When you include retinol in your skincare routine, it does a wonderful job of making your skin appear youthful and radiant. If you use retinol in a well-formulated way, it could reduce the signs of ageing, sun damage and large pores. Retinol works by stimulating the skin cell metabolism and boosting its collagen production, thus promoting the growth of new skin cells. This helps in resurfacing the skin’s texture to reveal a radiant, softer and smoother skin. Now as far as the usage of retinol products is concerned, one must follow a set of rules to steer clear of any irritation or redness. Let’s read further to know those seven rules.
Rule #1: Start with minimum
Do not start slathering your skin with retinol from the very first day. It can leave your skin red, flaky and broken. You have to practically ease in your skin to get acquainted with retinol. Basically, start using retinol from zero. In the beginning, you can use it every alternate day, or twice or thrice a week. If you do not suffer from any redness, flakiness or broken skin, you can increase the use of retinol at a slow pace. Once your skin gets acquainted with retinol properly, you can start using it every night.
Rule #2: Don’t skip SPF
If you do not take sun safety seriously, then retinol is definitely not for you. Retinol makes your skin super sensitive to the sun and can lead to sun burn. Always slather your face with SPF higher than 30. Not to mention, it will be better to avoid sun during the peak hours to avoid any burning.
Rules #3: Do not use before waxing or chemical peels
If you are going for facial waxing or chemical peel, stop using retinol for a good number of days before the treatment. Retinol resurfaces the texture of the skin by removing the layer of your outer skin. This makes your skin quite fragile. And, in this scenario, if you are going to use facial wax or chemical peel, it will break your skin and could lead to hyperpigmentation. It also depends on the type of chemical peel you are going for. So, always consult such factors with your dermatologist beforehand.
Rule #4: Never mix with other active ingredients
Never team up retinol with other active ingredient(s). Doing this can make your skin even more red and excessively peeled. This, in turn, can lead to the situation of hyperpigmentation. Not to mention, it will reduce the effects of the result after using the retinol. Similarly, try not to combine retinol with products having glycolic acid, lactic acid, etc. Doing so can lead to excessive skin peeling.
Rule #5: Use at P.M. only
Retinol is used ideally at P.M. to deliver the best results. When you use retinol in the morning, the vitamin A in retinol gets broken down and its efficiency gets reduced. On the other hand, retinol is likely to make your skin sensitive to the sunlight.
Rule #6: Know when to stop
If your skin in new to retinol, then you must know when to stop. For a few weeks, it is quite normal for the skin to show redness and dryness. However, if it exceeds your tolerance limit and your skin becomes super red and peels more than normal, minimise the use of retinol. Like I said earlier, start using retinol with a slow speed and then tread.
Rule #7: Be consistent
Always be consistent with skin care products you are using; the same goes for retinol. In fact, you have to be patient and wait for few extra weeks as retinol takes some time to show its visible results. If you are experiencing dry and flaky skin, do not stop using it, rather use a good moisturiser to combat dryness. Remember, if you really want to see changes in your skin, you have to use retinol regularly.
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