We’re all intimately familiar with the creep of new words and scientific terms into beauty advertising. A lot of this jargon is used by lesser brands to create an air of professional mystique – and to convince you that what you’re buying will be effective, even if in ways you can’t quite understand from the jump.
Some of these terms are just that: jargon. But there’s a few gems in there which, when bought from reputable sources after doing your own research, are in reality incredibly effective ingredients for skincare. Retinol is one such ingredient. For those of you who’ve always wondered what retinol actually is, this is the breakdown for you!
What Retinol Actually Does
Retinol is a widely-used ingredient in dermatology, but also a widely encountered ingredient in general daily life. That’s because retinol is, fundamentally, Vitamin A. Vitamin A has a wide variety of applications in healthcare, and can be taken orally to treat a number of things from anemia to age-related eyesight issues. When applied topically, though, it gains an entirely new and powerful purpose.
This antioxidant vitamin is an acid – more formally, retinoic acid. As such, it can be used with care to even out skin tone and improve fine lines in your features, through encouraging new skin cells to form.
How to Start Slowly
Retinol overuse or misuse, though, can result in irritation – for understandable reasons. This is why, for those of you new to the treatment, starting with high-quality retinol products in low doses or less frequently (or, indeed, seeking out low strength alternatives to get familiar with) can be vital to reducing redness and peeling. A pea-sized amount, three times a week, is a great starting point.
Pairing Retinol with Other Products
Retinol doesn’t necessarily work best alone; this is something you’ll already understand intimately about other aspects of your skincare routine, so why would it be any different here? Many products already pre-combine retinol with collagen to improve performance with respect to lines and wrinkles, while others include moisturising agents to minimise irritation. You can do this outside of the products you buy too, by folding extra moisturisation steps into your routine. Just don’t double up on exfoliants!
When to Expect Results
So, retinol is one of those real-life ingredients-of-wonder that could actually bring real, demonstrable skincare results for you. But how long does it take? Well, no ingredient is a true magic serum, so don’t be surprised if you need to set a strong and ongoing routine before you see visible results. Some are lucky enough to see clearer, more even skin in weeks; others can expect a few months for changes to appear. Patience is a virtue, just as much as regularity.
Retinol is a powerful tool to have in your skincare arsenal – and one that requires the appropriate amount of care in use, too. By starting carefully and listening to your skin, you could see remarkable benefits from retinol as part of your own routine.
