Anti-Aging Cream

Approved for use in dermatology for more than four decades, tretinoin is one of the most well studied topical retinoids available. Below are some significant studies of tretinoin for wrinkles and sun damage. Read on for evidence showing how tretinoin can help with these common effects of aging.

Topical Tretinoin Improves Photoaged Skin. A Double-Blind Vehicle-Controlled Study (1988)

In this study, researchers assigned 30 patients into two groups, one of which received treatment with tretinoin cream and one of which received a non-therapeutic vehicle cream.

A skin analysis was performed on skin on the forearm after 16 weeks of treatment to assess the effects of tretinoin on photoaging. After 16 weeks, the participants in the tretinoin group showed a “statistically significant improvement” in photoaging.

A second analysis was performed of facial skin, with similar results -- 14 of the 15 participants in the tretinoin group showed an improvement in photoaging, compared to none of the participants in the vehicle group.

Throughout the study, the only reported side effect was irritation of the skin in the group given the tretinoin cream.

Treatment of Photodamaged Facial Skin With Topical Tretinoin (1989)

This six-month study assessed the performance of tretinoin as an anti-aging treatment. Over the course of six months, participants were given either a .05% tretinoin cream or a non-therapeutic vehicle cream.

After six months, clinical analysis showed a significant improvement in fine and coarse wrinkling, skin hyperpigmentation, looseness and sallowness in the tretinoin group.

The study participants also completed a self-appraisal questionnaire. Participants in the tretinoin group reported a self-perceived improvement in their facial appearance, whereas participants in the non-therapeutic vehicle group did not report any perceived improvement.

Topical Retinoic Acid for Treatment of Solar Damage (1990)

In this study, participants were given either .05% tretinoin cream or a placebo and instructed to apply it daily to their facial skin. The study took place over 12 weeks, with a final assessment of results after 12 weeks of treatment.

At the end of the study, participants given the tretinoin cream showed a significant improvement in “fine wrinkling around the eyes, crease lines around the mouth and cheeks, wrinkling on the dorsum of the hands and yellow discoloration.”

In total, 15 of the people in the tretinoin group were assessed as having experienced some skin improvement over the course of the study, compared to just two in the placebo-treated group.

This study also showed an increase in skin thickness after tretinoin treatment, with skin biopsies from the tretinoin group demonstrating a mean increase in epidermal thickness (P = 0.019) that was also visible at a second assessment conducted four weeks after the end of the study.

The Treatment of Visible Signs of Senescence: The Italian Experience (1990)

This 1990 study compared tretinoin cream (.01% for the first month, followed by .025% for the second month and .05% for months three to six) to a non-therapeutic vehicle cream to assess the effects of tretinoin on wrinkles and other signs of aging.

During the six month study, 19.1% of patients withdrew; only 5.6% left the study for reasons related to the treatment.

After six months, silicone skin replica samples taken from the patients revealed a decrease in the width of wrinkles in the tretinoin users, as well as improvements in follicle density and skin texture.

Throughout the study, tretinoin was well tolerated -- 51.4% of study participants had reported an excellent level of tolerability, with 44% reporting good tolerability from the medication.

Topical Tretinoin for Treatment of Photodamaged Skin. A Multicenter Study (1991)

In this 24-week study, participants were given a tretinoin cream formulation at .05% or .01%, or a non-therapeutic vehicle. In total, 251 people took part in the study, which involved daily use of the cream over a period of 24 weeks.

At the end of the treatment period, 79% of the study participants who received tretinoin .05% had an “overall improvement in photodamaged skin” compared to an improvement in 48% of participants who received the non-therapeutic vehicle cream.

Specifically, people in the tretinoin-treated group showed reductions in fine wrinkling, mottled hyperpigmentation, roughness, and laxity when compared to people given the non-therapeutic vehicle cream.

The researchers observed several side effects during the study -- erythema, skin peeling, and stinging -- but noted that they were mild and well tolerated.

Effects of Tretinoin on Photodamaged Skin. A Histologic Study (1991)

This 1991 study involved 533 subjects at eight different locations in the United States. The study participants were given one of three concentrations of tretinoin cream (.05%, .01% or .001%) or a non-therapeutic vehicle cream.

Skin biopsies were taken from the periorbital (crow’s feet) area of the face at the beginning of the study and after 24 weeks of tretinoin usage.

At the end of the study, the researchers noted four dose-dependent changes in the skin of the tretinoin users: an increase in epidermal thickness, a reduction in melanin content, stratum corneum compaction and an increase in granular layer thickness.

On the whole, the researchers concluded there was “no significant difference between 0.001% tretinoin and the vehicle” and that “no obvious dermal changes were detected in any group.”