Week 7 of 1% Retinol...should I be noticing a difference by now?

[Mayflower01]

As title,

I’m on week 7 of the Paula’s Choice 1% Retinol. I started off just using it 3 x a week but over the past 4 weeks have been using it every other night. In all honesty I’ve had 0 dryness or redness/ peeling etc from it so I think I’m just going to start using it every night.

I’m 31 and have been using Nip & Fab products with Sarylic acid and Glycolic acid in for the past 5 years so I my skin is actually pretty good. Rarely get spots and I always get complimented on how glowy it is. However, I’d say the past year it’s definitely got a bit duller, hence the Retinol use.

I also have v faint fine lines now on my forehead, these used to go if I drank loads of water, but they don’t anymore. Those, and the fact that I seem to have slightly enlarged pores now on my inner cheeks either side of my nose were the 2 reasons I started with the Retinol.

It’s week 7 and apart from breaking me out quite bad, I’m really not noticing any difference in my skin. Doesn’t seem any smoother or more glowy really I don’t think. Pores are still enlarged and wrinkles on my head 0 difference.

I have no idea when I’ll run out of the Paula’s Choice one due to the packaging but am wondering whether to bother repurchasing or to try a different Retinol instead?

Or maybe I need to use other stuff along with the Retinol? I keep seeing people talking about AHA’s etc? Would using one of these speed up the results of the Retinol?

Do I just need to be patient? I’m aware that the fine lines won’t reduce for potentially a couple of years (if they do at all) I was just hoping that I’d have noticed a difference in my pores after 7 weeks of use.

Glycolic acid is an AHA so you've been using those for years. Acids show quick, but intermittent results as opposed to retinol's substantiative progressive results. Retinol takes time, the prescription strength takes 6 months to evaluate properly so take that as a guide and if you're really impatient switch to tretinoin (have a look at Dermatica, it's an affordable online dermatologist service) when you're done with Paula's Choice retinol.

You don't mention SPF at all, I do hope you've been using it all this time with all the acids and now even more importantly with the use of retinol as all the improvement will simply be undone by unprotected sun exposure (not in the immediate, I should clarify, it's long term damage that shows up later in life).

Well if it makes you feel any better I am on week 4 of using Sunday Riley A+ High dose retinoid, which claims to be 6.5% and haven't noticed any difference makes me wonder if a lot of these products are a con. I've tried loads of skin products over the years and the only one that's really made a noticeable difference is Lancome Genifique Advanced serum. No idea what's in it though

Yes, been using SPF every day since I was 18, the last 5 years or so I’ve upped it to SPF 50. I’ll have a look at Tretinoin, thanks.

Oh god, that’s not good oldgrinch and doesn’t give me much hope. 1% is nothing compared to 6! I really do think I should be noticing some difference by now at £50 a pop it wasn’t cheap either!

The percentages on retinoids are pretty much meaningless on OTC products. 6.5% retinoid as opposed to retinol mean different things and then all the retinoid derivatives have a different conversion rate as all tretinoin derivatives (incl. Retinol) require conversion to become the active ingredient. Difficult to calculate without extra information but it may very well be that the 6.5% retinoid is weaker than the 1% retinol (the max strength retinol allowed for sale).

The Sunday Riley retinol isn't 6.5% retinol, it's a retinoid blend (though they definitely don't make that clear unless you dig into the small print) I've read that the amount of retinol in it is roughly equivalent to 0.5 - 06.% retinol, but with retinol isn't all about the percentage. The formulation of the product is really important, as well as the way you use it. The Paula's choice retinol is a great product, though I would maybe build up to using it every night.

To echo Botemp, you need to give it time to work. I think a lot of people don't realise that it takes roughly 6 weeks for a newly formed skin cell to work its way through the layers of your skin and come up to the surface. The first 6 weeks of using a retinoid is generally about getting used to it, and then the following two 6 week periods is where you should start seeing results, it doesn't happen overnight.

At 31 I'm not m sure there's much work for it to do.

Thanks for explaining no wonder the Sunday Riley doesn't seem to be doing anything and it was really expensive as well

I think pure Retin-A (tretinoin) is what has all the scientific research behind it. Over the counter retinols don’t. Not to say they don’t work though, it may just be to a lesser extent.

Best over the counter retinol (well it’s a retinal!) I’ve used is Medik8 Crystal retinal 10. It’s strong but effective. Have heard good things about Paula’s choice too though. I think you have to give it time.

I’ve been on the hard stuff (Retin A 0.05%) since August and I’m seeing no effects yet. Apparently it’s 6-8 months, sigh. And your skin can get worse before it gets better. It was only 3 euros though!