Tretinoin emollient cream 0.01% for the treatment of photoaged skin.

Tretinoin emollient cream 0.01% was used to treat 40 patients with photoaged skin of the face and forearms in a 48-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. On the face, a significant difference between treatment groups was found in the investigator's global evaluation (P < .001), and in fine wrinkling (P < .001) and coarse wrinkling (P = .02) at 24 weeks. Tretinoin-treated forearms showed significantly greater improvement in roughness, mottled hyperpigmentation, fine wrinkling, and lentigines at 24 and 48 weeks. More consistent improvement was seen on the forearms than on the face. Adverse experiences on the face in both treatment groups included dryness, peeling, and acne. No significant difference in reported adverse experiences was found between forearms in both treatment groups. On forearms, dermatitis was the most common adverse event. Tretinoin 0.01% was generally well tolerated, and skin irritation was minimal. Tretinoin emollient cream 0.01% is a potentially safe, effective treatment for photodamaged skin.