My #1 Anti-Aging Product: TRETINOIN (Retin-A/Renova) | Beat Fine Lines & Dark Spots!
I’ve been using restriction tretinoin
since I was 27 years old
I’m 52 now so that is 25 years of use
here I am 100% makeup free so you can
check out my skin and see what it looks
like if you’d like to learn all about
tretinoin along with how I use it where
I get it and more we’re getting into it
right now today I’m going to give you my
top anti-aging skincare tip but before
we get into that in case you’re new hi
I’m Nicole welcome to my channel here
I’ll be giving you my top anti-aging
skincare tips makeup reviews and some
other cool things that I come across in
life I’d love if you hit that subscribe
button and gave this video a like by the
way I’m not a medical professional of
any sort and what I’m telling you is my
personal experience 25 years ago I was
the dermatologist for a mold check I
have the moles on my body checked about
every couple years just to make sure
nothing is getting weird or cancerous or
something like that so I’m there in San
Jose at the dermatologists office and
there the end of my point the
dermatologist suddenly whips out his
passport and goes look at my picture and
I’m like okay weird but sure I’m like
yeah great picture you know what’s he
doing and then he goes don’t look the
same and so I look like yeah you you do
look the same and he says that was taken
10 years ago and I said wow you know
well what have you been doing and he
treated the great state of his skin to
two different products and one of them
is CNE freulich see serums are awesome
but that’ll be a whole another video I
don’t think there’s heavy on the hitter
as tretinoin which is the other thing
that he told me about back then it was
retin-a or were novi work from the name
brands and now it’s just you know
generic tretinoin is the same thing and
he said he’d been using it and his skin
stayed the same so I was like okay what
does this wondrous stuff I must have
some and I bought it right then on the
spot he sold it at his office and that’s
how my tretinoin journey began I’ve used
it pretty much non-stop ever since
unless I was pregnant nursing or you do
need to stop it the week before you have
an eyebrow wax because if you have and
I’ve
you haven’t stopped because the way it
works you can kind of pull off a liver
skin with it and it is not comfortable
most people who do waxing will ask you
if you’re on any sort of tretinoin
before they do because they’re pretty
much just say come back another time if
you have used it you know within a week
of your waxing appointment if you have
your brows or your upper lip or whatever
threaded you are totally good to not get
off your tretinoin because that’s a
totally different process it’s just the
waxing that pulls that layer of skin off
oh and if you do accidentally have the
waxing done and you haven’t fit off your
tretinoin long enough it does go away it
just looks kind of funky for a while
your skin looks really weirdly shiny and
then it kind of feels a little bit and
it eventually comes back well I’ve had
it happen to me a couple times over the
years where I have just completely
spaced or it hadn’t actually been an
entire week and I miscalculated so you
know it ends up being okay but it’s just
kind of painful for a minute they’re
very stinging and then looks weird for
about three or four days a couple of
little things you should probably know
you do need to wear sunscreen daily if
you’re on tretinoin because it will make
your skin more Sun sensitive and for
some people it’s worse than others so
just please make sure to use it don’t
forget to watch till the end of this
video so I can show you my passport
pictures from twenty and ten years ago
so I’ve been really happy with what my
skin looks like after 25 years of use
but was really interesting a few times
I’ve gotten my husband to use it he’s a
guy hands up not ever really sticking to
a routine longer than 2 to 6 months kind
of a thing I’ll never forget the first
time he used it one of his male friends
actually said to him after a month
something like you look really well
rested or more relaxed or something like
that it was just that his skin just I
guess just look plumper more vibrant
healthier and then the longer he stays
on it it’ll just see some fine lines
diminish and the tiny was on it for
about six months you know even some of
the darker spots he had started to fade
so I’ve seen it real like on him also
interesting one time I was talking to a
friend and her husband was around and
somehow you know start with skincare and
in the end I gave him kind of a list of
things that he could use I thought it’d
be a good idea for him Strykers and he
was already you know well into his
fifties but he really wasn’t happy with
how the skin looked and so he started
using kind of the routine I put together
for her and he using a really really
happy that so men this works for you too
my husband
and this other gentleman really had
great results and ladies
what the guys didn’t like know if they
don’t have with their skin they can do
