
A group of medications for normalizing the follicle cell lifecycle are
topical retinoids such as
tretinoin (brand name Retin-A),
adapalene (brand name Differin), and
tazarotene (brand name Tazorac). Like isotretinoin, they are related to
vitamin A, but they are administered as topicals and generally have much milder side effects. They can, however, cause significant irritation of the skin. The retinoids appear to influence the cell creation and death lifecycle of cells in the follicle lining. This helps prevent the
hyperkeratinization of these cells that can create a blockage.
Retinol, a form of vitamin A, has similar but milder effects and is used in many over-the-counter moisturizers and other topical products. Effective topical retinoids have been in use over 30 years but are available only on prescription so are not as widely used as the other topical treatments. Topical retinoids often cause an initial flare up of acne and facial
flushing.
source :
http://en.wikipedia.org
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