Excited by the claims that retinol boosts skin but not sure where to begin? Here’s an expert guide
If there’s one thing the skincare revolution of recent years has shown me, it’s that people are as baffled as they are excited by retinol. I get it – I understand retinol perfectly well and still struggle to adequately cover it here. Over-the-counter retinol (AKA vitamin A) can be very effective on all manner of common skin complaints, such as acne, wrinkles, sagging, enlarged pores, uneven tone and texture. (For simplicity, let’s save other retinoids, such as the faster-acting, prescription-only tretinoin and shop-bought retinyl palmitate, which is a milder version best suited to sensitive skins, for another day.)
The clinical evidence is overwhelmingly in retinol’s favour. The initial side-effects count against it. Extreme dryness, stinging, redness, itching and flaking (known as the “retinol uglies”) are par for the course as your skin converts the retinol into retinoic acid. This is where many people give up, appalled by the state of their skin, and never try it again. But it’s the one time I urge you to power through because we’re talking perhaps a fortnight of bad skin for a dramatically improved complexion in 10-12 weeks. And there’s no better time to start than now, when you’re mostly at home and able to hide behind the Zoom beauty filter function.
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