While minoxidil and dermarolling both work great for promoting hair and beard growth, there are other ways that can help those whose facial hair need that little extra boost.
Tretinoin is such a product. It can help people to grow facial hair by aggravating the skin, which in turn divides the skin at a quicker rate and replaces older skin cells.
Let me explain why tretinoin cream and serum can be used to grow a full beard.
What is tretinoin
Tretinoin is commonly referred to as retinoic acid. This is the general name for man-made vitamin A. Or in other words, the synthetic version of vitamin A.
It is a prescription based topical solution that gets applied in the form of a gel or cream.
What does tretinoin do
Tretinoin works by aggravating the skin. As a result, the skin response is to divide the skin faster and hence die faster.
This makes it so new and healthy skin cells replace older skin cells. To summarize, tretinoin works by speeding up the life cycle of our skin cells.
Do you need a prescription for tretinoin
Yes, you do in fact require a prescription for tretinoin.
Tretinoin is a prescription based medication, meaning that a health care professional such as your general practitioner needs to prescribe you the medicine in order to be able to get access to the medication.
You can buy tretinoin online at a pharmaceutical company or at your local pharmaceutical shop.
Does tretinoin work to promote facial hair growth
It is suggested by science that tretinoin can work to promote facial hair growth by boosting and regulating cell proliferation and differentiation in the epithelium. It can also help to promote vascular proliferation. These components are important to promote hair growth and, thus, also beard growth.
The following study researching the useage of topical all-trans-retinoic acid (tretinoin) alone and in combination with 0.5% minoxidil that has been tested for the promotion of hair growth in 56 subjects with androgenetic alopecia concluded the following:
After 1 year, the combination of topical tretinoin with 0.5% minoxidil resulted in terminal hair regrowth in 66% of the subjects studied.
Tretinoin was shown to stimulate some hair regrowth in approximately 58% of the subjects studied.[1]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3771854/
Another study analyzed the effect of topical tretinoin on follicular sulfotransferase. They came to the following conclusion:
in our cohort, 43% of subjects initially predicted to be nonresponders to minoxidil were converted to responders following 5 days of topical tretinoin application[2]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30974011/
Is it effective to use tretinoin for hair loss?
Yes, it is effective to use tretinoin for hair loss. Multiple scientific studies confirm this notion.
Take the following study about topical tretinoin for hair growth promotion, for example. It studied the effects of topical all-trans-retinoic acid (tretinoin) alone and in combination with 0.5% minoxidil for the promotion of hair growth in 56 subjects with androgenetic alopecia.
They came to the following conclusion:
After 1 year, the combination of topical tretinoin with 0.5% minoxidil resulted in terminal hair regrowth in 66% of the subjects studied.
Tretinoin was shown to stimulate some hair regrowth in approximately 58% of the subjects studied.
One female subject with pronounced alopecia for more than 20 years had regrowth of hair using only tretinoin for a period of 18 months.
Tretinoin has been shown to promote and regulate cell proliferation and differentiation in the epithelium and may promote vascular proliferation. These factors are important for hair growth promotion.
These preliminary results indicate that more work should be done on the role of retinoids in hair growth. The synergistic effect of retinoids in combination with a low concentration of minoxidil should also be further investigated[3]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3771854/
It has also been shown that tretinoin enhances minoxidil response. Our previous study even confirmed this notion.
This can greatly aid to combat hair loss, since minoxidil is one of the most popular and effective hair growth products.
Let me show you some more examples of how tretinoin enhances minoxidil response.
Minoxidil sulfate is the active substance that’s needed to exercise the vasodilatory and hair growing consequences of minoxidil.
The study concludes the following:
we demonstrate that topical tretinoin application influences the expression of follicular sulfotransferase.
Of clinical significance, in our cohort, 43% of subjects initially predicted to be nonresponders to minoxidil were converted to responders following 5 days of topical tretinoin application.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to elucidate the interaction mechanism between topical minoxidil and retinoids and thus provides a pathway for the development of future androgenetic alopecia treatments.[4]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30974011/
As we can see, tretinoin and hair loss interact with one another. And a tretinoin hair loss treatment can aid to regrow lost hair and to prevent further hair loss. If you do plan to use this product to combat hair loss, then a topical tretinoin for hair growth promotion might be your best bet.
But just like minoxidil, the tretinoin must be continued indefinitely and at regular intervals to be efficacious.
What is tretinoin's half life?
The half life of tretinoin is about 0.5–2 hours. On the flip side, the half life of minoxidil is quite a bit longer.
Tretinoin that is applied locally, typically gets absorbed between 1-31%.
Tretinoin serum vs tretinoin cream
Both can work great to promote hair growth and to treat stretch marks and other small skin problems.
However, tretinoin serum has the advantage containing higher concentrations of active ingredients. Thus, being more effective. Tretinoin serum is also thinner and lighter than tretinoin cream. This means that the serum has an easier time penetrating the skin than the cream version does. As a result, the serum will be absorbed better and more quickly.
However, the cream version has an essential advantage as well. Tretinoin cream actually creates a skin barrier that works to prevent moisture loss, providing hydration to the skin in the process.
I would conclude that both the cream and serum have their own individual strengths and disadvantages. But it mostly comes down to personal preference which one you prefer and decide to use.
Tretinoin cost
Tretinoin cost
Prices of medication varies greatly depending on where you’re buying it from. However, on average, you can expect to pay the following prices for tretinoin cream:
0.025% tretinoin: $25 to $100 per 20g tube, or $50 to $200 per 45g tube.
0.05% tretinoin: $30 to $120 per 20g tube, or $60 to $220 per 45g tube.
0.1% tretinoin: $35 to $130 per 20g tube, or $65 to $255 per 45g tube.
The following prices give a rough estimation for generic tretinoin gel:
0.01% tretinoin: $25 to $80 per 15g tube, or $50 to $200 per 45g tube.
0.025% tretinoin: $25 to $80 per 15g tube, or $50 to $210 per 45g tube.
0.05% tretinoin: $75 to $400+ per 45g tube.[5]https://www.forhims.com/blog/tretinoin-price
The following general minoxidil prices might also be of interest to you if you wish to promote hair and beard growth.
Different tretinoin strengths
Medications typically come in different kinds of strentgh. As such, tretinoin is no exception.
Tretinoin comes in 0.025%, 0.5% and 0.1% strength. One can expect the stronger gels and creams to be priced a little higher than the lower-strength creations. But the difference in price is mostly negligible.
Conclusion
Topical tretinoin for hair growth promotion is real, and can prove very beneficial and efficacious.
Tretinoin cream and serum can help for hair growth. Thus, tretinoin can also help you to grow a beard, especially when combined with microneedling.
Not to mention that it can help you to get rid of small acne scars and stretch marks as well. So if you want to keep your skin youthful and bright, you should most definitely consider using tretinoin for your daily general skin care ritual.