To be nervous about using retinol

[JNicholson]

god knows I could use it. But something so powerful that it can actually reverse wrinkles makes me nervous, it seems like it must be so powerful that there’s got to be an unintended negative side effect (e.g. carcinogenic) somewhere. Plus of course I worry about it making skin more likely to burn. AIBU?

Start with a low dose and use a tiny amount. Then build up.

Well it can cause you to get UV damage which means it is potentially carcinogenic. I used retin A a few years ago for a while. It didn't do much for me but it made my skin soft

Use it at night, sunscreen every day.

Tret has been around since the 50’s and there is nothing to suggest it’s carcinogenic. And as retinol is similar but not as strong, I doubt there’ll be any issues there either.

I tried small amounts, low dose. I had a really bad reaction to it. It works wonders for dome, but it's not for everyone. Patch testing is sensible

I started using a retinol serum as part of my night time skin care regime a year or so ago. I read up about it a bit at the time and the opinion seemed to be that the percentage of retinol in the product I was using wasn't high enough to make much difference to wrinkles.
However when I started using it I found a real improvement in my skin. So I've continued using it. Since I started I do use a high factor sun screen on my face ss part of my morning routine- I should probably have been doing this already. I sort of assume also that if the retinol is such low percentage it must reduce the potential for damage.

I find the retinol serum beneficial but I have to say even using that if I don't get enough sleep or drink enough water it really ages my face. I think sleep and hydration are so important in skin care.

I tried a Retinol night serum a few times, but it made my skin go dry and flakey. Even using it just weekly made my skin flake.

I found hyaluronic acid serum much better for my skin.