IYKYK: As the title suggests, if you’re in Mexico your first stop should be to one of the many prolific farmacias. Here you will find a stunning array of items for purchase over-the-counter; my very favorite being tretinoína, or, topical tretinoin.
What is tretinoin, you ask? Here’s an explanation if you’re in the dark:
Tretinoin, also known as all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), is a medication used for the treatment of acneand acute promyelocytic leukemia. For acne, it is applied to the skin as a cream, gel or ointment … Topical tretinoin is also the most extensively investigated retinoid therapy for photoaging.
Source: Wikipedia
While in the US, you might spend upwards of $80 USD on a single bottle of Retin-A®, at a farmacia, like Farmacia Benavides or Farmacia del Ahorro; both of which can be found on almost every street corner in cities like Monterrey, cost an average of $7-$11 USD (I paid about $120-$220 MXN) per tube of each farmacia’s generic brand. It’s now my custom to purchase about 10 of them per visit, which keeps me stocked for an entire year with enough to spare should I decide to be generous and share the wealth.
If you’re questioning that there may be sacrifice of quality for price, I can comfortably assure you, the answer is no. In fact, after having used both, I prefer Mexican tretinoin to even Retin-A®. Some formulas contain rosewater, glycerin and other soothing extracts that make it very easy to blend into your moisturizer (I do not like to use the “sandwich method”, I’ll explain what I do below).
Pro-Tip:
I have noted that many tretinoin users prefer to apply using the “sandwich method” (a layer of moisturizer, followed by application of tretinoin, followed by another layer of moisturizer) to prevent the very common side effect of over sensitizing the skin, which can lead to peeling, redness, irritation, etc.. I do not like this method, and I will explain why:
First of all, it’s two extra steps, and a colossal waste of time. I’d rather be in bed reading, or scrolling away on Instagram at this point, but you’re still applying your third layer of product. No thank you!
Here’s how I recommend applying tretinoin:
First of all, I only recommend applying tretinoin at night; I apply 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
Start off with your clean skin, and then spritz away with a soothing toner (I prefer ones that contain glycerin since it’s moisturizing. This one is my favorite).
With your face still damp, here is where the magic happens – you’re going to mix a pea sized amount of your tretinoin with three pea sized dots of your favorite emollient moisturizer (I like these ones best 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). To reiterate, our ratio is 1:3.
Mix it together in your palms, and I apply with my fingers or a skin spatula, and massage it into my face and down into my neck.
If you’re fancy, you can finish off the whole ordeal with this mist (my absolute favorite) and slug your lips with this incredible lip product to keep them hydrated and protected from any migration of the tretinoin emulsification.
And there you have it! Make sure you pick some tretinoína up the next time you are visiting one of Mexico’s vibrant and beautiful cities, and thank me later.
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