(January 19, 2009 - Insidermedicine) Tretinoin, a common skin cream ingredient, has been linked with an increased risk of death among elderly men in a study published in the Archives of Dermatology.

Here is some information about tretinoin:

•    A derivative of vitamin A, tretinoin is used in many skin creams to treat conditions such as acne and sun damage.

•    Products that contain tretinoin include Retin-A, Atralin, Renova, Avita, and Altinac.

•    Tretinoin stimulates skin cells to divide and die quicker, speeding up the turnover of new skin and reducing the number of layers of skin cells.

Rresearchers from the VA Medical Center and Brown University in Providence randomly assigned over 1,000 elderly male veterans to apply a cream containing tretinoin or a cream containing no tretinoin to their face and ears every day for 2 years. The study was originally designed to assess if the cream would prevent skin cancers.

The study was stopped 6 months early after the tretinoin group had a significantly higher death rate than those using the cream containing no tretinoin. The authors point out that there is no known reason why tretinoin would increase the risk of death and that this popular ingredient has never been linked with an increased risk of death in the past.

Today's research suggests that elderly men considering using a cream containing tretinoin should discuss any potential risks with their health care professional.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.