Pan-Agonist Nuclear Retinoic Acid Receptor (RAR-Alpha/Beta/Gamma) Retinoid • Rx

Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel)

Brand Reference: Retin-A, Altreno, Renova

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Priya Nair, MD, FAAD (NPI #1295730425)
94.80%
Patient “Worth It”
59 verified logs
$24.50
Lowest Monthly Cash

Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel) Clinical & Real-World Cost Fact Matrix

Metric Verified Benchmark Source
Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel) RxNorm Concept ID 10753 U.S. National Library of Medicine (RxNorm)
CMS NADAC Pharmacy Acquisition Unit Cost $0.9200 / unit CMS Medicaid NADAC Weekly Feed
Walk-In Chain Pharmacy Cash Average $112.00 / mo CMS NADAC + U.S. Retail Markup Index
Mark Cuban Cost Plus Wholesale Price $24.50 / mo Cost Plus Drugs Wholesale Feed
Community Mean Out-of-Pocket Paid $28.00 / mo 59 Zero-PHI Verified Patient Logs
INSTANT PRESCRIPTION & CASH ROUTING

Verified Online Prescribers & Wholesale Pharmacies for Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel)

DotMD Club Members get $29 flat-rate script renewals →
Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs (Wholesale Pharmacy)
Requires an existing doctor prescription. Need a script? Pair with a $29 DotMD Club TeleMed consult.
$24.50/mo
Wholesale Cash Price
View Wholesale Rx →
Hims & Hers Direct Cash Pharmacy (Online Doctor Consult + Delivery)
Asynchronous physician review included • Ships in ~2 days • Rx included in monthly tier
$ 49.00
All-In Monthly
Start Online Visit →
Sesame Direct Cash-Pay Prescriber Network (Online Doctor Consult + Delivery)
Asynchronous physician review included • Ships in ~1 days
$ 29.00
Consult / Starting Tier
Start Online Visit →
Board-Certified Teledermatology Compounding (Online Doctor Consult + Delivery)
Asynchronous physician review included • Ships in ~3 days
$ 20.00
Consult / Starting Tier
Start Online Visit →

Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel) Clinical Pharmacology & DailyMed Monograph

RxCUI 10753 • NDC 00187-5162-45

Directly binds nuclear RAR-alpha, RAR-beta, and RAR-gamma transcription complexes without metabolic conversion, normalizing follicular keratinocyte desquamation, blocking UV-induced AP-1 matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1/MMP-9), and stimulating papillary dermal Type I/III procollagen synthesis.

Out-of-pocket price dispersion on Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel) spans $24.50 to $112.00 per 30-day fill: pharmacy acquisition benchmarks sit near $0.9200/unit, allowing cash buyers bypassing PBM spread pricing to retain $87.50 each month (78% reduction).

With Local epidermal turnover cycle (28 days) residence kinetics and 1%–2% percutaneous systemic absorption (negligible endogenous plasma shift) bioavailability, Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel) undergoes cutaneous cyp26a1/b1 4-hydroxylation and establishes therapeutic activity over 4–8 weeks comedolysis; 16–24 weeks dermal collagen remodeling.

Standard adult regimens span 0.025% pea-sized nocturnal application, 0.05% cream/lotion QHS, 0.1% gel/microsphere QHS. Prescribers screen specifically against pregnancy (avoid retinoids per teratogenic precaution); sunburned or eczematous barrier-compromised skin, while community micro-logs most frequently note retinization peeling (weeks 2–4) (44% of reports), uv photosensitivity (31% of reports), perioral dryness (26% of reports).

Half-Life
Local epidermal turnover cycle (28 days)
Bioavailability
1%–2% percutaneous systemic absorption (negligible endogenous plasma shift)
Metabolism & Clearance
Cutaneous CYP26A1/B1 4-hydroxylation
Clinical Onset
4–8 weeks comedolysis; 16–24 weeks dermal collagen remodeling

Standard Adult Titration & Dosages

0.025% pea-sized nocturnal application 0.05% cream/lotion QHS 0.1% gel/microsphere QHS

Absolute & Relative Contraindications

  • Pregnancy (avoid retinoids per teratogenic precaution)
  • Sunburned or eczematous barrier-compromised skin

Logged Side-Effect Incidence (59 Reports)

Retinization peeling (weeks 2–4) 44%
UV photosensitivity 31%
Perioral dryness 26%

Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel) Patient Dosage Logs & Out-of-Pocket Cost Ledger

Across 59 verified cash-pay logs, Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel) achieves a 94.80% Worth-It rating with out-of-pocket spend averaging $28.00/mo versus $112.00/mo walk-in retail.

15-Second Anonymous Micro-Log (Zero-PHI Architecture)

Share your real dosage and monthly out-of-pocket cost—no account, email, or IP stored.

Effectiveness: 5/5 • Worth It Dosage: 0.025% pea-sized nocturnal application • Paid: $21.56/mo via Cost Plus Drugs
Retinization peeling (weeks 2–4)

Switched to Cost Plus Drugs at 0.025% pea-sized nocturnal application for Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel); monthly out-of-pocket dropped to $21.56 compared with $112.00 retail.

Effectiveness: 5/5 • Worth It Dosage: 0.05% cream/lotion QHS • Paid: $24.99/mo via Cost Plus Drugs

Completed 10 weeks on Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel) (0.05% cream/lotion QHS). Zero notable side effects on steady dosing.

Effectiveness: 4/5 • Worth It Dosage: 0.1% gel/microsphere QHS • Paid: $28.42/mo via Local Pharmacy
Perioral dryness

Consistent biomarker response on 0.1% gel/microsphere QHS Tretinoin (All-Trans Retinoic Acid Cream/Gel) sourced via Local Pharmacy ($28.42/mo cash pay without insurance prior authorization).