The number one thing that has helped my skin to slowly turn back the hands of time (or at the very least, slow those hands down quite a bit), is using Retin-A (Also known as Tretinoin or Vitamin A). It is considered the “gold standard” in topical anti-aging for one reason: It works. It isn’t an overnight process. It requires consistency and dedication. But it works, so read on.

Buying Retin-A Online Without a Prescription

When I wrote about my Retin-A experience before, I told you about starting at the very lowest percentage and working my way up very slowly over 8 months to 0.1%. I also told you about the way that I ordered it online. That is still a perfectly viable method to buy your Retin-A online without a prescription.

Curology

*This post contains referral and affiliate links. Clicking these links helps me continue to find stuff that works to help us all fight the frump here at Fresh Air and False Lashes!

I have changed the way I get my Retin-A without a prescription. For about the last 6 months I’ve been getting my Retin-A from Curology and I am over the moon happy with this service! This is one you’re going to want to know about!

How Curology works

I started out with the free month trial, (and you can too) because I just wasn’t convinced that this would be able to replace my current Retin-A online purchasing. And honestly, I really thought Curology was only for people with acne.

Well, let’s just say the experience has just been absolutely brilliant! Curology uses an easy to use web platform where you answer some detailed questions and send in some photos to your own, Curology-supplied health professional (all by email, from the comfort of your home <squeal!>). Their dermatologists will mix a custom formulation specifically for your skin and pop it in the mail to you! All without a prescription and without leaving your home!

Take. My. Money.

Your provider will check back in with you by email to see how you are doing with your formulation and address any questions you may have. They will make changes to your formulation as your skin responds to treatment.

The Benefits

There are several benefits to this method. First, you are emailing with a healthcare professional about your skin. I’ve communicated with my medical provider on many occasions, peppering her with questions about using other products with my new formulation, etc. She is incredibly personable, informative, and helpful! Like, every time. I don’t know why I thought she’d be all judgy and eye-rolling about my blog, but not so! She has been responsive, absolutely delightful and a complete wealth of information for me. Curology has taken all the guesswork out of my skin care. The next reason that this is a preferable method for me to get Retin-A is that they add other ingredients to my formulation (plainly labeled on the bottle) to sooth my skin, reduce inflammation and fight dark spots and fine lines. This makes my prescription grade, custom formulation work even better for anti-aging and packing a much bigger punch than my plain tube of Retin-A was doing. The last reason that I LOVE this service is the price. There are several plans to choose from. My plan is $19.95/month. Like- are you kidding me? That’s less than a lot of the weak OTC bottles of “anti-aging” creams. I’m, of course, SOLD.

I get my bottle in the mail every 2 months like clockwork. The packaging is great, the contents are clearly printed on the bottle and the bottle is a sealed, airless, pump-style. I apply this as my first step after cleansing, every night before bed.

A Warning

I will say this: once you begin using your low dose of Retin-A (tretinoin), do not stop. Here’s where the commitment part comes in that I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Retin-A, Tretinoin, Vitamin A is a medicine. Your skin will pretty easily get used to it if you start with the low dose and then gradually work up in dosage strength. I only experience some slight dryness when I began, then nothing. HOWEVER- If you stop using it for a while…(say……, I dunno……when you were moving from Montana<cough,cough>)  and then start back again at the last used strength, your skin will probably have a reaction. I fought my way back from a flakey mess with the help of my Curology provider, who answered several frightened emails from me that I’d sat typed out with red, flaking skin! She helped me to get my skin calmed back down again quickly and I was back on my way. So yeah- don’t stop once you start. And if you DO stop, let your provider know before you start slapping it on again.

And USE SUNSCREEN. If you use Retin-A and don’t use sunscreen, you are literally ACCELERATING sun damage to your skin. So, be committed to sunscreen, every day rain or shine. The mineral sunscreen that I love and use is by MD Solar Sciences.

My Results

As for results, I am very pleased. It is a simple skin care step, with strong ingredients, that leads to big results over the long haul. Retin-A, (Tretinoin, Vitamin A) works by increasing skin cell turnover speed. When we were younger our skin cells were turning over and sloughing off at a much higher speed and always revealing that “new’ more radiant skin underneath. As we age, that process goes slower and slower. Retin-A speeds it back up again and the results are worth doing.  I visibly noticed that my skin was definitely looking healthier, with fewer lines and general sagging after about 6 months of use. The results continue to be cumulative so it’s just become a simple nighttime step that I really wish I had started at around 40 years of age. I don’t ever intend to be without it.

Try Curology for Free

If you’d like to give the Curology service a try, you can use my link and get the free one month trial. Just click here to get started: SHARE CUROLOGY. (You’ll get your own referral link after you sign up, that you can share with your astonished family and co-workers!)

Do you use Retin-A? Have you had any issues with it? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

P.S- If you or your teen struggle with acne, Curology is a one stop shop for solving that problem as well!

I have an Amazon Store where you can access all the products I talk about here on the blog in one place. Check it out here—> Fresh Air and False Lashes Amazon Store

You may also enjoy reading about this small but amazing new skincare line.

Or about how to apply makeup to mature hooded lids.

Or about Self Care Over 40 and why you need it.

Do you use Retin-A? Have you had any issues with it? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Pin this post!

Share on Facebook

Tweet