Retinol is often considered as the “gold standard” skin care ingredient by beauty experts and dermatologists. It has been working as the hero ingredient in the battle against various skin care concerns like fine lines, wrinkles, pores, etc for decades now. It is known to work at the cellular level to normalize cell turnover, reverse sun damage, and enhance collagen production, amongst other actions.
If you’ve used this wonder ingredient before or you’re looking for the best way to include it in your skin care routine, the blog-post will help you learn more about this wonder ingredient, how it works, and how to get the best results from using it.
Retinol is a type of vitamin A in the retinoid family (i.e. vitamin A derivatives that are used on the skin). This amazing ingredient removes dead skin cells, promotes cellular repair, and boosts collagen production while smoothing fine lines, reducing wrinkles, fading acne marks, and treating blemishes and discoloration. Retinol serum and retinol cream are the star beauty products that deliver impressive results. Check out the benefits of retinol in detail here.
Applying Retinol for Best Results
When it comes to reversing skin damage or aging effects, this ingredient does wonders! However, how you use it can dramatically affect the quality of results. It’s best to consult with your dermatologist before starting a retinol regimen. Once you get to know about your skin’s tolerance for retinol, you can freely move to higher or more concentrations or more potent formulations. Below are the ways to incorporate retinol into your skin care routine:
- Start using a retinol product in your 20s or when you see the signs of reduced skin elasticity, pigmentation, and fine lines.
- It is common for first-time users to experience dryness, flaky skin, and redness, especially with certain formulations. Choose a formulation that protects against such effects (for example, Synergie Ultimate A Serum, in which the retinol molecules are ‘wrapped’ in a lipid envelope, protecting the retinol from destruction, and skin from side effects), or start with a low concentration product.
- Begin by using a retinol twice a week and then gradually increase its daily usage if it does not cause any harm. After 3-6 months’ treatment you can then move to a more powerful product if you do not suffer from too much sensitivity, such as Synergie’s super-strength Acceler-A Serum, for even more retinol power.
- We advise using retinol products at night. Never apply them at the same time as vitamin C products, as these may damage the vitamin A, making it ineffective. It’s fine to apply vitamin B products alongside retinol, however.
- Start with a pea-sized amount and then apply with fingertips in upward and outward motions.
- You must apply the retinol on clean and dry skin as it allows your skin to absorb the ingredient as intended. With damp skin, it may be absorbed more deeply and so cause skin irritation.
- Wait for at least 5 minutes before applying another product such as moisturizer on your skin.
- Retinol can make your skin dry and flaky, and therefore more sensitive to the sun; also, exposing your skin to sun speeds up sun damage, which is what you’re using retinol to treat! That’s why it’s important to apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen like Synergie’s Überzinc Moisturizing Sunscreen to protect your skin against more solar damage.
- By using a quality, high-strength retinol, it’s unnecessary to use exfoliators every day, unless you’re treating acne.
What to Avoid
If you have sensitive skin, it is best not to combine retinol with potentially irritating ingredients such as beta hydroxy acids, alpha acids, physical exfoliants, and scrubs. The best product that you can use in conjunction with retinol is a moisturizer as it helps to hydrate the skin and reduce the risk of any kind of possible irritation. If you want to use other ingredients, consider using them at different times of the day. For example, it’s best to use vitamin C in the morning to fight free radical damage your skin faces during the day (pun intended!).
Choosing The Best Retinol Product
Selecting the best retinol product for your skin is not as easy as it may sound. You have to consider various things like retinol vs retinol esters, concentration, and the delivery method. The form that you use can also determine how potent the results can be and how often you need to apply this. For example, over-the-counter retinols have much less retinol than prescription retinols. Most dermatologists recommend beginners use a retinol product that has a low concentration of 0.25% or 0.3%.
If you have any questions about choosing one of the Synergie retinol products mentioned here, feel free to email us using our contact form. We’d be more than happy to help you!
