There are several strategies to follow when choosing a retinol product and integrating it into your routine:
Start with a Low Concentration and Gradually Increase
The author of the blog beautiful with brains suggests beginners start with a concentration of 0.01%-0.03%, those already familiar with retinoids should use 0.05%-0.4%, and experienced users can go for 0.5%-2%. I would say this breakdown is more applicable to prescription forms of retinoids. In the mass market, you won’t always find concentrations starting at 0.01% (although Medik8’s retinaldehyde range offers from 0.01% for beginners to a potent 0.2% CRYSTAL RETINAL 20). Ultimately, the reaction and side effects will depend on the type of retinoid you use, how sensitive your skin is, and the percentage of the active ingredient in the specific product.
If you’ve never used retinol before or have dry and sensitive skin, choose a low concentration. My first retinol was 0.3% from SkinCeuticals (labeled as Retinol cream for beginners) – and it gave me dermatitis.
Use Every Other Day
When starting out, introduce retinoids every other day or three times a week with breaks in between, and simultaneously avoid other potentially irritating actives (high-concentration AHA-BHA-PHA, vitamin C in an acidic medium). If the first two weeks pass without significant side effects, you can switch to a schedule of “two nights in a row with retinoid, one night off.” Don’t forget about the sandwich method, which helps reduce irritation and skin trauma.
Short Contact Therapy
Another method of using retinoids is to apply the product like a mask, leave it on for a short time (half an hour to an hour), and then wash it off. There are studies where short-term contact yielded good results: in one study, daily short-term application of 0.05% tretinoin cream for 30 minutes produced results comparable to the traditional application without rinsing off. At the same time, complaints of skin irritation and other side effects from retinoid use decreased by 20%.
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