Dermatica Tretinoin Review: Is Personalised Skincare Worth It?

Affiliate disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my disclaimer for more info.

Getting prescription skincare in the UK is a pretty longwinded process.

You generally have to go to your GP, who can then refer you to a dermatologist. And when doctor’s appointments are so difficult to book, a couple of spots hardly feels like it warrants the effort.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can get tretinoin without a dermatologist or doctor’s appointment, there happens to be a slightly easier option. Ordering it from an online service, like Dermatica, instead.

Don’t worry, it’s not as sketchy as it sounds!

Dermatica is well-known for their retinoid offering.

They provide a personalised skincare treatment which means that you don’t have to step foot into a doctor’s surgery at all. Simply answer a few questions, send in some photos and voilà you’re done!

A couple of months ago Dermatica were kind enough to offer me a three month trial of their tretinoin treatment plan and I thought I would document my experience to share with you all.

Here’s a review of the process, the treatment itself, and a bit about how I got on with it…

What is Dermatica?

Dermatica is an online dermatology service that provides easy and affordable prescription skincare.

The Dermatica team is composed of dermatologists, pharmacists, GPs, researchers and scientists who use technology to assess your needs and prescribe you with a treatment that’s best for you.

This is all done virtually and your treatment is sent straight to your door each month. There are no face-to-face consultations, it’s all managed through your online Dermatica dashboard.

Super simple, and great for people who prefer to avoid in-person interactions if they can!

How does Dermatica work?

Signing up for a Dermatica subscription couldn’t be easier. You choose your skin concern (acne, pigmentation, anti-ageing etc.) and answer a few short questions about your skin.

Then you’re asked to take a couple of photos, from different angles, so that the dermatologists can give you an accurate prescription. Don’t worry these are confidential, only the dermatologist can see these images!

Once that’s done, you just have to wait and see what your prescription is going to be. It usually doesn’t take too long for your treatment to be approved!

I went for the Skin Glow treatment plan as, though I did have a couple of breakouts at the time, my main concern was dullness. This is what a three-month course of the Dermatica Skin Glow treatment looks like…

The Skin Glow treatment plan

My first treatment consisted of the following:

• 0.015% tretinoin
• 4% niacinamide
• 4% azelaic acid

The treatment usually starts off with a low-strength retinoid, then increases as your skin becomes more accustomed to it. So, in the second month my prescription went up to:

• 0.025% tretinoin
• 4% niacinamide
• 4% azelaic acid

In my third month the tretinoin percentage increased again and my prescription was:

• 0.05% tretinoin
• 4% niacinamide
• 4% azelaic acid

The ingredients

Tretinoin – A perscription-strength retinoid that’s often used to treat acne and reduce the appeafance of wrinkles.

Niacinamide – A form of vitamin B3 that reduces inflammation, brightens the skin and helps repair the skin barrier.

Azelaic acid – A naturally-occurring acid that’s obtained from grains and cereals. It reduces inflammation and diminishes the appearance of dark spots.

Panthenol – A provitamin of vitamin B5. It boosts hydration, attracts moisture and soothes irritated skin.

Ceramides – Lipids (natural fats found in the skin) that maintain the moisture barrier and keep the skin hydrated.

Dermatica Tretinoin Review: My personalised skincare experience

When my first Dermatica treatment arrived I was SO excited to use it, but retinoids are definitely a waiting game and in retrospect I wish I’d gone a little slower in my initial approach!

I started off using the cream every other night, on a freshly cleansed face, and soon found that my skin was getting quite dry and irritated. So I decided to take a break from the tretinoin and try to nurse some moisture back into my skin.

Though I had dry, flaky patches, I did notice that my skin felt a lot smoother and I was getting fewer breakouts. This was an encouraging sign (and the main reason I decided to stick it out)!

Once my face was back on track, i.e. less irritated, I went back to the Dermatica treatment, this time using it every two or three days.

I noticed that my skin was dealing with this schedule slightly better, but I was still getting the same redness and flakiness. I started to get into a cycle of using the treatment for a few days, experiencing dryness, waiting for it to clear up and then trying again. It wasn’t exactly the most efficient way of doing it…

So instead I took a different approach. I remembered reading in the Dermatica booklet that to minimise any initial reactions you could apply the cream OVER your moisturiser, and decided to give this a shot. I carried on using the treatment this way and though I still experienced some dryness, it was nowhere near as bad as it was before!

