Via Naturallycurly.com by Joyce Clements;
Retinol products are wonderfully healing for your skin, if you know how to use them. Everyone can benefit from them, whether you have dry, sun-damaged skin or an oily acne-prone skin type. It can be a love-hate relationship, however, and if you abuse these products, you’ll never see the fantastic results they can achieve.
What is Retinol?
Retinol is another name for Retin-A, a vitamin A therapy treatment. It also has a variety of other names such as Retinoid, Tretinoin, Clindamycin, Differin, and Tazorac. Retinol is used in numerous products to help clear acne, reverse sun damage, help with hyperpigmentation, unclog pores and smooth and refine your skin texture and tone. I prefer to use medical grade retinol products because you will see the effects quicker, and if you are spending the money you should use the best you can afford to buy.
How to Use Retinol
The purpose retinol products is to remove dead skin cells, thus renewing skin texture and tone. Yes, you will peel, but you want to peel to smooth the skin. If you use these products every day and night, however, it will cause excessive redness and irritation, and you’ll hate them. Use retinol products every other day at only at night or just several times a week.
When you first start a retinoid program, begin slowly, alternating days or even going a couple of days between applications. You can use a hylauronic acid hydrating product to lessen the drying effects or apply a moisturizer to your skin if you are a dry skin type. Definitely use a hylauronic acid formula for normal-oily skin types to hydrate and prevent breakouts.
Tips and Cautions
Retinol products can also cause your skin to be sun sensitive, and you can cause more damage by exposing your skin to the sun while wearing a product containing Retin-A.
If you have oily-acne skin, always choose a gel formula; do not use cream formulas. Now if you are a normal-dry skin type, a cream may be your perfect choice, except if you are prone to breakouts. Then you’ll want to use a gel formula.
Yes, you may break out a little because you are peeling. Any blemishes you already have will come to the surface. Stick to the program and what a wonderful difference it will make to your complexion!
@Anonymous (June 8, 2011 3:24 AM)— Thank you!!! I thought I was the only one to notice the misinformation in this article. As I was reading I kept thinking this is a poorly written article.
I suffer from acne, so I know for a fact that Retin-A is not another name for Retinol.
Retinol is nothing more than the scientific name used to describe vitamin A. It's typically used in products for its anti-aging properties (smoothing fine lines and wrinkles, exfoliating the skin to clear dark marks/hyperpigmentation, etc.) Retinol can typically be found in over-the-counter products.
Retin-A is a brand name for a topical gel prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of acne (and other skin conditions). It can also be used to help minimize fine lines and wrinkles. Retin-A is a Tretinoin (which is vitamin A in an acidic form). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000683/
Tazorac and Differin are also topicals prescribed by a doctor used for the treatment of acne.
Since Retin-A, Tazorac, and Differin are prescripition medications, they should be used as prescribed by your doctor.
Clindamycin is not a retinol; it is an antibotic. It's usually prescribed in pill form but may be a topical also. This too should be used as prescribed by your doctor and you should finish the entire prescription
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000672/
I love retin a i use it along with my bleaching creams
I am an aesthetician and would like to say tyat there is a lot of misinformation in this article. Whew!
For starters, retinol is NOT the same thing as Retin-A, Tazorac and Differin. The last 3 are prescription RETINOIDS. Clindamycin is a topical antibiotic and is in a completely different class of products than retinoids or retinol.
Please do your research and consult the appropriatw resources before using any of these products.
what an on time post! My dermatologist gave me retnin over a year ago, and said and I quote "use religiously!". It's not easy to get your health insurance to pay for it, but it's worth a try. Many dermatologist will sell it to you right out of the office, for around $40 but they require you see them first. I also experienced better results by NOT using every day. As forty approaches at a rapid pace, I find my pores increasing their size to expect it's coming! So it's forcing me to take better care of my skin and do more preventive action. I'm learning that your face speaks volume to the world, and that the best makeup is great skin.
After I bced I began having acne like a pubescent teenager (I chalk it up to the increased use of oils, obsessive co-washing, and HIMH disorder NOS (I think that's Axis I… ok enough psychology geekdom). I thought it would clear up, but I ended up knocking on 10 months and I still looked like I slept in a petroleum oil mask at night. I finally went to a dermatologist and he prescribed retinol. After 2 weeks I have noticed a drastic difference.
Warning to everyone: Don't try everything you see on youtube (oils did a number on my skin and frequent cowashing effected my skin and length retention). When an issue surfaces (skin, hair, whatever) check with a professional pronto (I want to kick myself in the butt at the fact that it took me 10 months to go to a dermatologist).