Tretinoin / working resource
Study reading worksheet
Separate a reported result from the question the study was designed to answer.
Start with the product-specific question
What the labels say it is for
Tretinoin for acne and photoaged skin, with the evidence and its limits in plain view. What should I know about what the labels say tretinoin is for?
Open the Tretinoin library ↗A Cochrane review reports that eight trials showed topical tretinoin cream in concentrations of 0.02% or higher was superior to placebo for mild to severe photodamage on the face and forearms, although losses to follow-up were relatively high in most studies. It concludes that erythema, scaling/dryness, burning/stinging and irritation may be experienced initially.
Read the original record ↗
Write the question before the result.
A Tretinoin headline may describe an animal experiment, an uncontrolled observation or a randomized human trial. Those designs answer different questions. Complete the record before deciding whether a result applies to a product.
Keep the result attached to its boundary.
When there is no human comparison group or no relevant clinical endpoint, record that explicitly. A mechanism, biomarker or plausible explanation does not become a demonstrated patient benefit.
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