Sun damage

[mrsjackrussell]

Can anyone recommend a good product for sun damaged skin that will get rid of sunspots? I'm in my 50s with fair skin. Wrinkles not too bad but I would love to get a clearer skin.

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Retinoids can sort sun damage, I use prescription strength Retin-A, but a lot of people start with one of The Ordinary's retinoids and work up from there.
Sunscreen is a must too if you don't already

Thanks. I have one of the ordinary products but it didn't seem to do much and might be the wrong one. It's azelaic acid 10%. I'm going to finish this up anyway then look into the other products.

azelic acid is excellent in its own way but what you really want is something like tretinoin and sunblock!

Thankyou iv just ordered the ordinary 5% granactive retinoid and iv heard good things about Stila stay all day beauty balm which has spf 30 in it. I'm normally very basic in my skincare. Use sulphur soap to wash and a lush moisturiser but I think I need a bit more.
I just want to feel better in myself.

Yes Merry tretinoin is the retin-A I use and I think its miracle stuff!

If you're UK based you have to order retin-A from Spain/Portugal, where its called Retrides (or Retirides?) or ask someone to grab you some when they're on holiday there.

Also mrsjack have you tried adding niacinamide to your routine? Its fantastic for evening up skintone, The Ordinary and The Inkey List do a niacinamide serum, but I use a face cream rich in it instead (Ponds B3 Clarant) which works better for me.

mrsjack you need a sunscreen separate to your moisturiser, you don't slap on moisturiser thickly enough for spf in them to actually work. Canmake Mermaid Gel and the Biore Watery Essence one are both amazing sunscreens which are great on their own and under makeup, you apply them as the last step of your skincare routine, after your moisturiser has had a couple of minutes to dry.
Wait for sunscreen to dry and then apply makeup, if you wear it.

Also, if you are using any kind of retinoid/retin-A you MUST use a sunscreen every day.

There is also a teething period with retinoids/retin-A, they tend to make your skin worse before it becomes amazing. When I started I got a purge phase (mild thankfully) with a smattering of spots, and some dry and flaky skin around my nose.

I was very, very careful to build up use slowly. I started using retin-A twice per week, then built up to three times, and now I use it every other day. My skin wouldn't tolerate ever day.

I cleanse my face, apply a very thin layer of moisturiser then wait for it I dry completely. Then I apply the retin-A, wait for an hour, and then apply my facial oil and more moisturiser.

Retin-A is more of a long term benefits thing, if you grit your teeth throughgd teething problems it will make you skin unbelievingly flawless (and its castle lessened my wrinkles) but it takes time to start seeing a difference. Three to six months into regular use is when it starts becoming v. noticeable

Great advice Thankyou. Can I use the ordinary retinoid and the niacinamide serum at the same time? It wasn't clear on the website.

I don't. The retinoid does everything the niacinamide does, plus a bit.

If you're dry-skinned you might want some sort of moisturiser/oil. I'm oily and the squalane in the retinoid was plenty for me.

Yes you can use retinoids and niacinamide, niacinamide is very good at helping sort the purge, I think its one of the best and most underrated things in skincare. Fantastic stuff. I even use setting spray with it in.

When you start using the retinoid, stop any acids (except hyaluronic acid, if you use it as its moisturising and not exfoliating) as retinoids dry your skin out at first, so make sure you aren't using anything too harsh.

That's not technically true Table, well not according to my dermatologist anyway .
There is some overlap between the two in terms of what they do, but both have their own unique and valuable properties in their own right, which you'd miss out on if you just used one or the other

I stand corrected, Dinosaurs

Its a bit of a minefield really Table isn't it? It wasn't many months ago that I started actually researching what the derm tells me rather than following blindly, and its a wormhole of epic proportions!

Fabulous thanks. Very informative. Iv ordered the mermaid gel. All this stuff v good price. Not as expensive as I would have thought. Can't wait to get it and use it.
I had an electro therapy facial recently too and that has made a slight difference. I shall be a new woman.