Retinol A cream for sensitive skin

[Eleanorsummer]

Can anyone recommend me one that doesn't aggravate your skin? At the moment the only products I use are an eminence rosehip whip moisturizer and Elizabeth Arden facial oil. I am happy with these but want an anti ageing product too, and heard good things about retinol A.

I think there are a quite a few things to consider with retinol, particularly if you are trying over the counter products without any input from a dermotologist. It usually isn't the case that there will be one particular product you'll get on with. Most people have to build up a tolerance. If you have sensitive skin, you'll need to start really slowly, with a low dosage, and build it up over time.

While my skin is pretty good on the whole, it is prone to irritation and dehydration in winter. I've started to include Avene Physiolift Night Balm to my evening regime - it contains retinaldehyde, a derivative of retinol that can be a bit easier to get on with than retin-a, which was recommended by Dr. Sam Bunting as a good entry-level product for sensitive skin. However, even with this balm I had a bit of flaking and irritation at first (this is pretty normal part of adjusting to retinol that you should probably expect - however, if your skin is painful and/or more than mildly inflamed, it is a bad reaction and you should stop using the product).

I hope to increase my use of the Avene balm up to 3-4 times a week over the next couple of months, then nightly once I'm completely confident my skin has adjusted. Over time, I want to then evolve to higher strengths / more potent types of retinols. Your skin may be less sensitive than mine, so you might be able to start with a stronger product, but you should still start slowly and build up over time.

*Dermatologist, obviously...

Also, make sure to use a good SPF in the day (if you aren't already), and add the retinol to your night-time regime rather than in the morning. There is quite a bit of evidence that retinols can make your skin more photosensitive, so you need to be protecting your skin during the day to make sure you're not actually being counterproductive by making your skin more sensitive to sun-related ageing!

Thank you. That makes sense about building up over time. I had heard that it can cause dry patches of skin at first, my skin is on the dry side anyway, so that's something I'll have to keep an eye on.

I am going to look up the Avene balm

I'm using The Ordinary granactive retinoid, it's a gentler option. I did research the science bit but I've forgotten it all, I'm sorry....my skin is happy though and it only costs a fiver