Can You Use Tretinoin With AHA?
Do not combine
Not in the same routine.
Prescription tretinoin is already at the ceiling of what a barrier tolerates. Adding an AHA is the single most common cause of the 'tretinoin burn' people mistake for purging.
How to use Tretinoin and AHA
Drop the AHA entirely while acclimating to tretinoin. Reintroduce it no more than once a week after eight to twelve weeks of stable use.
General guidance from common dermatological advice, not medical advice. If you use a prescription treatment, follow your prescriber’s instructions.
Layering
Related pairings
- Retinol with AHADo not combine
- Tretinoin with BHADo not combine
- Adapalene with AHADo not combine
- Vitamin C with AHASeparate or space out
- AHA with BHASeparate or space out
- AHA with Benzoyl PeroxideSeparate or space out
- Peptides with AHASeparate or space out
- Ceramides with AHAWorks well together
Check your actual products
The Routine Check reads the actives in each product you add, flags every clash between your morning and evening steps, and puts them in the order to apply them.
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