As I’m nearing the end of my third month using the Dermatica treatment, I’m still getting a few dry patches. But I can tell my skin has become more accustomed to it and I’m hopeful that in a few months I won’t experience any irritation at all!

Three-month update

I’m really happy with the way my skin looks at the moment! It’s much smoother and brighter than it was before. I also feel like I’m experiencing fewer breakouts, and any red marks I did have (from previous breakouts) seem to have disappeared.

Since retinoids do take such a long time to work, this is still early days and I’m sure that I’ll see more improvements if I continue to use the Dermatica personalised treatment.

1.5 year update

It’s July 2023 and I thought I’d pop back in to post a quick update. It’s been almost two years since I started my Dermatica treatment and I honestly can’t imagine not having tretinoin in my skincare routine anymore!

This is the product that has single handedly made the biggest difference to my skin and I’m so pleased with the way it looks now. The texture is much smoother, my skin tone is more even and I get far less breakouts. I guess the clue is in the name, ‘Skin Glow’, but the treatment plan I chose has really made my skin look so much healthier and dewier.

Dermatica side effects

Before starting the treatment I’d researched the potential side effects of retinoids quite a bit and I was prepared for my skin to purge i.e. for it to get worse before it got better. Typical side effects you can expect with retinoids are:

• Tightness
• Dryness
• Redness
• Flaking
• Purging

Fortunately, the tretinoin skin purge from my Dermatica treatment was not as bad as I expected, and the breakouts I did have were no more severe than normal.

I did (and still do), however, suffer with a quite a bit of dryness and flaking. If your skin is on the sensitive side I think it takes a lot longer to become accustomed to regular retinoid usage.

Is Dermatica suitable for retinoid beginners?

If you’re completely new to retinoids, I would recommend starting with a weaker form like retinol or retinal.

For those ready to take the next leap, Dermatica’s tretinoin treatment is a great way for beginners to incorporate retinoids into their skincare routine.

I like that the dermatologist starts you off with a strength that’s appropriate for your skin type and concerns, it gets rid of all the guesswork!

I also think it’s nice that your Dermatica dashboard has a built-in timeline so you can keep track of your skin journey. It’s so encouraging to see the progress your skin has made over time.

Best of all, you have the guidance and advice of a dermatologist at your fingertips so you can ask questions about your skin and your treatment whenever you need to.

Dermatica Tretinoin Review: Is it worth it?

At first I was a little worried that my skin might not get on with this treatment, but I’m actually really happy with the results. I have noticed huge changes in my skin and with consistent use I can only see it getting better.

For my skin type at least, I think the key to using the Skin Glow treatment is to take it VERY slowly. It’s better to ease your skin in than bombard it and have to take a week off to let it recover.

One thing I would say about the treatment plan, especially at the start, is that you probably won’t need a new cream each month. I ended up with a backlog of product because I was only using it a couple of times a week.

The tubes are so small that when it arrived I thought “how can this possibly last me the whole month?”, but a little goes a long way with this stuff!

Dermatica gives you the option to delay shipping of your personalised treatment, so I would highly recommend doing that. I’d say every 6 weeks is probably good to begin with.

When you’ve worked yourself up to using the cream everyday and you’re getting through it quicker, then you can change it back.

How much does a Dermatica subscription cost?

It’s £24.99 per treatment which is pretty good for a retinoid product! As I mentioned above, you may be able to stretch your treatment so it lasts longer than a month – mine typically lasts me six weeks. Plus, you can switch to a longer-term treatment plan to save money. Choosing the 3-month plan makes it £21 per treatment, for example.

Want to save a bit of money? Use my discount code SUMMERSTUDY and you’ll get the first month free (excluding £2.90 for postage) and 10% off your second month subscription treatment.

Have you enjoyed this Dermatica tretinoin review? Are you interested in trying a personalised skincare treatment? Let me know!

Plus, if you’d like to learn more about retinoids and how to use them, check out my Introduction to Retinoids post.