Can I ask what your skincare routine is? Preferably including Vit C serum and Retinol...

[VillageFete]

Hi,

Just wondering how to incorporate Vit C serum and Retinol in to my skincare routine? Also, any recommendations for these products? I’m looking at Garden of Wisdom and Drunk Elephant 1% Retinol up to now.

I’m hitting my mid 30’s now and conscious of dull, ageing skin.

My usual night time routine is double cleanse, then tone with micellar water, then moisturise. I also exfoliate with Dermalogica a couple of times per week.
Day time is wipe over my face with micellar water, then factor 50 SPF, moisturise and then put my make up on.

Any help/advice/recommendations?

Might be worth noting that i’m having an embryo transfer in July and will (hopefully) fall pregnant. I know Retinol is a no no when pregnant, but I was thinking it may be ok to trial it until June?

You could look at beauty pie. You pay a subscription on £5-£15 depending on your needs (£5 for each £50 allowance) and you can get nice skincare and makeup at discounted rates. They have retinol and vitamin c capsules. They are exclusively online so deliver during lockdown.

You should go and look on the skin care thread I'm sure it has something to do with snails in the title. They really know their stuff, super friendly too.

As a basic rule. Vit c in the day, retinol at night. High SPF an absolute must with both of those ingredients. Always start with the lightest formula first.

Vichy and La Roche Posay are both good, affordable brands to start with.

I don't think it's worth starting on retinol if you'll come off it for over a year (assuming you bf) within months. Retinol is a long game you'll just be stuck in the build up phase/gradual introduction and lose any progress that you won't be able to just pick up again without seeing any substantial results. If you are looking for a retinol in the future I'd go with Medik8's crystal retilnaldehyde or straight in with the prescription stuff through dermatica.

For Vitamin C, I much prefer timeless, gow isn't the nicest of formulas and the packaging caused me a lot of issues. If you've never used it build up use slowly, and sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen. Even if stuck indoors use everyday. Mineral SPF50 is probably the best choice with pregnancy in mind (to minimise the chance of pigmentation). Good luck with the embryo transfer

Check with your GP what would be an safe time lapse between retin and pregnancy.
I use Drunk Elephant vitamin c Serum, Retin a from Dermatica and Ultrasun factor 50. I would lay off the exfoliant if you’re using a retinol as it might be too much and irritate your skin.

Thanks ladies, appreciate the replies. Will try and track down the skincare thread...

I’ve been wanting to use Retinol for bloody ages 😩 but years of TTC and failed IVF and then finally falling pregnant naturally (by some miracle) put a stop to it! As I say, will be going for embryo transfer in July and was hoping to dip in to Retinol first and see how I go, but maybe not the best idea then...

Dermatica... Never heard of them. When the time comes I can order Retinol through them?

I use La Roche Posay factor 50 every day... do I put Vit C serum on before that? Then the sunscreen and then moisturiser? I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to use the Vit C at night before bed, or just in the AM?

Vitamin c usually in the morning, it really depends what you're using it for. Sunscreen always last so serum, moisturiser, SPF.

Dermatica gets you tretinoin which is the active ingredient retinol converts into but at much lower concentrations than the prescription stuff. It's quite a difference in terms of efficacy.

If you go on The Ordinary's website/deciem, on their contact page is a link you can use to ask about what products you should use. If you say you're interested in Vit C and Retinol they can recommend you some products and a routine how to use them.

I'm pregnant and have been using my Ordinary skincare throughout my pregnancy (when I can be bothered!) and have good results using their cleanser, glycolic acid, niacinaminde & zinc, and hyaluronic acid.

@botemp Thanks for your help and advice. Re - Vitamin C, I guess to even out skin tone and to give me a bit of a healthy glow? My main focus is anti ageing, but not sure how far I can go with it all what with embryo transfer looming (Was supposed to transfer this month, obviously Covid put a stop to that, so aiming for July at my clinic in Cyprus)

I just want to look as healthy and as youthful as I can, so taking a look in to what I can do to improve my skincare routine.

@bogoblin Congratulations! Will take a look at that brand. Did you use Vit C serum/Retinol before pregnancy?

For glow/tone morning is fine, it's usually used at night in high concentrations to tackle pigmentation. Vitamin c is fine to use throughout pregnancy, as retinol alternatives you could consider peptides or bakuchiol but they've got little to no evidence behind them.

@VillageFete

Thank you

I've tried a Vitamin C moisturiser, just Superdrug's own, but I didn't get really good results until I used the Ordinary. Not a shill, just genuinely pleased with the results!
I found when I dialled my skincare down to basics (cleanse, hydrate) my skin went ick again, and reintroducing the niacinamide and glycolic acid really made a difference.
I've found them to give really good advice though and no obligation to buy! They'll put together a routine for you using all the different products you're interested in though it can take a few days to come through.

