Using topical retinoids won't only upregulate your collagen synthesis but also improve skin cell turnover. This means you can amplify your skin lightening results with a topical retinoid like tazarotene or tretinoin.
MOA of both tret and taz
Tazarotene generally mogs tretinoin in terms of side effect profile and effectiveness, I would only recommend using taz. But if you don't have the option of using taz, you can feel free to use some tret.
Both pretty much do the same thing:
Accelerating the cell turnover, which helps fade hyperpigmentations.
Inhibiting tyrosinase indirectly by normalizing keratinocate behavior and disrupting melanin transfer.
Thickening of the epidermis and compacting the stratum corneum, in simple words this means it evens out your tone and light reflection.
Apart from that topical retinoids enhance the penetration of other pharmaceuticals including hydroq. or azelaic acid.
Dosage
Common dosages for both retinoids include 0.05-0.1% for taz and 0.025-0.1% for tretinoin.
Here an example of tret 0.05%.
And here a great example of 0.05% of taz.
As already mentioned, I would always suggest taking taz over tretinoin.
What to consider
- Work your way up with smaller dosages and starting off with eod treatment first
- It can take 3-6 months to first see results, consistency is key
- Side effects typically start early on, but fade later on