How to Incorporate Retinol in Your Skin Care Routine for Best Results
If you’ve ever heard of retinol, you’re probably wondering what it can do for you or how to use it to enhance your skin’s appearance.
What Are The Benefits of Using Retinol
Now long story short, retinol is a form of vitamin A, its useful in the maintenance of our eyesight and also keeping our skin healthy and vibrant by:
· Increasing the collagen content
· Reducing the signs of aging (wrinkles and lines).
· Evenly distributes pigments
· Helps with skin texture by smoothening the surface
· Unclogs pores
One source of retinol, Retain -A was once used to battle acne, what people noticed was that it helped slow the aging process.
What Are the Negative Effects Retinol Can Have on Skin If You Misuse It?
Now just like all beauty products, there are some things to take note of. Like the fact that retinol should be applied only at night. This is because sunlight damages your skin by increasing the amount of pigments on it. This rule is very important if you want to see good results. I personally am not a sun lover, but if you want to keep using retinol, then you need to avoid the sun too.
When to Start Using Retinol?
A lady should start making use of retinol when she passes the age 30 bench mark. A dermatologist and director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital Dr. Joshua Zeichner, M.D. says “In your 30s, previous sun exposure leads to collagen damage, which weakens the skin’s foundation,” so always “make sure that you are using a topical retinoid in the evening to help stimulate collagen, strengthen the skin and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.”
The thing with those products is that they cause your skin to dry out and sometimes turn it red. Because of this, dermatologists advice that you start of using retinol products with lower concentrations and see how your skin responds, you can slowly increase the concentration as your skin become adopted. You are advised to buy over the counter products because they are FDA approved, have low concentrations of retinol and can be used without the supervision of a medical practitioner.
How Often to Apply Retinol
When using retinol products, Dr. Zeichner recommends using a pea sized amount for your face once a night. To give your skin enough time to adjust to the retinol, you should use it sparingly at first and with time increase the amount of times you use it. If you notice that your skin is having a bad reaction to the retinol such as irritation or dryness, then using just once a week instead.
How To Use Retinol For The Best Results?
In order to maximize the results gotten from retinol, it has to be applied correctly, because applying too little or too much will not get you the results you are looking for. Applying too much retinol will damage your skin and applying too little will provide you with little or no results.
Here’s how to incorporate retinol into your skin care routine:
Step 1: Wash your face and apply eye cream; the eye cream is to protect the skin around your eyes from any damage
Step 2: Make sure your skin is dry before applying any retinol product. Because damp skin absorbs retinol more than normal which could lead to irritation. So wait a few minutes to make sure your skin is dry
Step 3: When applying retinol to your face, use a pea sized amount and start applying from your chin. Use your fingertips and apply using upward and outward motions
Step 4: After application, you should also apply moisturizer or face oil
Step 5: Always use sunscreen the morning after application
The Best Skin Care Products To Use With Retinol
When using retinol it’s smart not to apply any other product that could cause complications, especially if your skin is the sensitive type. Combining retinol with other products like vitamin C or alpha or beta hydroxy acids is really not a good idea, as they are also potentially irritating substances.
The best thing you can use in conjunction with retinol, according to Dr. Zeichner, is a moisturizing product, “some people even prefer to mix their retinol with a moisturizing cream to dilute it out.” You want to choose a fragrance free gentle moisturizer, such as CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion, to mix with.
Add an oil! Oils make skin radiant. Oils like La Coéss REVITALISÉ Organic Face Oil, with Prickly Pear seed and Camellia oil help hydrate the skin and reduce any irritation caused by retinol. Apply 2 drops La Coéss face oil as the last step of night skin care routine, I wake up with a noticeable radiant, softer skin.
One thing you should always use in the day is sunscreen, as retinol can increase your skin’s sensitivity to UV light. I love to apply a layer of La Roche Posay Anthelios AOX Daily Antioxidant Serum with SPF 50 as the last step of my morning skin care routine.
What to Do When Your Skin Reacts With Retinol?
If you do experience any irritation, redness, drying, burning or flaking during your first few weeks of applying retinol, then Dr. Zeichner suggests increasing the time interval between use. He says “It takes time for your skin to adjust,” he also adds that “It also can make you more sensitive to the sun so make sure to wear a daily sunscreen.”
When To Expect Results?
If you really want to see results, then you need to be consistent in your use. Shereene Idriss, M.D., cosmetic dermatologist at Union Square Laser Dermatology and clinical instructor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City says “Retinol will not deliver visible results quickly, so patience is essential,”. Concerning speed of results, she adds that “Improvements in textural changes take about two to four months to start to become visible.”
All this means is that consistency is the key.
Can You Still Exfoliate While Using Retinol?
Most people ask if they should scrub before applying retinol. My response is usually no, unless you understand your skin. This is because scrubbing your skin sheds lot of skin cells leaving it a bit exposed and raw. Applying retinol in this condition may more likely to cause irritation. So even if you’re going to scrub your skin while using retinol, at least do it on opposite nights.
