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If you have acne or slight signs of aging on your skin, you might start with over-the-counter products with acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide or with anti-aging ingredients like retinol. Then, if those don’t give you clearer, more youthful-looking skin, you may want to try tretinoin.
This is a prescription treatment that can help with acne, fine lines and wrinkles, and dark spots. In this article, we’ll cover more on what it is, how you can get prescription tretinoin cream online, and which online dermatologist might be your best choice to get it from.
But before we get into the best providers of this medicine online, let’s cut to the chase. Here’s what our medical advisory team recommends when shopping for tretinioin online:
What's the best Rx tretinoin cream online?
Best Tretinoin for beginners
Hers (and Hims for men), have the best online doctor’s visit experiences of pretty much any telemedicine provider that we’ve tried. Simple, fast, low stress – Hers is a great option if you are brand new to online medicine and doctors’ visits, or otherwise aren’t sure where to get started. |
Strongest formulation available
Apostrophe offers the strongest formulations that we know of online – so if you already know you need extra strength, check them out and use our promo code FIN15 for $15 off. Quickly compare concentration with our with our Tretinoin strength chart below.
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Best tretinoin for wrinkles
In addition to the tretinoin, Wisp has active ingredients that encourage cell turnover, offers immunity, minimizes fine lines & wrinkles, and protects against sun damage (helping with the wrinkles, too!), among many other things. This is in addition to offering the value of a 3-month subscription. |
How to get a tretinoin prescription online
To get tretinoin or any prescription-strength skin treatment online, you need to first get a prescription through a doctor. Before telemedicine made that super easy, you’d typically go see your primary care physician who would then refer you to a dermatologist. This specialist would evaluate your skin, offer a diagnosis and prescribe prescription meds if deemed a fit.
Thankfully, telehealth platforms like Wisp, hims & hers, and Apostrophe have simplified the process of getting tretinoin online, in addition to many other rx skincare products. Let’s dive into how the process works and what you need to do to get a prescription for tretinioin without seeing a doctor in-person.
In a hurry? Our top pick is Apostrophe.
Apostrophe is our #1 overall pick for tretinoin online. They make it extremely easy to have a virtual visit with a dermatologist and get Rx tretinoin sent directly to your home. The alternative providers we review below make it easy as well, but few can match the strength offered by Apostrophe.
Apostrophe is a popular online dermatologist. Use code FIN15 to save $15 at checkout
Which online dermatologists prescribe tretinoin?
There are quite a few legitimate online dermatologists to choose from that can prescribe you tretinoin online and send it directly to your door. Let’s take a look at some of the top options and compare their tretinoin strength in a side-by-side comparison.
Best Online Dermatologists for Tretinoin | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tretinoin uses | Acne, anti-aging | Acne, anti-aging | Acne, anti-aging | Acne, anti-aging, discoloration | Anti-aging, dark spots |
| Offerings | Tretinoin Formula or Tretinoin + Clindamycin Formula | Customized Acne Cream, Anti-Aging Cream | Customized Rx Acne Cream, Anti-Aging Cream | 50ml tretinoin cream | Customized Face, Body, Neck Cream and Spot-Peel |
| Tretinoin strength | Customized formulas with tretinoin from 0.025% to 0.1% | Customized formulas including tretinoin 0.0125%, 0.022% or 0.035% | Customized formulas including tretinoin 0.0125%, 0.022% or 0.035% | Tretinoin 0.04% | Customized formulas including tretinoin 0.025%, 0.05% or 0.1% |
| Cost of online tretinoin prescription | $75 every 3 months for tretinoin formula | Not transparent about pricing after intro offer | Not transparent about pricing after intro offer | $85 for 3-month supply $28/month for 3-month supply with automatic refills, includes wispcare | $32/month ($1.07/day) |
| Cost of virtual visit | $20, but if prescribed, is applied toward cost of prescription | $39 | $39 | Included | $20 |
| Website |
Taking a step back: What is tretinoin?
Tretinoin is a synthetic vitamin A treatment—you might also hear it called retinoic acid—that comes in a topical gel, cream or lotion you apply to your skin. Dermatologists may prescribe it for acne and/or for skin aging issues like dark spots and fine lines. Some of the most common brand names it comes under are Renova, Retin-A Micro, Retin-A Micro Pump, Refissa and Retin-X.
It’s one of the most well studied topical retinoids available on the market today, and has been approved for use in dermatology for more than four decades. There is a lots of clinical research demonstrating the efficacy of tretinoin for wrinkles and sun damage, and other studies suggesting tretinoin can help with anti-aging.
How does tretinoin (aka Retin-A) work?
The tretinoin creates skin irritation that kills off skin cells faster, encouraging your body to make new ones. This process helps create a fresher, healthier look to your skin. It also helps with acne by cutting down on inflammation and keeping your follicles from getting blocked. It’s used for both clearing up acne breakouts and minimizing new ones.
