Retinol Newby

[LouB76]

I'm 45 and interested in a retinol night cream or serum. I've looked at the Olay one but it has mixed reviews (too much silicone in it).

Anyone know more about this and can recommend something tried and tested. I'm happy to spend up to £75, maybe £100 for something that works.

My skincare regime is fairly simple. Face wash and day cream with spf in the morning. Then make up. Cleanser, splash with water and moisturiser at night. Exfoliate twice a week.

I'd also be interested in any suggestions for a retinol overnight hand cream / serum too.

Just as a side note, I have recently started taking Solgar hair, nails and skin, cod liver oil with vitamin D and Uniquinol.

I use Paula's Choice 1% retinol or Skin & Me.

Retinol is the term used mostly for over the counter stuff, it's a less potent derivative of retin-A which is the gold standard.

If you want something that really works over time, try prescription strength retin-A (i.e. tretinoin from an online pharmacy, or if you are in the UK you can subscribe to Skin & Me or Dermatica). To be honest, the over the counter retinols you can buy are good, but only distant cousins of the prescription retin-A. You might as well spend your money on something that works.

The reason you need a prescription is that it's pretty strong stuff and can cause damage to your skin if used incorrectly. If you are a total beginner, I would start on an over the counter, just to get your skin used to it, and the build from there. It's also a marathon, not a sprint, your skin will not look better straight away. Think of it as an investment in your skin - in 2 years time your skin will look 'younger' (i.e. clearer, brighter, firmer etc.) than it does now.

Be warned that for most people if gets worse before it gets better, you will likely get red flaky dry skin for several weeks, or even months. It's not pleasant. Your skin needs to acclimatise to it. Some lucky people don't really get this, but most of us will have some level of irritation.

I'm a few years younger than you but it took me about 18 months to see proper results and for any irritation to be gone.

The main thing is, don't bother spending loads on big brand names, you are paying for the packaging etc. instead look for active ingredients that actually do something. Retinol, vitamin c, niacinamide for example.

You don’t need to spend nearly that much money for a good retinol. Look at The Ordinary. I’ve bought direct from their website, but I think they’re also available via John Lewis now.

Tread carefully - use an over the counter low level formulation first and see how your skin reacts. I ended up being treated in A&E, from my face alone the nurse though I was about to go into anaphylactic shock.

I tried a sample foundation in Boots recently, felt the tingle (from a tiny dot of it) and saw it contained retinyl something-or-other.

Hopefully you'd be fine with it and if you are, then you can increase the strength.

I'm a Beauty Pie member and love their retinol. They currently have a 60 day free trial so you can try their retinol at member prices

www.beautypie.com/shop/search?term=Retinol

Thanks all. Will do some research.

Best over the counter I used was Medik8 Crystal Retinol (I used 3 & 6) and also like the Beauty Pie one.

share.beautypie.com/x/gNcDti

But to be honest, I would go straight for Dermatica - it's about £22 quid every 6 weeks and you just need to cleanse and moisturise, nothing else (except Spf of course). If your skin is on dry side you can moisturise before and after. They will start on you a lower dosage but it's still more than over the counter.

www.dermatica.co.uk/referrer/Y2K0NE

I really like the La Roche Posay moisturisers to go alongside.

Spf is the must though, a proper stand alone one not just in another formula like foundation. Think of Retinol as the treatment and Spf is the prevention.

Good luck!

share.beautypie.com/x/CNynhj

I am currently using this and find it it better than expensive brands.

Amazon -

Visit the PERFECT LOOK LONDON Store
4.2 out of 5 stars1,637 Reviews

Retinol Serum High Strength with Hyaluronic Acid - FACELIFT SPECIALIST by PERFECT LOOK LONDON. Professional Anti Ageing and Anti Wrinkle for Face. Treats Acne Scars, Fine Lines and Dark Circles

This one.

Dont bother with retinol. And definitely don't spend anything like that kind of money on it! Another one recommending prescription tretinoin from somewhere like Skin + Me or Dermatica for about £20 a month. Tretinoin is a game changer and will make far more difference to your skin than anything you can buy over the counter. But as a pp said, it is a long game; your usage needs to be persistent and sustained, but it will pay off.