Introduction
As a dedicated bodybuilder, there’s nothing you’d like to avoid more than a breaking your cycle, like a complete stop in your intake of steroids due to the danger of suffering from steroid acne. You may ignore the threat because the stakes are too high and you’d probably wonder if medications for treating acne are available and you want to learn more about it. Well, here’s your chance to know more about steroid acne and available treatments for it.
A brief overview on steroid treatment, tretinoin
When you spot the topical medication Retin-A inscribed on your prescription, you are looking at the branded name for Tretinoin its generic form.
One very attractive thing about the tretinoin treatment is you can buy it online from reputable online pharmacist stores or over-the-counter shops in both cream or gel forms.
The only downside is it’s not as concentrated as Retin-A, but if you are really desperate to use high concentration of ingredients, you should obtain a prescription from you doctor.
On the other hand, tretinoin is also a versatile topical treatment that can be used as both a short-term and long-term treatment for clearing up your acne breakouts.
What are the benefits of tretinoin?
For you information, tretinoin is a retinoid which means that it’s an extract of vitamin A a substance that can help your skin quickly rejuvenate itself by stimulating a fast turnover of skin cells.
This means that dead skin is removed very quickly away from the surface of your skin and just as quickly replaced by fresh skin cells which rise to the skin surface.
This process has the desired effect of clearing and opening up your pores by the removal of bacteria and other irritants that promote the development of acne.
Another important benefit of retinoid such as tretinoin is that it effectively helps in regulating the production of its natural oil, sebum, thereby preventing future breakouts of acne.
Another benefit is its anti-inflammatory qualities which actively clean out any active acne pustules in your skin.
Tretinoin for treating wrinkles
One area of interest that’s connected with tretinoin topical treatment is old age which has been subjected to extensive study.
It has been clearly demonstrated that tretinoin cream is equally effective as a short-term or long-term treatment to deal with wrinkles that randomly make an appearance.
This is the main reason why tretinoin is usually found as an ingredient in many of the face and eye creams which are purchased at over-the-counter stores.
Tretinoin for treating scars
One of the most stigmatic effects of steroid acne (especially cystic acne) is acne scarring a condition that can also affect your bodybuilding aspirations.
We now know that tretinoin can add boost for the rapid turnover of cells in your skin, which means it’s the ideal treatment to use wherever scarring is a problem on any part of your body.
Making sure that topical treatments are suitable for use against acne is an important step in treating acne breakouts.
Accordingly, several forms of tretinoin have been tested and all have been found suitable as effective treatments for acne scarring.
Tretinoin is also used sometimes as a treatment for chemical peel especially on areas that have been affected by acne scarring.
What of tretinoin side effect?
There are many positive qualities that can help promote your bodybuilding efforts but you should also know about the side effects that tretinoin can cause so you can avoid them.
It’s quite possible that you may not be affected by anyone of them or you may experience only some of them but it’s extra insurance that you study and know about all of them.
Some of the side effects from using tretinoin can include:
- A skin that’s warm to the touch
- Unusually dry skin
- Redness or a tendency for your skin to peel
- Itchy or burning skin sensation
- Paling of skin color where treatment is applied
One of the more troublesome side effects from using tretinoin is sensitivity to sunlight. The reason for this is that tretinoin is a retinoid treatment that can cause the thinning of your skin making it more susceptible to damage from sunburn.
The main solution to this side effect is for you to wear some type of sunscreen whenever you decide to venture outside, which can also include wearing a hat sporting a brim as an extra precautionary measure.
While overdosing can also be a worrisome side effect from using tretinoin, it seldom happens from the use of over-the-counter versions of this treatment as most, if not all, are of a topical makeup for use on the skin and not internally.
However, if you accidently overdose on prescription-strong you should immediately seek medical assistance.
The symptoms for overdosing include difficulty in breathing and you can sometimes lose consciousness.
Efficacy of tretinoin
Before we get into tretinoin effectiveness, you should know from the start that tretinoin should not be used by women who are pregnant or are breastfeeding.
The effectiveness of tretinoin is treating acne has been found to be genuine. It has been found that it actually takes about 12 weeks to witness the results after tretinoin has been used.
However, if you do experience irritations to your skin, you should discuss the problem with your doctor or pharmacist.
During discussions your doctor may examine your condition to find out if your symptoms can be effectively treated by over-the-counter (OTC) tretinoin medication.
If you find that there’s no evidence to show any improvement in the condition of your skin after 8 to 12 weeks, you should talk with your dermatologist about prescribing a full strength tretinoin treatment or any other options that may hasten the healing of your acne
Bottom line
The main point that has been made in this article is that Tretinoin is an efficacious topical treatment for both the short-term and long-term timeframes. The writer recognizes that the treatment isn’t for everyone but studies prove that tretinoin can stimulate rapid turnover of skin cells that can add vigor to skin tone, prevent new acne breakouts and also minimize acne scarring. We really hope the article will help you in your bodybuilding routines.