Retinol? Do I need retinol?

[SerenityNowwwww]

I’ve seen it mentioned in magazines...

I have typical Celt skin - pale and a bit dry. I look positively transparent in the mornings and am getting wrinkles around the eyes and forehead.

Would this help? Any suggestions?

[Grobagsforever]

Drink water and eat well, give the chemicals a miss:)

[GhostCurry]

I’m curious too OP. I think the idea is to start before you really “need” it.

[TeddyIsaHe]

Yeah you know water is a chemical right? 😂

I use retinol (and tret) and it’s great. I started out with The Ordinary as it’s cheap so if my skin went bananas I wouldn’t mind the money lost!

I now use Medik-8 R-Retinoate which is powerful and pricey, but my 11’s, crows feet and marionettes are barely visible now.

There’s good how to’s with retinol on Caroline Hiron’s website if you want more info.

[SerenityNowwwww]

I’ve read some ‘top products’ lists but Im always dubious (have known journalists on trade magazines and The PRs just send them stuff - ditto dermatologists!)

[SerenityNowwwww]

Teddy £110 😲😲😲

[anonacatchat]

Ignore anything on Caroline Hirons / other bloggers list as whilst nice she just makes money from brands = this is their job .

Look to advice from Derms who don’t have a Product line .

Check out Dermatica and skin and me . Buy prescription strength not OTC which makes little difference IMO .

Wear daily sunscreen . Not in moisturizer.

[anonacatchat]

OTC which has literally limited proven results is always more expensive than prescription stuff which is proven to work ... the irony hey ;)

[MangoFeverDream]

Retinol is good, but a lot of formulations are $$$$. If your skin can tolerate it, I’d go for the retinoids (you can get them at overseas pharmacies that ship to the UK I think) but they won’t show results overnight. You need at least three months to see results and you have to start slowly, maybe a couple times a week. But it’s the real deal.

Oooor you can use a retinol formulation that you like, it will prove more gentle and include other nice ingredients, but I’d go with the cheaper and more effective stuff personally.

[SerenityNowwwww]

So - if I upped my Vit A intake would my hair and skin improve?

[SerenityNowwwww]

Liver, kidney, eel, fish... maybe not!!!

[TeddyIsaHe]

Tbh if you want stuff that actually works have a look at Dermatica. It’s an online monthly thing where you pay £20 a month for prescribed tret (or whatever they think is the best for your skin).

It really does work and is the holy grail for anti-aging.

[MangoFeverDream]

So - if I upped my Vit A intake would my hair and skin improve?

You’ve got to be careful with Vit A as it can be toxic in large doses! But retinoids are safe topicals as they’ve been used to probably a half-century at this point.

You just have to remember to use your sunscreen. It’s a must. Also some derms are nervous about using them during pregnancy or breastfeeding but no evidence this is actually harmful.

[Houseplantmad]

Have a look at Trinny Woodall on Instagram- she's posted about retinol and various options today. Read the comments though as some are really helpful eg people getting migraines from using some brands etc.

[ShaNaNaNaNa]

I was going to ask a retinol question today...hope you don’t mind me crashing your thread.

I’ve been using Retinol Reface (OTC) for a while and my skin is definitely softer, clearer and fine lines around eyes are reduced. I’d like to try something a bit stronger, but not TOO strong. Any recommendations, anyone?

[applepineapple]

Try Paulas Choice 1% Retinol (purple packaging). You can get sample sizes to try. Alternatively either Dermatica or Skin&Me provide a dermatology service where you answer a questionnaire and send images of your skin and you get a personalised cream depending on your skin type/ condition and needs.

[SerenityNowwwww]

What I have been doing recently (I got very lazy since lockdown) is use those (fibre) sponges (that are hard then you soak them) and a gently face wash in the morning then apply korres serum and face cream and on the evening use witch hazel and some eye/face cream.

My skin looks a better colour (more human than dead fish). I’m not vain - but I don’t want to look 100!

[Highlytrainedflunky]

I use viola retinol of Amazon it’s brilliant. Make my skin look healthy and reduces fine lines. If I run out and don’t use it for a week I can definitely tell the difference

[Feminist10101]

Drink water and eat well, give the chemicals a miss

What’s water made of? Two chemical elements. Plus the other ones that get added as it passes through rocks/sanitation plants. You’re about 70% water. The other 30% is made out of chemicals as well. As is everything. Including air.

Retinol is Vitamin A. If it was labelled that way, presumably you’d think it was a good thing to have?

[Sanjii]

I use a313 cream from amazon. I saw a friend recently after a long time and she asked me if I had Botox as my 11s are so much less noticeable. I also use hyaloronic acid (sp) which helps with plumbing and a proper sun screen every day.

[Namechanger87851]

I use dermatica . It’s U.K. based I pay 22.99 a month subscription and they send me one little bottle with Tretinoin in ( prescription strength retinol ) You cancel at any time and you can edit how often you get Sent the bottle for example every 5/6 weeks instead of per month . It’s a small bottle but mine last me about 5 weeks . They started me off on a lower percentage and built me up. You do like an online consultation where you send your photos . Easy Peasy!

Prescription strength is the most effective and often works out cheaper In the end than otc stuff .

I’d say do some research into using it Before you start . ( I started in spring going from zero skincare routine to what I have now ! So read up quite a lot )

retinol can be drying to the skin especially at first so need to up the mouisture ! You also need to wear daily spf ideally when you are on retinol. And be careful of mixing to many products at first .

Your skin will adjust over time tho. It definitely works

[ShaNaNaNaNa]

@applepineapple

Thanks for the recommendation! Have ordered the smaller size of the 1% retinol from PC to give it a whirl. 💐

[Fluffycloudland77]

It’s very effective for preserving collagen. You’ll lose 30% at menopause & 2% a year thereafter so you need to preserve what you can now.

[SerenityNowwwww]

@applepineapple

Try Paulas Choice 1% Retinol (purple packaging). You can get sample sizes to try. Alternatively either Dermatica or Skin&Me provide a dermatology service where you answer a questionnaire and send images of your skin and you get a personalised cream depending on your skin type/ condition and needs.

This one ? amazon.co.uk/Clinical-Treatment-Strength-Antioxidants-Peptides/dp/B07PRXVYCK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&psc=1&keywords=Paulas%2BChoice%2B1%25%2BRetinol&th=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzN1A4NVBETTU2N0JKJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzkzNDcxSlJGWkpMSkZJRU9TJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTEwMDI3MDgyOERKWDVZS00yOUxCJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&qid=1598799427&sr=8-2-spons&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">https://amazon.co.uk/Clinical-Treatment-Strength-Antioxidants-Peptides/dp/B07PRXVYCK/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=Paulas%2BChoice%2B1%25%2BRetinol&qid=1598799427&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzN1A4NVBETTU2N0JKJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzkzNDcxSlJGWkpMSkZJRU9TJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTEwMDI3MDgyOERKWDVZS00yOUxCJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21]]

[anonacatchat]

I wouldn’t bother with amazon own products or anything from amazon . Lots of counterfeits .

A313 is meh - retinol palmitate

Watch on YouTube Dr Bunting / Dr Dray / Dr Natalia Spierlings

Wear sunscreen and avoid the sun on your face is the most important factor

[anonacatchat]

You can also buy tret in ;
Greece 3 euro
Spain 15 euro
Portugal 3 euro