Ingredients to Love - Retinol
September 24, 2021 by Ana
We know we mentioned retinol many times and, even if you didn’t hear from us, you probably already heard about it from your friends, seen it in drugstores, or listened to specialists praise it as skincare must.
But do you know why this ingredient is so famous and why so many dermatologists recommend it? If you don’t, continue reading, and we’ll tell you why retinol is pure magic for your skin.
What is Retinol?
The reason why retinol is so popular in the skincare market is, of course, its spectacular effects on your skin and aging gracefully. It is, actually, one of the many different types of retinoids, which is an umbrella term for all vitamin-A derivatives. When we talk about retinoids, we refer to both OTC (over-the-counter)) retinoid products and prescription retinoid medication.
If you go to the drugstore, you can find different anti-aging creams containing retinoids. It depends on your needs if you choose products with retinyl palmitate (the weakest retinoid), adapalene (the strongest over-the-counter option), or anything in between.
If you need even stronger retinoids, you can get them but only with a prescription from your dermatologist. If you want to create your skin routine and skip the medical visit, specialists like Dr. Mona Gohara advise you to begin with the gentlest formula and move up to a higher strength after one year.
No matter your choice, remember that all of them are effective in the long run. So, don’t feel discouraged if you don’t see a change the next day. For those miraculous overnight transformations, we suggest other ways to fight your wrinkles, such as Blumbody patches and pads. You can use them for your face, neck, and chest, they are really comfy and easy to apply, and they help you have young-looking skin, by smoothing and eliminating wrinkles and aging signs no matter their cause. Also, you will see an improvement in your skin's elasticity and tone after just a few applications!
Benefits of Retinol
When you are very young, until your early 30s, your cells beautifully regenerate on their own, turning over every 28 days, and offering you the chance to admire your new layer of perfect skin. After your hit mid-30s, however, cell regeneration slows down, and, according to Dr. Gohara, it turns over every 50, 60, or 70 days. That is a huge difference, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, because of the slower cell regeneration, your skin ends up looking less pristine, duller, and more wrinkled. Well, not if you care for it properly. And retinol is a great way to do it! By sinking into your skin, this miraculous ingredient speeds up cell turnover, tricking your body into believing it’s younger than it is. As mentioned before, however, the results will not appear magically but in time. You’ll need at least three or four months to notice your fine lines, dark spots, and acne disappearing.
So, retinol is a good choice to slow down your body’s aging process and prevent wrinkles. Keep in mind that it smoothes your existing wrinkles and fine lines but also helps with minimizing new ones. And, besides wrinkle-preventing and line smoothing, retinoids have other incredible benefits.
If, for instance, your skin is dull, this ingredient will help you brighten it by exfoliating on a cellular level. Acting as a really good exfoliator, it reveals new skin, which is brighter, smoother, and, of course, younger-looking. Furthermore, retinoids regulate oily skin and keep pores from clogging. This means no more pimples and blackheads! So, if you are fighting acne, you might need a retinol-based treatment.
Last but not least, retinol fights those annoying aging spots. Whether we are talking about acne scars, sun spots, or hyper-pigmentation, retinol is their enemy!
How to Apply Retinol
Dermatologists recommend introducing a retinoid slowly to your routine. So, if you are a newbie, it’s recommended not only to begin with a weak retinoid, as we already mentioned, but also to initially use it once or twice a week. Then, increase the frequency gradually, giving your skin time to get used to the ingredients. This way, you will minimize or even avoid reactions like flaking, redness, and dryness.
Also, for best results, wait at least 30 minutes before you apply the rest of your skincare products, and, while using a retinoid, avoid other exfoliators like AHA’s & BHA’s. Not only don’t you need them, but combining acids and retinol might end up irritating your skin.
Another crucial thing to know is that, while increasing cell turnover, retinoids can also make skin temporarily thinner and tender. This means they can increase photosensitivity within the skin, so make sure you always protect yourself with SPF. We recommend a high, broad-spectrum sunscreen, especially in the morning after you pamper your skin with retinoids.
Again, don’t forget that retinol has a fantastic effect in the long term. But only if you don’t skip other skincare steps, such as proper cleansing, facial massages, hydrating, clean eating, and using the miraculous pads and patches that can enhance your skin’s beauty almost instantly.
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