Retinol

[PusheenLove]

Let's talk retinol. What precisely IS it? How often should it be used?

I've heard about A313. What's that?

Dunno what it is exactly but I've been using A313 and its great!

@CrotchBurn

Dunno what it is exactly but I've been using A313 and its great!

In your opinion what does it do? How often do you use it?

Retinoids as a group are vitamin A derivatives. Tretinoic acid is the active ingredient that does all the magic. OTC derivatives all convert (and in that process lose strength and already have a much lower strength to start off with) to Tretinoic acid provided conditions are right (formulation is key, as are conditions on your skin, something you as a consumer aren't really able to assess so it's always a leap of faith if not a prescription).

Of the non prescription variety, retinol probably has the most research behind it. The retinoids used in A313 are the least researched and least supported as effective of probably all the retinoids. I've used it and while effective for the appearance of pore size I never found it as well rounded as other retinoids.

TL;DR version, go for prescription strength if you can tolerate it, nothing else will come close. And always wear sunscreen with it.

@botemp

Retinoids as a group are vitamin A derivatives. Tretinoic acid is the active ingredient that does all the magic. OTC derivatives all convert (and in that process lose strength and already have a much lower strength to start off with) to Tretinoic acid provided conditions are right (formulation is key, as are conditions on your skin, something you as a consumer aren't really able to assess so it's always a leap of faith if not a prescription).

Of the non prescription variety, retinol probably has the most research behind it. The retinoids used in A313 are the least researched and least supported as effective of probably all the retinoids. I've used it and while effective for the appearance of pore size I never found it as well rounded as other retinoids.

TL;DR version, go for prescription strength if you can tolerate it, nothing else will come close. And always wear sunscreen with it.

Thank you for taking the time to explain that.

I think I'll try both.

What retinol product do you recommend? (Budget if poss)

Reality is, formulation is key as it's a very unstable ingredient unless you look at the less effective derivatives (esthers) like A313. So you get what you pay for, mostly. As a brand Medik8 really specialises in retinoids, the crystal retinaldehyde series would be my best pick from that, closest to a prescription. Not cheap.

Indeed labs retinol reface is a good starter one and is often on sale so a decent price point. Good thing to look out for is an airless pump or similar. Dropper bottles etc. will rapidly degrade and will be effectively useless within months. Seeing as most people don't use it daily, it's really a waste.

Prescription services like skin+me and Dermatica are around £20 per month, so while not cheap it's probably cheaper in use than the most effective expertly formulated otc versions and it'll be many times more effective than those.