Renova

Renova reduces fine facial wrinkles. May cause sunburning, so use sunscreens and wear protective clothing during treatment.

Renova Overview

Updated: 

Renova is a prescription medication used to reduce fine facial wrinkles or to control acne. 

Renova belongs to a group of drugs called retinoids. It is not known exactly how it works to reduce fine facial wrinkles. 

Renova comes in cream form and is applied to the face once a day, in the evening. 

Common side effects of Renova include peeling, dry skin, and redness of the skin.

How was your experience with Renova?

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What are you taking Renova for?

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  • Other
  • Acne Vulgaris
  • Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute

How long have you been taking it?

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  • Less than a week
  • A couple weeks
  • A month or so
  • A few months
  • A year or so
  • Two years or more

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Renova Cautionary Labels

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Uses of Renova

Renova is a prescription medication that may reduce fine wrinkles. Renova is for patients who are using a total skin care and sunlight avoidance program. Renova does not remove wrinkles or repair sun-damaged skin. 

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Manufacturer

Renova Drug Class

Renova is part of the drug class:

Side Effects of Renova

Common side effects of Renova include peeling, dry skin, redness of the skin, burning, stinging, and itching.

This is not a complete list of Renova side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Renova Interactions

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

  • thiazide diuretics
  • tetracycline antibiotics such as demeclocycline (Declomycin), doxycycline (Monodox, Vibramycin, others), minocycline (Minocin), oxytetracycline (Terramycin), and tetracycline (Sumycin, Tetrex, others)
  • fluoroquinolone antibiotics
  • ketoconazole (Nizoral)
  • phenothiazine medications
  • sulfonamide-containing medications
  • aminocaproic acid (Amicar)
  • certain calcium channel blockers such as diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac, others) and verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan)
  • cimetidine (Tagamet)
  • cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Gengraf, Neoral)
  • erythromycin (E.E.S., Erythrocin, E-Mycin)
  • hydroxyurea (Droxia)
  • pentobarbital
  • phenobarbital
  • rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
  • oral steroids such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), and prednisone (Deltasone)
  • tranexamic acid (Cyklokapron)
  • vitamin A

This is not a complete list of all drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

You should avoid using skin products that can dry or irritate your skin because skin dryness and irritation are increased with Renova. Skin products that can dry and irritate your skin include:

  • products that contain alcohol, astringents, or spices
  • acne medicines that contain benzoyl peroxide, sulfur, resorcinol, or salicylic acid
  • medicated soap or skin cleansers

This is not a complete list of all drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Renova Precautions

Do not use Renova if:

  • you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
  • you are sunburned or your skin is irritated
  • you are highly sensitive to sunlight
  • have eczema or other skin conditions
  • you are allergic to any of the ingredients in Renova

Exposure to sunlight (including sunlamps) should be avoided or minimized during use of Renova use because of heightened sunburn susceptibility.

Tretinoin has been reported to cause severe irritation to patients with eczema and should be used only with caution if you have this particular skin condition.

Avoid contact with the eyes, ears, nostrils, angles of the nose, and mouth. Renova may cause severe redness, itching, burning, stinging, and peeling if used on these areas.

Avoid excessive exposure to wind or cold. Extremes of climate tend to dry or burn normal skin. Skin treated with Renova may be more vulnerable to these extremes. Your physician can recommend ways to manage your acne treatment under such conditions.

Renova Food Interactions

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of this medication, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet.

Inform MD

Before using Renova, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

  • are allergic to Renova or to any of its ingredients
  • have eczema or other skin conditions
  • have heart problems
  • have elevated cholesterol levels
  • have liver problems
  • are pregnant or breastfeeding
  • are using any other medicines to treat your acne. Do not use other medicines unless they are recommended by your doctor.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
 

Renova and Pregnancy

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

  • The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.
  • This medication falls into category C. Do not use Renova if you are pregnant or attempting to become pregnant. If you become pregnant while using Renova, please contact your doctor immediately.

Renova and Lactation

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if this medication crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using this medication.

Renova Usage

What should I avoid while using Renova cream?

  • Renova can make your treated skin more sensitive to sunlight. Therefore, keep out of the sunlight as much as possible and do not use sunlamps. Avoid as much as possible products that can increase skin irritation, such as:
    • other skin medicines
    • medicated or abrasive (rough) soaps
    • permanent wave solutions
    • chemical hair removers or waxes
    • electrolysis
    • products with alcohol, spices, astringents, or lime
    • cleansers, shampoos, or cosmetics with a strong drying effect
    • other products that may irritate your skin

Follow your doctor's instructions on how to use the Renova you were prescribed.

  • First, wash with a mild soap, non-medicated soap and pat dry your skin gently with a towel. WAIT 20 to 30 MINUTES BEFORE APPLYING MEDICATION; it is important for skin to be completely dry in order to minimize possible irritation.
  • Be especially careful when applying Renova to avoid your eyes, ears, nostrils, angles of the nose, and mouth. Spread medication away from these areas when applying. Renova may cause severe redness, itching, burning, stinging, and peeling if used on these areas.
  • Do not use more medication or more often than your doctor has prescribed. Too much medication may irritate or increase the irritation of your skin, and will not give faster or better results.
  • You can use a facial cream or lotion of SPF 15 or higher each morning after washing your face. Using a moisturizer is to protect the treated areas from dryness. Follow your doctor's advice because you need to use a cream or lotion that will not make your acne worse. Using sunscreen and wearing protective clothing will protect the treated areas from sunlight. If you sunburn easily, or if you spend a lot of time exposed to sunlight, be especially careful to protect your skin.
  • You may use cosmetics one hour after applying Renova. However, clean your face before using cosmetics and remove cosmetics from your skin before using this medication. Talk to your doctor about recommended cosmetics.

Renova (tretinoin cream)

  • Use Renova as a part of a total skin care and sun avoidance program. Renova cream is usually applied to the face once a day in the evening.
    • Squeeze a small amount of Renova cream on your fingertip, and apply to your face. This looks about the size of a pearl about ¼ inch or 5mm diameter. This should be enough to cover your affected area lightly.

Renova Dosage

Renova (tretinoin)- Apply a small pearl-sized (about ¼ inch or 5 millimeter diameter) amount of cream to cover the entire affected area lightly. Caution should be taken when applying the cream to avoid the eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth.

Renova Overdose

If you use too much this medication, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

Other Requirements

  • Renova- store at room temperature