I do think that Renova is usually given for wrinkles,hyperpigmentation... and Retin-A for acne. Both medications do have Tretinoin in them, so I am not sure why one is given for acne and the other for wrinkles. I think the Renova is a cream? Maybe this one is given for people with more dry skin and Retin-a for those with oily skin (usually acne prone). This is just a wild guess. I wonder if Retin-a is in a gel usually? Do you have acne prone skin that tends to also be dry? I'm currently using Green cream which has retinol, but plan on getting some tretinoin when I see my derm. I love this stuff. It is really helping my skin.

That's the thing - I have oily, acne prone skin. Lately, it has been looking better though as I have been getting microdermabrasion treatments along with 50% AHA peels. My aesthetician is who prescribed me the Renova. My skin in perfect except for my chin and my upper lip, where I currently have about three cysts total that are on the mend :)

I have read about Green Cream on this board and am interested in testing it out, but I am afraid of an "initial breakout" as some people have said they experienced on Green Cream. Are you using the green cream for acne? How is the difference in your skin?

yes, I am using Green cream for acne. It is level 6 (6% retinol) and I built up to using it everynight and 3 times during the day. I think .01% tretinoin is equal to 10% retinol. So your renova is a lot stronger than the green cream. Everything will happen quicker for you as long as you can tolerate it. The green cream is nice because i can use it under my eyes, on my lips, neck, and chest. I heard I can also use it on my eye lids, but I haven't tried it yet.
I'm almost 38 so I like the bonus of looking younger while I get rid of acne.
I just couldn't tolerate retin-a because of my sensitive skin.