The Road To Veteran: How To Use Tretinoin 0.1% Cream

Road to Veteran

Here at Musely, we absolutely love tretinoin as it’s one of the key ingredients in many of our products to help treat melasma, aging & more! But, The Anti-Aging Cream takes the cake for the best use of tretinoin as a primary ingredient. In fact, tretinoin is the only FDA-approved ingredient for treat signs of aging, and it’s proven to be up to 20x stronger than OTC retinol! Studies show that applying tretinoin to the skin provides anti-aging benefits such as preventing, reducing, and treating wrinkles and age spots. The ingredient works to help slow the aging process by allowing the skin to produce collagen, which creates stronger and younger-looking skin.

Now we all want an affordable, easy way to stop aging, but what’s the catch? The truth is that all good things take time and in order to get the maximum benefit from tretinoin, you will have to work your way up to becoming a tretinoin veteran.

Starting Tretinoin

While tretinoin is a great all-in-one skincare ingredient to treat a variety of skin conditions, it is also an ingredient that requires some getting used to. When beginning your journey with tretinoin, it is important to make sure that you are applying a small amount so as to be sure not to overly irritate your skin right away. Using tretinoin in your skincare routine requires you to apply it gradually to help build your skin’s tolerance.

The Anti-Aging Cream is created using multiple formulas with increasing levels of tretinoin, designed to develop alongside you in your anti-aging skincare routine. Whether you are just starting out or are an expert on tretinoin, The Anti-Aging Cream has a formula fit for your journey. Each of these formulas is freshly compounded to combine tretinoin with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to help you achieve a youthful-looking glow with minimal irritation!

How to use The Anti-Aging Cream

Here’s a great routine to follow to help ensure that your skin isn’t going to be irritated by tretinoin. Before going to bed, apply a pea-size of tretinoin to the skin after it has been cleaned and completely dried. Do not apply tretinoin to damp or wet skin! Once dry, let the product absorb into the skin. Beginners should apply the product once or twice a week before gradually increasing frequency to every other night, and eventually, every single night. During this process, it is important to listen to your skin so you can understand what it needs.

Many dermatologists recommend the “moisturizer sandwich” method when first starting your tretinoin journey. This involves applying a layer of moisturizer before applying tretinoin, waiting for the moisturizer to be absorbed, then applying your pea-sized amount of tretinoin. Next, you can wait 5-10 minutes before applying another layer of gentle moisturizer. This method can help offset irritation throughout your tretinoin journey.

Always remember you can take a break from tretinoin if your skin becomes irritated, and don'r forget to wear your SPF! Ultimately, it’s important for your skin to adjust to lower concentrations of tretinoin before you consider switching to one of our more advanced formulations.

3 Formulas

Our different formulas of The Anti-Aging Cream include:

Gentle: This formula is best for those who are just starting off using tretinoin and tend to have more sensitive skin. Active ingredients include, Tretinoin 0.025%, Niacinamide 4%, and Hyaluronic Acid 0.5%

Balanced: This is a more moderate formula designed for intermediate tretinoin users, or those who have an oily skin type with less sensitivity. Active ingredients include, Tretinoin 0.05%, Niacinamide 4%, and Hyaluronic Acid 0.5%

Veteran: This is the most advanced formula available and works best for those who have built up a tolerance to tretinoin or have previous experience with prescription skincare. Active ingredients include Tretinoin 0.1%, Niacinamide 4%, and Hyaluronic Acid 0.5%

How to become a veteran

As long as you have been consistent with the application of tretinoin, and gradually increased your usage, then you should be ready to earn the veteran title. You can help build your skin’s tolerance by beginning with a schedule that consists of applying tretinoin only a couple of times a week and then gradually increasing that number. Staying consistent with your routine is very important to not only help you get adjusted to tretinoin but also to help you maximize your results!

Turning on Auto-Refill on your Musely prescription can help you ensure you stay on track with your tretinoin journey. Once you have established a good routine, you can switch formulas at any time to start working your way up to the formulas with higher levels of tretinoin. You’ll be a veteran in no time! Here’s how to switch formulas.