previously mentioned, tretinoin should be applied only at night because light decreases its potency. When using tretinoin, you must use a sunblock during the day when outside, because it may cause sun sensitivity, at least during the first few months. Similar cautions also apply to the other retinoids such as tazarotene.