Secrets of Retinol: How to Use Retinol for your skin
Updated: Jan 30, 2022
Have you been hearing about retinol or seeing them in the skincare aisles while shopping? You are probably asking yourself what is the hype around retinol products? Why has it become so popular all of a sudden and how could it possibly benefit you? Don't you worry, I will break down everything you need to know about retinol!
Contents
What is Retinol?
Benefits of Retinol?
How to use Retinol?
When Should You Not Use Retinol?
My Personal Experience of Using Retinol
Retinol Product Recommendations
What is Retinol?
Retinol is a certain type of retinoid, in other words it comes from a whole class of drugs that originated from Vitamin A. It can either be purchased or prescribed by a doctor. If more than 2% of retinol is needed than it must be prescribed by a doctor. Also, it is most popular being used in the form of a topical treatment for your skin. There are multiple types of topical creams that can also be purchased such as eye creams, face creams, and serums.
Benefits of Retinol
What does Retinol do? There is a big reason that retinol has become so popular in the recent years. There are many benefits that can come with using products that include retinol for your skin. Now here is where I will tell you all the wonders that come with adding retinol in your skincare routine!
Anti-aging
Retinol not only reduces wrinkles and fine lines it prevents them. Now, an important thing to know is, as your skin begins to age your skin cells begin to act differently. Your skin cells decrease how quickly it produces collagen which causes the fine lines and wrinkles in the first place. Retinol is able to alter the way your skin cells function so they can revert back to the behaviors from when the skin cells were not so old. It boosts collagen production by increasing blood circulation in the skin. Therefore, Retinol will be able to decrease wrinkles by thickening the inner layer of your skin which will leave you with smooth and youthful skin. Now, isn't that amazing?!
Fades Spots and Evens Skin Tone
Retinol is known to be a truly powerful ingredient which stimulates skin cell turnover(a process in which the outer layer of skin cells turn over at a quicker pace to allow the increased generation of new skin cells). In other words, retinol has an effective exfoliating effect on your skin which is able to fade any dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Furthermore, it gets rid of dull skin which results in a bright, smooth, and even complexion.
Does Retinol Treat Acne?
Studies show that Retinol is super effective treatment for acne whether it is inflammatory or non-inflammatory acne. Retinol does a fantastic job reducing the appearance of pimples while preventing new pimples and blemishes from appearing. Retinol can reduce the amount of oil production from your skin which will prevent acne from appearing on the skin. If you deal with acne, I would definitely recommend speaking to your dermatologist about adding retinol into your skincare routine first because incorporating too much retinol in your daily routine can give the opposite effects of what you are expecting when used together with other certain products. Despite the many benefits of Retinol, it is important to keep in mind that by over-using any product is never good.
How Should You Use Retinol?
Retinol can be a very powerful ingredient. If not used in the correct way it can cause irritation to the skin. I would not recommend using Retinol daily right off the bat. The best way to add Retinol in your skincare routine is by start out using it once a week for the first few weeks. After that, you could use it 2-3 times a week when you know your skin can perfectly handle this ingredient well. Everyone's skin reacts differently so it is important to carefully use this powerful product. Now, there is no skincare product that can perform miracles instantly but you will most likely begin to see a difference after 3-4 months of using this product and of course the results will be even better the more you use it.
When should you not use Retinol?
If you are pregnant or breastfeed I would steer clear from using Retinol for the time being. Also, if you have sensitive skin then I would first recommend speaking to your dermatologist before trying these products. Retinol is not friendly towards certain types of ingredients either such as salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, beta hydroxy acids, alpha hydroxy acids, and Vitamin C. Lastly, if you are having any skin reactions from using Retinol then stay clear from Retinol. Instead, you can use these Retinol alternatives instead:
Bakuchiol
Amino acids(peptides)
Niacinamide
Rose Seed Oil
Rosehip Oil
My Personal Experience of Using Retinol
I have been using Retinol for a few months now. I have first-hand experience using this powerful ingredient and I have seen the results! I am a makeup artist and after frequent use of makeup for all these years and not getting enough sleep at night I noticed that I had dark circles under my eyes, lines were beginning to shape around my smile, and my complexion just overall started to become dull. After adding Retinol to my skin routine I have noticed that my complexion has a natural glow and the dark circles have also faded considerably. I previously tried to use multiple products to treat my dark circles but I did not see much results but with Retinol I saw a difference within a month!
Now, that does not mean that for anyone adding Retinol to their routine will see a difference within a month as well. Everyone has different types of skin and results vary based on various factors but with consistent and proper use of this ingredient combined with your skincare routine I am sure that you will see a difference! If you want to know what Retinol product I use look at the first product on my list of Retinol product recommendations!
Retinol Product Recommendations
Here is a list of Retinol products that I highly recommend for anyone who wants to jump on the Retinol bandwagon! The first product on my list is what I use in my skin routine.
Conclusion
Overall, this post explains what Retinol is and the benefits of Retinol. Also, I talked about how you should add Retinol in your skin care routine and when you should not use it. Furthermore, I shared my personal experience with using Retinol products and the result that I have seen. After doing some thorough research on each individual product I created a list of recommend Retinol products for my lovely readers!
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