Retinoids like retinol have been shown by many studies to improve aging skin and acne. Here are some before and after pictures of retinoids and retinol to show you that it is worth it to use them consistently. The higher percentage strength you use, the better results you will have from retinoids like tretinoin, adapalene, tazarotene, and retinol.

Tretinoin was the first retinoid to be studies to treat skin aging. These are before and after images from tretinoin studies in the 1980s.

The two before and after images below are from a 1995 study that compared 2 strengths of tretinoin used for 48 weeks every night.

I use the Canfield Visia CA camera in my dermatology practice to track patient's progress.  I have the camera set to compare the image to other people the same age, skin color and gender.  The % score is how they compare.  So a high % is better.  If the % says 85%, this means their score is belter than 85% of people the same gender, skin color, and age.

These are patient pictures that show that their skin has improved on retinoids even as the years go by. So although they are older, in the after image their skin looks better than the previous picture. This demonstrates that using the right skin care including daily SPF and a retinoid can help keep skin looking good and improve skin texture, dark spots and  photoaging.

This image was taken in Feb 2016. You can see that her wrinkle score is 86% better than other light skinned women her age. Her dark spots (UV spots) are better than 12% of women (Keep in mind that we live in Miami and are being compared to people around the USA with less sun exposure). The deep brown spots are better than 12%. She is a DRNW skin type but her skin erythema score is high in both images.

You can see that all parameters improved because the % is higher. (Higher is better!)

This image shows that in her baseline image her wrinkles are better than 87% of women her age and skin color. Her erythema (facial redness) is only better than 5%, Deep brown spots are 27% and superficial UV spots are 99%. Although her skin had no history of sensitivity, you can see that erythema is contributing to her hyperpigmentation. Her skin care routine focused on retinoids and tyrosinase inhibitors. 

You usually see improvement of brown spots around 8 weeks after beginning a skin care routine with retinoids and tyrosinase inhibitors.  This 8 week image shows improvement of wrinkles, erythema, and brown spots. The deep epiderma brown spots move superficially so we see them more in the UV spot image which shows superficial melanin. This means that her dark spots may look worse because they are closer to the surface and show more under UV light, but we can see that the deep layers are improving. These are common results at 8 weeks.  If she continues on the skin care routine, the erythema, brown spots, wrinkle score and UV sot score should continue to improve. It can take 12-16 weeks for dark spots to clear.

These before and after images show improvement of pores, brown spots, UV spots and facial redness after 8 1/2 months on retinol, Vitamin C and tyrosinase inhibitors. She was started on a low strength retinol and gradually increased to a stronger retinol as described here.

Take your baseline before images before you begin you dermatologist-recommended custom skin care routine. Retinoids take time to work- so take your before and after retinol pictures at day 90, Day 120, and at 6 months and 12 months.

Once you take the quiz- we will tell you what skin care products to use- so get started on the correct routine for your Baumann Skin Type now!

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