things too it’s not just us in this
video along telling you all about
tretinoin we’ll look at some clinical
case studies and how long is supposed to
take until you see a results I’ll also
be telling you how I get my current
formulation of tretinoin through ‘ an
affordable online dermatology provider
where you can get a diagnosis from a
board-certified dermatologists within 24
hours it’s really cool you do it all
online just upload some pictures of
yourself and they even deliver your
prescription to you so you don’t ever
have to go to a doctor’s office and you
don’t have to ever go to a pharmacy it’s
fabulous I’ve really been loving their
service and I’m really happy that ‘ is
partnering with me on this video so
here’s the scoop on tretinoin it was
patented in 1957 and approved for
medical use in 1962 in case you don’t
know retinol which you might see in some
department store and drugstore creams
and formulas that is a less potent form
of tretinoin and that’s why I always go
for the prescription tretinoin it’s kind
of like why spend all that money on
something that doesn’t give you as much
bang for your buck because tretinoin is
a prescription drug you do need to get a
prescription for it from a doctor so I
found a New York Times article about
tretinoin and I wanted to read a little
bit of it because I thought it was
really interesting so in it dr. John J
Moore he’s the chairman of the
dermatology department at the Medical
School of the University of Michigan
says to my knowledge this is the only
drug for which there has been crystal
clear demonstration that it works on a
molecular level it goes on to say that
prescription retin-a first became
popular as an acne treatment but doctors
and patients soon noticed another
benefit one with enormous impact on
those who are looking for way to keep
skin vibrant and smooth it finishes up
by saying that retin-a users again
retin-a is just a brand name for
tretinoin just like Renova was or is
still around
brenton a users reported improvements in
skin texture including diminished
wrinkles and brown spots and early
studies soon confirmed its anti-aging
effects in 1988 dr. Varughese and his
colleagues at Michigan published the
first double-blind study of retin-a
effect on photo damaged skin and found
that all 30 patients who completed the
16 week study showed statistically
significant improvement a bit more on
tretinoin now this information is from
medicine net she says tretinoin is
derivative of vitamin a it’s used on the
skin topically in the treatment of mild
to moderate acne and on the skin that
has been damaged by excessive exposure
to the Sun they say that the way it
works that tretinoin irritates the skin
and causes the cells of the skin to grow
divide and die more rapidly increasing
the turnover of cells the number of
layers of cells in the skin is actually
reduced in patients with acne new cells
replace the cells of existing pimples
and the rapid turnover of cells prevents
new pimples from forming by similar
mechanism tretinoin can reduce some
wrinkles areas of darkened skin
hyperpigmentation and rough areas of
skin all which occur in sun damaged skin
now in case you’re wondering how long it
takes for two work permit hacen net in
patients with sun damaged skin
improvements in the skin are usually
seen within the first three to four
weeks of treatment brown spots made the
fade after six to eight weeks and
wrinkles decrease or disappear in three
to six months I’ve also read in many
places that tretinoin will increase the
production of collagen in your skin
tretinoin comes in a variety of
percentages I started at the point two
percent so two tenths of a percent and I
started out what you didn’t kind of
Monday Wednesday Friday and I got to I
was using it every other day and
eventually till I got to using every
single day of the week and then after
about six months I switched to the half
percent which I was on for years and
years and years probably at least a
decade before I started working the one
percent into my routine I never had any
of the redness or peeling that a lot of
people do get you know but apparently
from what I read about if you do get
that as you continue used I have to get
past that two or three week initial part
as you keep using it that does go away
your skin does get used to it
but you know for some people maybe it
doesn’t work but overall most people
seem to get through that kind of peeli
stage the way i use it i first cleanse
my face in the evening i always wash my
face before I go to bed I’ve never in my
life go into bed with makeup on my face
and even if you don’t wear makeup you
should still wash your face to get you
know the day’s dirts and oils and you
know things floating in the air
so I’m just grinding those into your
pillowcase all night long because that’s
not good for anybody’s skin so then what
I’ll do is I’ll apply you know in
essence my nightly serum that I’m using
at the time and then I’ll take pea-sized
bit of the tretinoin right now the way
I’m going to get through ‘ it comes in a
nice little pump container so that makes
