Let's be honest, retinol at any age is a good idea. But if you're in your 30's and you haven't embarked on your retinol journey, fear not... I'm here to guide you!...Because it's time to start. Retinol is THE go to ingredient for an anti-aging skincare routine. That's because its one of the most well studied ingredients. It speeds up cell regeneration in layman's terms, makes your skin look more youthful!
As an Esthetician I get A LOT of questions about retinol and vitamin a derivatives. So I'm going to answer some of the most popular questions in this blog post. First of all, is 30 too late to start anti-aging in general? Absolutely not! With the array of ingredients available you can get started wherever you're at and develop a great routine that fits your needs and lifestyle at any age.
Does skin purge with retinol?
Your skin shouldn't purge with retinol. Let me explain that in another way, if you don't currently have breakouts, and you're using retinol for anti-aging benefits, and you begin to breakout, you should take that as a sign your skin is irritated and back off for a day or two. Breakouts are a side effect very similar to redness, dryness, peeling, sensitization. It's not something you should bulldoze through as if it's normal. Its normal in the sense that; yes skin reacts that way when it's irritated. Not normal in the sense that; it should be accepted and you should basically ignore it without making adjustments to your routine.
Who shouldn't use retinol?
Retinol can be a pretty aggressive ingredient (depending on the formula), therefore, your teens and early twenties you should use it very sparingly if at all. Some people are also ultra-sensitive or even allergic to retinol. And in this case, you should not use it either. One more reason you cannot use retinol, if you are pregnant. Pregnancy is a contraindication and you should stop usage during this time period.
What happens when you stop retinol?
When you stop retinol, your skin adapts to its new circumstances. Cell regeneration will no longer be “sped up”. But in my opinion, it’s good to take breaks from your retinol. I call it skin confusion. Confusing the skin can help to challenge it in a positive way and increase the affects you get from your products.
How quickly does retinol work?
Retinol begins working as soon as you start using it. The life cycle of a cell is approximately 28 days and therefore after 28 days of use you will see more noticeable changes. But actually, depending on the strength of the formula you're using, you can see changes in your skin immediately. The first week using the Bauer Beauty one, you’ll notice your skin reacting with the normal side effects of increased cell proliferation; dryness, irritation, redness, sensitivity, etc. And during this process, you'll start to notice changes in your skin such as smoothing of fine lines, brightness, increased hydration. In conclusion, with a strong retinol OTC or prescription, you can see results very quickly!
Why wait 20 minutes after cleansing before applying retinol?
This is a method that some people like to use to decrease potential sensitization. When your skin is wet, the retinol is more potent. So, to avoid unintended consequence of increasing the effects before you're ready, it is best to wait until your skin is completely dry. A full 20 minutes is not necessary though!
How quickly does retinol purge start?
If you begin using retinol to reduce breakouts, you may purge. This can begin as quickly as a day or two after use. But again, like I said above, if you are using this for anti-aging and you don't currently have breakouts, you should not consider this purging, you should consider this irritation.
How do you know if retinol is working?
For me personally, in my late 30's, using vitamin a derivatives for 10+ years, I need to see a reaction in my skin within a few days. I know my retinol is working if I see my skin sensitization increase. Although it's not always "necessary" to experience sensitization in order to know its working, it's important to know your skin. It's just like working out, if I'm not sore I don't believe I worked the muscle group hard enough and my body reflects that, I don't see growth in the muscle. If I don't see my skin react to the retinol, I don't see results in my skin improvement.
Can I put moisturizer over retinol?
Yes, and you should apply moisturizer over retinol! Unless you're using a moisturizer with retinol. Or, if you want to buffer the effects of retinol, in that case apply your retinol over your moisturizer.
Do I need to wash retinol off in the morning?
It's not necessary to wash off your retinol in the morning, but because your skin is now ultra-photosensitive, you do need to be very diligent about applying a sunscreen in the morning.
Is it better to put retinol on wet or dry skin?
If you want to increase the effects of your retinol, apply it to damp skin. That's why I prefer to apply my Bauer Beauty Retinol Body Treatment as well as my prescription tretinoin on damp skin! But if you're new to retinol, I highly recommend easing into it and applying to dry skin, or even over moisturizer to really gauge your tolerance.
Do you leave retinol on overnight?
Yes absolutely! Commercial retinol is a leave on product. There are professional strength retinol peels that are meant to be neutralized but your everyday retinol, prescription or not, is meant to be left on.
Is retinol 3 times a week enough?
You should use your retinol as frequently as you can tolerate it. Using it 3 times per week can definitely be enough for some people, and not enough for others. Test your tolerance by easing into it and increasing/decreasing based on how your skin reacts.
Can I apply retinol under eyes or lips?
You definitely can! Tretinoin will dry out your lips and irritate your under eye if you're a beginner. So in this case I would highly recommend using an eye cream especially formulated for the eye. You can use this same formula on the lips. However, if you're more advanced in your retinol journey, you may be comfortable using tretinoin under your eyes and on your lips instead. For me personally, i like to use tretinoin on the orbital rim but inwards of that, I typically use a retinol specifically formulated for the eye area. I always use tretinoin on my lips and I've been doing that for years, it's amazing! But it most definitely dries out your lips.
Is retinol stronger than tretinoin?
Tretinoin (prescription vitamin a) is pure retinoic acid and that is what makes it stronger. Retinol requires the skin to convert it into a more bioavailable compound which reduces its potency. So even super strong retinol usually cannot compete with prescription strength tretinoin. But this isn't always true! Especially because as a formulator, I know first-hand I'm developing stronger formulas all the time. Since we can't practically use tretinoin on the body, but a very strong formula is still required to actually change the body skin, we need a retinol formula that can work just as well!
How can I make my retinol work faster?
The only way to make your retinol work faster, is to increase the frequency and strength. But you don't want to do this too fast, you want to mitigate side effects as much as possible and gradually increase.
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