Tretinion and Retin-A are the strongest form of retinol available and very strictly only available on prescription via a doctor in the UK. Thus to get it I have been forced to either get it at great expense from a UK doctor privately or buy it abroad in countries with less tight restrictions like Thailand or Mexico.

Anyway recently things have changed a bit and you can now get prescription strength retinol via the internet through online dermatologist services. There is two main companies offering this at the moment in the UK, Skin+Me and Dermatica. After weighing up and comparing the two I decided to go with Skin+me. It’s really simple to sign up on their website, you answer some questions about your age, skin condition and concerns and then take a couple of close up, make up free and unfiltered face pics and then a dermatologist comes up with a suggested formulation personalised specifically for you. I had previously done Obagi Nu-derm and was already using prescription Retin-A that I had bought on holiday in Thailand and am an experienced retinol user so I managed to get them to prescribe me a relatively high dose to start. Usually they start people on a lower dose and then build your tolerance to it it up over a few months. My personalised formulation also includes niacinamide and azeliac acid.

It comes each month in a convenient postbox friendly sized package with a simple aluminium tube that you twist and it dispenses exactly the right amount of product for a single use. The packaging is all completely plastic free and fully recyclable. It’s all very clever and well thought out. This cost is £19.99 a month, so is massively cheaper than seeing a dermatologist in the UK and paying for a private prescription. I have a special referral code and so you can get your first and fifth month for just £3.50 https://www.skinandme.com/?promocode=ROBINE5TU9