Your regular doctor can prescribe it. You can get it for a year and just have it renewed each year.

What she said. I get mine from my primary care doctor. I just said I was sick of adult acne and she wrote me a prescription.

Hubby and I have used a derm for a few things. Yes, you can go in for a consult and ask questions, be evaluated, etc. I'd had the photo whatever it's called where the evaluate sun damage. My derm did not prescribe retin A, she suggested another item. I can't remember the name, ti is a plant extract. I later used a retin-A product that I was able to purchase from a nurse who works with a plastic surgeon. They have a skin care clinic/spa - but the nurse offers services through a few beauty salons. Facials and other procedures. I used the products for several months but I have sensitive skin, which tends to be dry and I have to be careful. I've not been using it for a while but am planning to start back up. While what I use is not prescription, it is stronger than what you can buy over the counter.

tina

I think you can get it on ebay so I would check that out. I know our insurance does not cover it.

Prescription strength retin A on ebay Bumble? Really? That is a scary thought. Not something I would want to buy. I wouldn't expect insurance to pay for anti-aging products. If it's for adult acne, etc. not sure how that would work.

Sure, it's just a skin cream. It's not a narcotic or something.

I think insurance should cover it, it works wonders for acne, it's not just an anti aging med, originally it was made for acne. I used it 25 years ago.

Speaking of derms, you may wish to go to one anyway for a skin scan...it doesn't hurt to be checked for potential skin issues....quick and painless.

This is what I remember the doctor saying at my appt years ago: "It'll get worse before it gets better."

My daughter has used it for years just to keep her skin beautiful, she is now over 50 and has no wrinkles at all. I tried it for one day and I hated the burning feeling so I have wrinkles lol. Try it, can't hurt (well a little lol).

Bumblebeez, it is not "just a skin cream" and prescription strength means just that-you need a prescription. You can buy creams with retinol, but that is not the same.Is retinol the same as Retin-A ( tretinoin)?
Many people confuse retinol with Retin-A (tretinoin). Retinol and retinoic acid (tretinoin) are related but distinctly different. Retinol, retinal and retinyl palmitate, do not have the same effect on the skin as tretinoin/ retinoic acid. They first need to be converted by special enzymes into the active metabolite, retinoic acid. Unfortunately , the conversion rate is low and varies among individuals. The other problem is that when retinols are exposed to air, they can become oxidized and degraded. There are some companies that have produced retinol formulas that are more stabilized.

In addition, when I just checked eBay as you suggested, whatever they are selling (they call it extra strength retinol)comes from Thailand, Singapore, etc. Not sure I would trust it and very sure you are not getting the same thing as you would get with a prescription.

Also, Shee, be sure to use sunscreen with it since it will make your skin more sensitive to the sun.

Ha Bumble! Of course it's not a narcotic. I just meant I would prefer to be careful of what I'm putting on my face. Cyn makes some good points in her response. If it is used for anti-acne that's different regarding the insurance. I don't think insurance should cover if it's used as anti-aging.

Shee - Cyn is right about sunscreen. Which I think you have asked about before and are probably using. Your skin will be super sensitive after the retin-A.

tina

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I checked with someone I know that works at my Dr. office and she says he probably wouldn't write me out a prescription and would send me elsewhere. I figured that and it's a waste of time and money. In general I've been considering changing offices for other reasons. I was given a suggestion of where to go.

I have some occasional breakouts but nothing major. I want it more for evening out my skin/larger pores. I assumed insurance wouldn't cover the prescription (roughly how much $ are we talking and what about generic? I believe Roseabbey mentioned that in another thread.) but I wonder about the office visit. Of course, I'd have my copay but what if what I'm 'there for' isn't something that's covered. Guess I'd get a large bill, huh! I never ran into that and will need to make a few calls. I couldn't find anything in writing relating to what I want to go for.

Will do with the sunscreen. I wear it daily now.

Try RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream.
It's cheap and you can buy it at Wal Mart or such- I get it from Amazon and if you keep it in your cart the price will fluctuate between $14 and $18
It's removed most of my sun damage and my skin looks great. It took 6 months to get rid of the damage but it's worth it.
Love the stuff and it does dry up breakouts without damaging the surface skin like benzoyl peroxide products do.

I was looking at that last night. I noticed the retinol in the ingredients is pretty far down the list at 13 I believe. The Alpha Hydrox Retin Resq is at 11 but I don't know how much of a difference two ingredients really makes. Alpha's site says it contains .15% retinol which was appealing to me that I knew an amount. I had a tube of this before but didn't use it consitently or even completely finish the tub. I know that's silly and I'll need to keep at it in order to eventually see results. It seems there are more and better reviews for the Roc.

I'm glad to hear it worked for you. Did you use it every night of the week?

Shee, your insurance should cover it if you are going for a general skin/mole check.

If you know anyone who is going to Mexico you can pick up Retin-A there pretty cheaply without a prescription, but I would get an Rx first so I know what strength the Dr recommends.

Terriks - Good point. I suppose I actually feel half guilty for going since it's not medically necessary.

I wanted to add that I don't have sensitive skin but anytime I used the Alpha Hydrox Retinol Resq I had zero sensitivity issues. I thought you were supposed to have at least a little discomfort from retinol, no?

When i first started with the tretinoin cream I was referred to a derm by my family doctor. I was told it was not covered by insurance so I did pay for my visit. The derm gave me my initial prescription and my family doctor has been prescribing the refills. The derm is the one that suggested the generic brand, Steiva-A, it is so much less money than the Retin-A brand. Funny that my insurance does pay for this creme. Not sure why, but good for me!

I started out with .025 strength. I did go through a period of dry, red patchy skin for a number of weeks. I am now on .01 strength. This is the lowest there is in prescription form. I dont think OTC creams with retinol come close to this strength.

One thing the derm told me is not to use any alpha hydrox products, the trentinoin cream is enough. If you use vitamin C, dont use both together. Use the C in the daytime and the trentinon at night.

I hear lots of people order prescription drugs from Canada because it is cheaper, maybe you could go that route.

I use it a couple of times a week and have been using it for about 18 months.