The 411 on Retinol – All Your Retinol Questions Answered

What’s the deal with retinol? Not sure what it is or how to incorporate it into your skincare routine? Then you want to read this post. You’ll get ALL your retinol questions answered here. The thing with retinol is it’s all about PREVENTION. Yes, we’re trying to prevent wrinkles and aging by being proactive with our skincare routine. Every year I get more and more obsessed with skincare, prevention, trying new products, and perfecting my routine. It comes with the territory of getting older, I guess.

A few years ago I started hearing about retinol everywhere. I did tons of research on the ingredient and found a lot of conflicting advice, but a general consensus seemed to be that your mid to late twenties was the best time to start incorporating it into your nighttime routine. Fast forward to now and here we are – I’ve started to incorporate products with retinol into my routine and I felt like I HAD to share more about what retinol is, what it does, and how to add it to your routine.

The 411 on Retinol – All Your Retinol Questions Answered

So, what is retinol?

Retinol is a form of Vitamin A that is used to treat signs of aging on your skin. It’s widely known as the gold standard when it comes to ingredients in your skincare products that work to combat wrinkles and other signs of aging (and is much less invasive than botox or elective surgery). Bonus – it’s used to treat acne as well.

Retinols are actually a weaker form of retinoids, which often require a prescription (think: Retin-A) and can be harsher on your skin (but with better results). However, retinol is more mild on your skin and can be bought without a prescription. So if you’re a little freaked out about the thought of using something as intense as Retin-A, you can ease into it first with retinol, which can be found over-the-counter and at varying prices.

Should I be using retinol?

So, if you’re in your mid to late twenties, now is a good time to start using a product with retinol. Also, retinol works by turning over skin cells, boosting collagen, and smoothing out in your skin. Everyone’s skin reacts differently, but in general, you can expect results after about 12 weeks of consistent use, which include reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots, and smoother skin. It also has been proven to help with cystic acne and help fade acne scars.

Not sure how much you need? There are products with varying levels of retinol in them on the market. If you’re new to the product, start with something that has very low levels of retinol. The reason for this is retinol can cause dryness, sensitivity, redness, or peeling of the skin, so you definitely want to ease into using the ingredient.

Should I use retinol every night?

If you’re just starting to use retinol, you can try using it every other night to see how your skin reacts. I was recommended to start using a retinol serum every other night and build up to using it every night. This is the serum I’ve been using for the past year without any skin issues.

What’s the deal with retinol and sun exposure?

You may have heard retinol leads to skin being more sensitive to sun exposure. As with any proper skincare routine, you should be wearing SPF daily to prevent any additional sun damage. If you notice your skin gets burned more easily when you’re using retinol, try to avoid the sun if you can.

Shop products with retinol to add to your routine:

1. Roc Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Facial Night Cream

2. Kate Somerville Retasphere 2-in-1 Retinol Night Cream

3. Verso Night Cream

4. Eve Lom Time Retreat Face Treatment

5. SENTÉ Bio Complete Serum

6. Peter Thomas Roth Professional 3% Retinoid Plus

7. Skinceuticals Retinol 1.0

8. Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream

9. The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid (less than $10!)

10. Dr. Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol Serum

What are your thoughts on retinol? Any experiences, good or bad? I’d love to hear!

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