Skin Journey Update: I’ve started Tretinoin and here’s why...

I’ve officially started my Tretinoin skin journey. And no…I didn’t make this decision after watching a few random TikToks. This came from my friend Dr. Raj, who also happens to be the resident skin doctor on popular tv show; ‘This Morning’ in the UK.

She was in Dubai recently, and during one of our catch-ups I had a bit of a moan (as always) about how my skin’s been struggling. Filming several times a week means I’m constantly applying and removing makeup…sometimes multiple times a day. My skin just doesn’t get a break.

The annoying this is that I know for a fact it would be in the best condition ever and very clear if I just wasn’t applying and removing makeup so many times…but it’s my job! This is the part that makes it so frustrating…I want to give my audience what they want and even more educational content, but it means sacrificing my skin quality. My issue is skin texture…I don’t actually get too many breakouts, it’s the texture that’s my issue. It’s not as smooth as it could be, and on some days my pores can look like you could get lost in them.

She looked at me and said, “Start Tretinoin.” No hesitation….and here we are.

I think if you’re going to use something as strong as Tretinoin, it’s important to understand what it is and why it works.

Tretinoin is a prescription-strength form of Vitamin A, also known as all-trans retinoic acid. It’s part of the retinoid family, which includes other skincare ingredients like Retinol…but Tretinoin is the stronger, more active version. Unlike Retinol, which has to go through several conversion steps in your skin to become active, Tretinoin is already in its active form, which is why it works faster and delivers more noticeable results.

Here’s what it actually does: