Talk to me about retinol

[inthethickofit19]

I know nothing about it. My skin is sensitive and dehydrated and I'm 30. Do I need it?

Yes you do need it. I would say try Tretinoin rather than retinol. Far superior. Loads of videos on YouTube to watch: Sam Bunting, Dr Dray...

Thanks. What does it do exactly? I'll go and watch the videos now..

I use nip and fab retinol night cream , it's really lovely and has smoothed out my neck lines ( I'm 45 though)

Most important thing about retinol - you MUST wear SPF. Every day without fail - and no the piddly SPF 10 in your moisturiser/ foundation is not enough. Needs to be separate, ideally factor 50. Factor 30 will do if nothing else.

Retinol increases skins photo sensitivity so will be a total waste of time to use retinol and not SPF plus the damage to skin

Inkey list and the ordinary are good starters. Tretinoin is prescription strength and a bit full on if never used before but definitely something to aim towards

Retinol is not as effective as Tretinoin. Tretinoin is the golden standard of anti ageing but difficult to buy in the UK (dermatica sells it via prescription or you can buy some from websites abroad). If you want to start with retinol, la Roche posay redermic r is good and currently on offer at feel unique. You must use sunblock in the day and only apply it at night.

Can people with very sensitive skin use retinol?

Yes @bronzedgodesswannabe I would just make sure you start with a very low one & only use once/twice a week to begin with then slowly build up.

Tretinoin can be drying and cause irritation but it's great for wrinkles, sun spots and acne. You don't have any of those problems. With young (yes 30 is young) sensitive dehydrated skin I'm not sure what it would achieve for you.

Google Bakuchiol.

I use this one potent retinoids cream I've got pretty sensitive skin and haven't had any problems with it.

I'm 30 too I used Medik8 Crystal Retinol 3. I would start with 1 and see how your skin feels.

I haven't noticed any changes, been using it for about 7 weeks or so but I don't have any wrinkles anyway. Hoping it's mote preventative! 🤣

@bronzedgodesswannabe

Can people with very sensitive skin use retinol?

Yes they can, I have rosacea and sensitive skin. I started on .25 and used it every other day until I could easily tolerate it every day then moved up to .50 and did the same with that. I recently (after a year on the others) moved up to 1% and I can only use it once a week at the moment. You will still be getting huge benefits it terms of wrinkle depth removal, skin quality and texture (I certainly have!) but expect a few dry/flaky days and I suggest you counteract them with emu oil or rescue oil. Good luck in your new face care adventure, don’t forget to take before and after photos so you can check your results after 6 & 12 months, prepare to be wowed 8-)

Lots of people on here praising retinol, but what does it actually do?

@Notanotherhun

Lots of people on here praising retinol, but what does it actually do?

It turns back the hands of time for people over 30, quickly smoothing out fine lines and working to smooth out deeper ones. It keeps the skin plump and clear in people in their 30s-40s so that wrinkles don’t establish in the first place. It takes some building up a tolerance if you have sensitive skin but if used carefully and consistently it it everyone’s best chance for plump & smooth skin as it is easy to use and affordable. I did my research (trustpilot) and finally found reliablerxpharmacy.com was the cheapest (@$7) and most reliable (by name & by nature!) for me here in the uk. It took my order just 10 days to arrive.

If you are 30 (me too - also dry/ dehydrated) I would go for acids instead of retinol.

I tried retinol for ages and it didnt really do much, acids on the other hand were very effective for me

I previously tried and liked glycolic & then lactic and recently use a blend of acids (Bioloqiue P50)

I use tretinoin, because it’s the dermatologist gold standard and highly recommended version of vitamin A cream or gel and you have to build up a tolerance if you have sensitive skin like I do. If you get a dry reaction it’s just old dead skin being sloughed off and is completely natural, it’s a sure sign that it’s working ok! a few drops of emu oil or rescue oil soon has the skin hydrated again. I’m using that protocol because I’m having skin flaking after upping my cream to 1% from a .5%
I’m also going to be using chemical peels monthly to help my skin get to where I want it to be, wrinkle free, and highly recommend The Ordinary brand of peels by Deciem