A decent retinol night cream!

[Missmas]

I'd like to start using one and am looking for recommendations. Maybe two: a starter and one to move on to when my skin had adjusted? Overwhelmed by the choice and confused by the percentages so would appreciate a nudge :-)

As a starter. I would use boots no7 0.3% retinol, then when your skin is used to it move to the 1%. I’ve used all sorts and in my opinion that is the best shop bought one. (Also can be bought in the 3 for 2 deal) I used the 0.3% until the tube was gone (maybe 6-8 weeks ish) then moved to the 1% and stayed on that.

You can look to moving towards tretenoin eventually if you wish, but it’s sensible to get used to a retinol type product first.

This is the one so you know what I mean. It’s confusing as there are so many available.

Thank you! I'd love to use tretenoin but am never sure how I'd get hold of it (is it only through skin&me?). Will give these boots ones a go

And thank you SO much for the pic - often I look for stuff and don't know which one is meant so this is perfect!

Do you use a night cream over the top?

I've got a code for a free month of skin+me it's below, just pay £3.50 p&p. there's also dermatica. It has gone up a lot now in price but I'm sticking with it for now whilst I can afford it, I definitely think it's worth the money myself

www.skinandme.com/?promocode=LAURENS5YP3

That pic is the brand you want, but go for the 0.3% first, the 1% will be too strong to start with.

And yes to the moisturiser, I use Nivea soft in the white tube, religiously. Or my skin is so tight and uncomfortable I feel like I’ve had a face lift 🤣 I’ve tried some really expensive moisturisers and the cheap Nivea soft is the best I’ve found. It makes my skin feel like silk, and doesn’t make me a spotty mess which most others do.

Also, always use SPF when using retinol.

The tretenoin can be bought online from pharmacies abroad and shipped to the UK. Just search on mumsnet and the links will come up for where people purchase it from.

Skin and me and dermatica is another option, I just didn’t fancy paying a subscription fee every month.

I use Dermatica but only every other day as it’s all my skin can tolerate. Because of this I only pay approximately once every two months. You can amend your dispatch date whenever you like.

Agree with @danni0509
0.3 is a good entry grade. Then move up.
Retinoids can be confusing initially, so also worth watching Nadine Baggott/Sali Hughes etc who explain the differences and what to look for very well.
Brands doing decent 0.3 are the N7 above, Inky List, Olay, The Ordinary etc. (be careful with the latter, they have form for making you think you had a 1% retinol when you actually had a 1% granactive retinol which is not the same but about ten times weaker)
Lots of brands have "retinol" creams, many contain such a small % they aren't worth considering.

Lots of people use either Skin & Me or Dermatica which are subscription services. You get a free month and then more free months for every client you give a referral code to. They will make you up a Tretinoin + other things combo (Tret being the strongest vitamin A) I watched an interview recently with Nadine Baggott and a dermatologist researcher and neither bother with Tret. I did start using it after working up but tbh I never got to the stage where I could use it every night without irritation and so went back a step to Retinal (a step up from retinol)

Remember to build up use.

If your retinol is in a cream you probably won't need a moisturizer on top. If it's a serum, you might.

Thanks all, I feel like I understand much more now and know where to start :-)

https://www.sesderma.com/gb_en/retiage-face-cream-40001731.html

one and only - the best on the market
has retinol and retinal
for this price its a gem

@SoIinvictus I watched an interview recently with Nadine Baggott and a dermatologist researcher and neither bother with Tret.

That's a strange claim as she has had codes with Skin&Me promoting their Tretinoin in 2021 and has posted with a consultant derm on her instagram in July this year talking about the benefits and when to use Tretinoin