Obagi

Tretinoin is the acid form of vitamin A and so also known as all-trans retinoic acid or ATRA. It is a drug commonly used to treat acne vulgaris and keratosis pilaris. It is available as a cream or gel (brand name Retin-A). more...

Home
Bath & Body
Dietary Supplements,...
Hair Care
Hair Removal
Health Care
Massage
Medical, Special Needs
Nail
Natural Therapies
Oral Care
Other Health & Beauty Items
Skin Care
Acne, Blemish Control
Anti-Aging Products
Ahava
Aloette
Arbonne
Nutrimin C
Other
Sets
Avon
Clinical Line
Other Product Lines
Retroactive Line
Ultimate Line
Eye Treatments
Face Creams
Facial Peels
Laser Systems
Line, Wrinkle Correctors
Other
Repair Creams, Lotions
Serums
BeautiControl
Bliss
Cellex-C
Chanel
Christian Dior
Clarins
Clinique
Eye Treatments
Face Creams
Firming Creams, Lotions
Other Products
DDF
Elizabeth Arden
Elizabeth Grant
Erno Laszlo
Estée Lauder
Eye Treatments
Face Creams
Future Perfect
Night Repair
Other Products
Perfectionist
Resilience
Serums
Skin Refinisher
Freeze 24/7
Gatineau
Guerlain
Isomers
Jafra
Kiehl's
Kinerase
L'Oreal
La Prairie
Lancôme
Eye Treatments
Face Creams
Other Products
Wrinkle Treatments
Mary Kay
Day Solutions
Eye Treatments
Facial Cleansers
Facial Moisturizers
Night Solutions
Other Products
Sets, Kits
MD Formulations
Murad
N.V. Perricone, M.D.
Natura Bisse
Neutrogena
Obagi
Oil of Olay
Other
Regenerist
Total Effects
Origins
Other Brands
Philosophy
Principal Secret
ReVive
Serious Skin Care
Eye Cream
Other
Serums
Shiseido
Signature Club A
Skinceuticals
Strivectin
Wei East
Z. Bigatti
Blotting Papers
Cleansers
Exfoliators, Scrubs
Eye Masks
Lightening Cream
Makeup Remover
Masks, Peels
Men's Skin Care
Microdermabrasion
Moisturizers
Night Cream
Other Items
Samples, Trial Size
Sets, Kits
Sun Care
Toners, Astringents
Tattoos, Body Art
Vision Care
Weight Management
Wholesale Lots

It is also used to treat acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML).

Uses

Dermatology

Tretinoin is most commonly used as a form of acne treatment. It was the first retinoid developed for this type of topical use. It is used by some as a hair loss treatment and also a component of many commercial products that are advertised as being able to slow skin aging or remove wrinkles.

Leukemia

In addition, tretinoin (marketed as Vesanoid) is also used to treat at least one form of cancer (acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML), also called acute myeloid leukemia subtype M3), usually together with other drugs, by causing the immature blood cells to differentiate (i.e. mature) and die. The pathology of the leukemia is due to the highly proliferative immature cells; retinoic acid drives these cells to develop into functional cells, which helps to alleviate the disease. It is usually prescribed over 3 months at about 8 capsules per day.

Clinical pharmacology

Although the exact mode of action of tretinoin is unknown, current evidence suggests that topical tretinoin decreases cohesiveness of follicular epithelial cells with decreased blackhead formation. Additionally, tretinoin stimulates mitotic activity and increased turnover of follicular epithelial cells causing extrusion of the blackheads (comedones).

Its success in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia was a major breakthrough in the treatment of this type of leukemia. It works in APML because the majority of cases involve a chromosomal translation of chromosomes 15 and 17, which causes genetic fusion of the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) gene to the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene. This fusion PML-RAR protein is responsible for preventing immature myeloid cells from differentiating into more mature cells. This block in differentiation is thought to cause leukemia. ATRA acts on PML-RAR to lift this block, causing the immature promyelocytes to differentiate to normal mature blood cells.

Side effects

In dermatological use

When used, dryness of the affected skin may occur. More sensitive patients may also experience redness, scaling, itching, and burning. It is best to gradually increase the frequency and amount of tretinoin application to allow your skin to adjust. Heed your doctors advice when beginning a round of treatment.

Read more at Wikipedia.org