The Concentration Of Your Retinol Is Essential To Achieving The Best Results
Having a detailed skincare routine in the perfect order is key. According to the Skin Center of South Miami, using high-quality products can help keep your skin in tip-top condition. Preventing damage is easier to do than working to reverse what has already been done. If you're feeling burnt out on your daily products, you might be looking to add some variety to your lineup. Retinol is a great ingredient to use. However, if you're new to the product, you might need some guidance on where to start.
Retinol has a reputation for being strong and irritating to the skin (per Glamour). Dermatologists can't say enough good things about it, but if you're not careful, you can damage your skin with retinol burn. There is a way to avoid this, however.
Learning what concentration your retinol should be will not only prevent unfortunate damage but will also help you achieve your best results. It's never too late to start using retinol, and we have some advice to help you ease into it.
What is retinol and why should you use it?
Most dermatologists will recommend you add retinol to your lineup of face essentials (via Women's Health Magazine). Retinol is believed to be a miracle product for your skin. It promotes cell turnover, which in turn helps with things like tightening the skin to prevent wrinkles. It can also be used as a remedy for texture, acne, and clogged pores.
"It's added to topical skincare products to promote skin renewal, brighten skin tone, reduce acne, and boost the collagen production," dermatologist Whitney Bowe, MD told Vogue. "It also functions like an antioxidant to help address free radical damage, which leads to visible signs of aging," she added, "I consider it a gold standard in skincare and often explain it to my patients as something that sweeps away dead skin cells, clogged pores, and dull skin."
When applying retinol to your skin, you have to keep in mind how much you are using. Different products contain varying concentrations. Using the perfect amount for your skin will prevent damage. How do you know what the perfect number for your skin is?
What concentration is best for your skin?
Using retinol on your face can create a serious transformation. Looking to get rid of wrinkles? Acne scarring? Pesky texture? Many turn to this impressive product to fix these issues and more (per The Skin Spot). However, using too high of a concentration can damage your skin.
If you are new to using retinol, you should ease into the product. Dermatologists recommend 0.25% as the perfect starting point (via Martha Stewart). Using anything higher can cause unwanted damage to your epidermis. Retinol burns are a serious and painful side effect of overdoing it with the product off the bat. For people of color, retinol concentration should stay at 0.025% and be used twice a week, according to New York Magazine. Dr. Laura Scott told the publication that dark skin tones can experience hyperpigmentation that takes months to clear up when using a concentration that is too high.
Dermatologists also recommend avoiding other exfoliating ingredients at the same time, and to skip over the product completely if you are experiencing red, dry, and flaky skin to begin with. It's also important to moisturize thoroughly before application, regardless of skin type. The lower the concentration, the better. You may ease into a higher amount of retinol with the help of a dermatologist.