them measuring about easy they’ll just
kind of rub it between my fingers like
this and then I will work it all over my
face I don’t get super close to my eyes
I got to you know about here cuz I
figured when I put my moisturizer on top
afterwards and my eye cream I kind of
work it up higher I don’t come up with
the full strength up there you just
careful not get in your eyes and then
after I put on my eye cream moisturizer
I like to finish things off so that
super dry skin with a good quality oil
I’ll just go ahead and rub that in and I
don’t give myself a little you know mini
spa facial before I go to bed every
night
let’s try annoyin that I’m using now is
actually better than what I was using
for all of those years because what I’m
using now is a reply eteri formulation
from apostrophe that’s a combination of
tretinoin and I sent amide now mine is
1% tretinoin and the 4% niacinamide and
they would adjust that tretinoin I mean
if you’re someone who’s never used
tretinoin you would obviously start at a
far lower percentage of the tretinoin
you know versus you know where I’m at
because I’m using it you know forever in
a day the formulation is fragrance free
it’s hypoallergenic as emollient based
so let me give you the rundown on
niacinamide now it is a water soluble
vitamin that works with the natural
substances in your skin to help visibly
minimize enlarged pores Titan lacks
pores improve uneven skin tone soften
the lines and wrinkles diminish dullness
strengthen a weakened surface and reduce
redness for me having niacinamide in
what I use has really made a difference
with reducing the redness that my chin
was getting just for some reason I was
getting older my chin just kind of went
from you little pink to red and redder
and redder so it’s so wonderful not to
have that be so bad anymore so you’re
probably wondering what does this cost
well your first apostrophe appointment
has a twenty dollar fee but they credit
that back to you if you purchase your
prescription and the prescription for
tretinoin for that mix that I was
talking about for three months supply is
$75 this is a really good price because
even at the Costco pharmacy now my
insurance doesn’t
right of course this is all cosmetic
right if you go and have it filling in
there which I find is the least
expensive place to get prescriptions
that aren’t covered by insurance it’s
like I’ve found a hundred dollars for
one two and don’t even get me started on
the retinol which again is a less potent
version of tretinoin that they’re
selling at the department stores and the
drugstores don’t even bother because
you’re getting a inferior product and I
just for fun of it before I filmed
googled you know top retinol creams and
they were pretty much between 80 and 110
dollars on this list that’ll or put out
and that isn’t even the highest end ones
I’ve seen I’ve seen them in the hundreds
of dollars so why would you spend money
maybe it smells nice looks nice whatever
has pretty packaging but I would prefer
to have what works
I used to stock up on tretinoin when I
would go to Mexico because it’s very
inexpensive there but to me it’s worth
it to be able to have this custom
formulation that has the niacinamide
and then also to have a relationship
with a dermatologist that every three
months I’ll be checking in with so you
know if anything changes let my skin
maybe they’ll have recommendations it’s
really cool too because the
dermatologist you know will you can ask
them questions you know which see serums
do you recommend or you know do you have
a favorite cleanser or you know that
they will give you recommendations it’s
really great and you can actually pick
your dermatologist to they have several
you can choose from I’ve loved mine
she’s been fantastic and it’s really
cool too because of anything new or an
exciting comes out I’ll find out about
it and speaking of new things ‘ is about
to come out with an Isaiah like acid
formulation it’s a 15-percent of sailing
acid formulation and I looked into that
too and I’m super excited to try this
one this one is a three month supply for
$90 which is actually really good deal
because prescription wise if you go get
it if you get the name brand I think
it’s like almost $400 for three months
and if you get you know other levels of
it it still is far more than $90 for
three month supply what they say about
it is that like acid is that it approves
moderate to severe in rosacea you know a
little redness I was talking about I
reduced its inflammatory and non
inflammatory acne lesions it lightens
and a skin brightening and it reduces
hyperpigmentation and this is super it’s
pregnancy safe and very easily tolerated
if you’d like to save $20 on your first
apostrophe s use my affiliate code
Nicole some of you might have seen my
video back urology another online
dermatologist I had a good experience
there and I thought be interesting to
kind of talk about the difference
between ecology and apostrophe and sure
ology my provider was a nurse
practitioner nothing in stares
practitioners they are awesome I’ve gone
to some amazing ones one case I went to