Tretinoin essentially hastens the sloughing off photo-damaged (sun-damaged) skin cells, exposing your healthier skin underneath. In addition, it helps increase collagen production, which is responsible for skin elasticity and bounce.
Tretinoin vs Retinol: What's the difference?
Some brands talk about over-the-counter tretinoin, but calling it that is a bit deceptive. They’re actually referring to a much less potent ingredient called retinol. You can’t get tretinoin over the counter–it has to come with a prescription.
If you are interested in the technical difference, retinol is a natural form of vitamin A, while tretinoin is a more powerful, synthetic version.
The Verdict: Which online dermatologist is best for prescription tretinoin?
Now that you know about many of the online tretinoin prescription services available to you, it’s time to pick the best one. Ultimately, we don’t like to say that one company is best because one might be best for me while another one is best for you. It comes down to your own needs and preferences. That’s why we cover a few and give a comparison chart, to help you compare and contrast to choose your best bet. Let’s go over the similarities and differences a little more.
You can see from the chart above that all of these companies (Apostrophe, Hims & Hers, Musely, Wisp) offer tretinoin options through an online service. You can set up a consultation with an online medical professional and see if this medicine is right for you. If so, you’ll get a custom formula sent to your door.
Most of the brands offer custom formulas that are based on your online visit with a medical professional, and they all prescribe tretinoin for both acne and anti-aging purposes. The companies have somewhat different offerings, so one may make sense for you more than another.
Wisp does not yet offer a customizable formula, but the combination of their active ingredients are the most successful in providing anti-aging results over long term consistent use. In combination with their 90-day subscription, Wisp makes sure to keep the delivery regular in order to help mitigate long-term use.
Hims and Hers come from the same company. Hims is intended for men, while Hers is designed for women. I personally don’t like the lack of transparency about their regular pricing after the introductory offer, but you may find it worth going after the offer price, and then you can always cancel the service if you don’t like it after that.
Best extra-strong tretinoin cream online
Apostrophe has the option of higher strength tretinoin formulas. If lower strength tretinoin hasn’t worked for you previously or you have severe acne, you may want to consider the higher range that Apostrophe offers. They are probably the best bet if you are looking for extra-strength formulations. Remember to use the code FIN15 at checkout to save $15!
On the other hand, if you have sensitive skin or want a more gentle formula, Apostrophe’s strength range starts higher than the others, so you may want to go for a lower strength dose from Hims or Hers. (As an aside, Hims & Hers acquired Apostrophe, so although their skincare formulations remain unique, the two companies are actually one and the same). Hims & Hers allows you to get started with a tretinoin prescription for just $10 per month:
Also, the different tretinoin cream formulas contain different ingredients in their custom blends. So if you’re not sure about one brand over another when comparing tretinoin alone, you might want to compare other aspects of their products to make your decision. Below are the full ingredient list for each:
Hims & Hers tretinoin cream ingredients
- Tretinoin (.05%)
- Niacinamide
Musely anti-aging tretinoin cream ingredients
- Tretinoin (0.025%, 0.05%, or 0.1%)
- Niacinamide (4%)
- Hyaluronic acid (0.5%)
Apostrophe tretinoin formula ingredients
- Tretinoin (0.018% – 0.1%)
- Niacinamide
Wisp wrinkle firming (tretinoin) cream ingredients
- Tretinoin (0.04% – 0.1%)
- Azelaic Acid (5%)
- Niacinamide (4%)
Hopefully, this brief overview helps you compare online dermatologists and make your choice of where to buy tretinoin online. All four brands offer an attractive introductory discount. Just remember: skincare requires discipline, so you should commit to applying tretinioin cream daily for at least a few months. If you decide to try Apostrophe, don’t forget to use code FIN15 as checkout for $15 off.
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Methodology
We conduct extensive research to evaluate the pricing, effectiveness, accessibility, overall quality, and user experience of every telehealth service we review. This also includes examining and comparing each provider to comparable telemedicine alternatives. We also evaluate usability, treatments, prescription delivery time, and more to determine the best value for those seeking fast and reliable telehealth services.
| Review Process | Key Metrics | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Sign up online | – ease to complete intake form – affordability – upfront commitment or subscription required? – money back guarantee or refund policy? | 0.5 |
| Vitual consult with provider / determine eligibility | – ease to get appointment to determine eligibility – need to leave house for labs or other in-person care? | 1 |
| Shipping + unboxing | – shipping cost – time from order to treatment delivery – discreet packaging to maintain privacy | 0.5 |
| Test + journal for 1-3 months | – ease of application – transition into habitual use – taste / smell / feel / pain | 1.5 |
| Results after 3 months of use | – efficacy / results – lack of side effects – ease of refill / reordering – quality of ongoing clinical support – responsive customer support – willingness to recommend to a friend | 1.5 |
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