Topical Retinoids for Acne

A balanced diet is important for getting a sufficient dose of the nutrients needed to keep healthy.  It is difficult to stick to a particular diet all the time, however, so when foods don’t give us the nutrients we need, we fall on supplements and multivitamins.  Vitamin A, for example is important, for ocular health.  When synthesized, however, retinoids can be created to maintain healthy skin, especially when it comes to eradicating and preventing acne.  Using retinoids for acne treatment has proven very effective, and many dermatologists prescribe the medication in its topical form quite often, even as an initial response.

There are different kinds of retinoids in the market, which include tretinoin, isotretinoin, adepalene, and tezarotine.  Tretinoin is the most popular as it is the least expensive.  Newer retinoid derivatives, however, are synthesized with better topical agents, making them less irritating to the skin.  Retinoids are available in different topical forms that can be applied directly on the skin.  With all these different preparations, it may be difficult to prescribe the right one for you.  Working closely with your dermatologist however, will help in the search.

Retinoids work by reducing sebum production and the size of sebaceous glands.  This is very important as the bacteria that forms acne accumulates in the sebum that clogs the pores of your skin.  Retinoids also work by preventing the formation of comedones, thereby unblocking your pores.  This is done by promoting the quicker shedding or exfoliation of old skin.  Without that excess keratin just sitting on your face, nothing is left to block the pores and cause blackheads and whiteheads.  Inflammation is also reduced or prevented since without blockage, acne cannot form under the skin.  When combined with topical antibiotics, further acne outbreaks can be completely prevented as well.  This should however, be observed by your doctor.

Using topical retinoids can be a little tricky, and advice from your derma should be heeded completely.  First of all, one should start with a smaller concentration.  Normally this is at 0.025%.  Also, one should try applying the product every other day.  One can move on to daily use of the 0.1% concentration when one’s skin is accustomed to the treatment.  A pea sized amount is usually enough to cover affected areas on your face, and this should be applied once a day after a good cleansing and drying.  Normally, this treatment is best practiced at night as sunlight causes some products to lose their efficacy.

One should not discontinue the treatment if some dryness and stinging is experienced right away.  All side effects, including possible redness and scaling, is attributed to the exfoliation of the skin.  Besides, these mildly unpleasant occurrences will diminish as one’s skin develops a higher tolerance to the topical retinoids you are using.  The use of a non-comedogenic moisturizer after application will help with the side-effects.  Staying out of sunlight and making the proper anti-sun preparations will also help.  In the end, it will take around 7 weeks before positive effects are highly noticeable.  It will, however, take close to 4 months before one’s skin is completely free of acne.  Maintenance may also be needed for people prone to a recurrence of the affliction.

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