Best of luck for July!

Dermatica is an online service. You upload photos, fill in a detailed form and they contact you every couple of months for a progress update. It costs about £20 a month.
I always put sunscreen on first then wait 19 minutes or so before serum and then moisturiser.

@botemp Thank you. No, not overly concerned with pigmentation. Just want a healthy glow really. Any other suggestions as to what I can do/add to help combat ageing and give me a healthy glow, whilst awaiting embryo transfer? This IVF stuff is such a bloody nuisance.

A few times a week I use Dermalogica daily microfoliant to keep dead skin cells at bay. Now and again (maybe twice a month) I use my Dermalogica kit. I double cleanse with it, the use their exfoliating mask for 15 mins, then tone and moisturise. It really makes me glow, as the exfoliating mask contains Lactic and Hydroxy acid.

This as adventurous as it gets for me. Ultimately i’m hoping for clear, healthy looking skin and hoping to keep wrinkles at bay.

Healthy glow is a lot about exfoliation so you can look at a more frequent exfoliator but you're already using a fair amount. It's worth looking diet, sugar is really bad in terms of ageing skin and they're now speculating sugar replacements are even worse. If you're not getting in oily fish twice a week I'd consider a supplement for omega 3, fermented cod liver oil capsules give me serious glow ( I take www.amazon.co.uk/Armorica-Fermented-Liver-500mg-Capsules/dp/B07FTKF878/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=armorica&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1586434850&sr=8-1) but I think you'll struggle keeping them down in your first trimester 😬

Sorry to jump on OP but this is v much what I'm interested in. I'm still breastfeeding a toddler and likely to start TTC again as soon as I stop so I know retinol is out for a couple of years, I'm 36 and really really noticing lines and just a general haggard/drawn look compared to photos last year when I was getting less sleep and probably eating less well.

I've dipped in and out of the 'snail' threads but I'm never sure what 'serious' skincare is pregnancy and breastfeeding friendly. My skin is quite sensitive, which is also an issue: I don't really want luxury I just want decent anti-aging. Spent a lot of my twenties in hot countries, was religious about factor fifty but think it's still having a negative effect.

Have been keen to start the vitamin c, would love recommendations about the most effective moisturiser or serum.

@timetest your SPF needs to be the last thing you apply. After serums etc...

I thought so too withlotsoflove however the brand I use recommend it goes on first then after 10 minutes or so use other products on top. It seems to be working for me.

@timetest I’m looking at Drunk Elephant Vit C but am seeing reviews that it’s not easily absorbed, and it’s difficult to apply make up after it etc... Do you mix yours with anything? Do you think it’s worth me taking the plunge on it without trying something a little cheaper first?

I use a mixture of Beauty Pie and The Ordinary and I'm delighted with the results.

Both offer advice and suggested regimes.

Both are good value for high quality ingredients.

I wouldn't recommend the drunk elephant vitamin c. A lot of posters on the skincare threads have received expired items and the customer service was pretty poor in response. You shouldn't mix vitamin c with anything else, the Timeless is like water it just absorbs and you wouldn't know it was there.

@botemp Looking at it now and I’m impressed. I think i’ll go for that. So, I can use that AM and PM or best just AM? Cleanse, apply Vit C, moisturise, SPF. Is that correct?

I’ve heard good things about Drunk Elephants retinol, mainly from skin care specialists on Instagram. Have you used it?

@botemp I mean i’m going to purchase Timeless Vit C, the link you posted. It looks impressive.

I buy drunk elephant vit c from space nk. No problems with expiry dates so far.

Drunk Elephant pays a lot (in product and/or cash) for skincare influencers to say nice things about their products. I'm not a fan but that's more down to their online conduct that includes getting their staff to post rave reviews of their own products on sites that sell their product while posing as customers and allegedly (although I believe they admitted it but that it was an ex employee but I doubt it ended) negative reviews of competitors. WRT products, it's just very pricey for what it is.

I've heard mixed things about the retinol, mostly that it's just too irritating and the vegan claim is questionable iirc. I use prescription tretinoin because it is a medicine so I know exactly what I'm getting because it has very strict standards whereas cosmetic retinol is a bit of an interpretive dance in comparison.

Vitamin C just once a day, you can only absorb 20% a day so it's useless to do it more. If you do overuse it you can end up looking a tad orange...

Yeah the timeless is really good, it's essentially a rip off of the Skinceuticals vitamin c serum which is the original and gold standard of vitamin c serums which has all the research behind it. I've used a lot of vitamin c serums (including Skinceuticals which has a crazy price tag) and it's my favourite one.

I use Medik8 vitamin C and Retinol. I'm older than you and only a month in but so far I'm happy with the results.