a doctor I liked a nurse practitioner a
lot more than him she actually figured
out something pretty major for me but
anyway but at apostrophe you will always
be talking to a board-certified
dermatologist
no difference is that in addition to
prescribing topical acne and rosacea
treatments they can also prescribe oral
medications and ecology only this
topical and then the difference is that
with geology you can opt to purchase
their moisturiser and cleanser that they
sell I tried and it was fine an
apostrophe does not offer that also
apostrophe dresses male pattern baldness
they can prescribe for Nestor I’d which
is something that I guess works really
well with that and they also will
prescribe Latisse for longer and thicker
eyelashes and cure ology doesn’t address
the lashes or the male pattern baldness
in case you haven’t gone to an online
dermatologist before it’s super easy you
basically go on felt some information
just like you would have the doctor
they’re gonna ask some medical history
what prescriptions are on that type of a
thing and then depending you know what
you’re seeing them for ifit’s Latisse i
have a little video about getting
Latisse there ‘ to you basically without
makeup on of course I take a picture
look at your eyes shut your eyes open so
they can look unite your eyes and your
lashes and determine if your candidate
from Matisse or not for the tretinoin
formulation and really I guess any of
the skincare you take one you left
straight on right side and then also
take additional pictures where you can
zoom in like let’s say you have really
bad breakouts here or you’ve got super
red crow’s feet there or dark spots here
you know so you can add more pictures to
so you can really show them what is
going on with your face and then you
submit that in with your $20 fee and
then they come back to you within 24
hours and they will have given you you
know okay great you are a candidate
for XYZ and you know maybe let you know
kind of what your routine should be and
then you’re on your merry way and you
would pay for your prescription and then
you get it a few days later it ships so
fast so it comes in a box like this and
here I’ll show you this is my heart
refill that I just got they’re actually
box and there it is they’re very cute
packaging and there’s the precious
potion you can see right here what my
formulation is there’s also a little
folder inside there’s a little postcard
and information about the formula and on
here it’s just telling me not to use it
if I’m pregnant or at high risk of
pregnancy to use sunscreen you know all
the stuff would kind of ready talked
about you know don’t put it in your eyes
ears nostrils or mouth avoid direct sun
exposure tanning beds and Sun lamps and
then about the side effects that you
have a little bit of peeling and stuff
in the beginning and to reduce usage if
your skin will helps to irritate it and
tells you how to apply it how to store
it you know basically just put the lid
on it and you know stored at room
temperature of course away from
excessive heat and moisture just like
you would with any medication let me go
ahead and pump some out that’s what it
looks like seriously just a little cream
like this and we’ll have any extra left
on my hands I always do put it on to my
neck or on the backs of my hands it’s
like they’re you know can’t hurt to try
to keep those areas are always out in
the Sun also looking younger when you’re
getting close to ending a refill you’ll
get a little reminder email so you can
go back on there you upload new pictures
so they can make sure everything’s cool
with your skin and then you would get
your refill okay let’s look at my
passport photos all right this first one
is showing it was taken in September of
2000
oh my gosh this next one was taken in
early 2011 so about nine years ago and
this photo luckily I did find the other
piece of the passport picture you know
those giving you too but you don’t need
the two all the time but anyway because
this one has like little lines and stuff
all over the passport so that was me
nine years ago I think tretinoin really
slowed down the aging process of my skin
I am forever grateful to that
dermatologist who got me started on it I
don’t remember his name I feel so sorry
give a shout out say thank you
I have to turn to Google and try to
figure out who he was and I couldn’t
find him I feel like they would have
recognized the name but I didn’t find
him so it’s been so long he’s probably
retired or moved by now but huge shout
out to him
now YouTube should be suggesting a
couple videos they might like to go on
and watch if you’ve got some more time
thank you so much for hanging out with
me and it would be really helpful if you
gave this video like left me a comment
and subscribe to my channel those things
help YouTube know that this is a good
quality video and they’ll push it out to
more people which really helps me out a
lot hope you guys have a fantastic rest
of your day
and it’s not goodbye that’s so long
until next time
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