Tretinoin is prescription retinoic acid, the active form of vitamin A that your skin actually uses. It’s one of the most studied ingredients for building collagen. That’s why it shows up in prescriptions for fine lines, texture, crepey skin, and even hair growth serums.
Tretinoin vs retinol: what’s the difference?
Retinol is the over-the-counter version. Your skin has to convert retinol into retinoic acid using its own enzymes. If you don’t have enough of those enzymes, you won’t see collagen-building results, no matter how much retinol you use.
Tretinoin skips that step. It’s already retinoic acid, which is why it needs a prescription and why it works where drugstore creams stall.
What does tretinoin do?
- Fine lines and texture: it helps build collagen, smoothing lines and evening out texture and dullness.
- Crepey skin: on thinner body skin, such as the arms, elbows, knees and thighs, it helps rebuild collagen.
- Eye area: at a low dose, it can be used on the delicate skin around the eyes.
- Hair: in a hair serum, tretinoin helps minoxidil absorb.
How UluRx uses tretinoin
- Tretinoin Collagen Constructor: a tretinoin face cream with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, for fine lines, texture and dullness on the face, neck and décolleté.
- CrepeRx: a prescription tretinoin 0.11% body cream with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, for crepey skin on the arms, legs and chest.
- For Your Eyes Only: low-dose tretinoin plus vitamin K1 for the eye area, in three strengths: Gentle 0.01%, Moderate 0.02% and Pro 0.03%. Your provider chooses the right one.
- Ulu Ultimate Regrow: a prescription minoxidil and tretinoin hair serum for early thinning.
How to use tretinoin
- Use it at night. UV light breaks tretinoin down, so evening use gets the most out of it.
- A little goes a long way. For CrepeRx, that’s two pumps per area.
- Let it work on its own. Don’t layer it with estriol cream at the same time. Retinoic acid should “play by itself.”
- Space out vitamin C and copper peptides. You can use vitamin C whenever you like, but leave about 2 hours between vitamin C and copper peptides.
- Follow with a moisturizer if your skin feels dry.
Do you need a prescription for tretinoin?
Yes. At UluRx, the prescription is included. After checkout, you answer a short questionnaire. A licensed medical provider reviews it, typically within 1–3 business days, and writes your prescription. Our pharmacists compound your cream and ship it to you, with no office visit and no subscription required.
Frequently asked questions
Is tretinoin the same as Retin-A?
Retin-A is a brand name for tretinoin. Both are prescription retinoic acid.
Can I use tretinoin on my body?
Yes. CrepeRx is a tretinoin body cream made for crepey arms, legs and chest.
Can I use tretinoin around my eyes?
Use a product made for the eye area. For Your Eyes Only combines low-dose tretinoin with vitamin K1 for that delicate skin.
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