You're applying your retinol too close to your eyes 'The eye skin is very delicate and much less sebaceous than facial skin. It may become very irritated and if you apply it too close to the lash line you can even develop irritation of the eyes themselves' says Dr Shotter.
Apply retinol in a thin layer to your entire face (be careful not to get it in your mouth, nose and eyes). You should use a dose that's about the size of a pea. For the first couple weeks of treatment, apply retinol only every other day.
Retinol cream and serum work best all over the face. So, yes, put it on a dark spot you want to disappear or wrinkle you want to smooth, but also put it everywhere else because it can prevent future signs of aging.
Should you use retinol under your eyes? Yes, definitely. While it is true that retinol – a form of vitamin A – is a powerful ingredient and the skin under your eyes is delicate, there's no reason why you should miss out on the amazing benefits of retinol.
Yes, you can safely put retinol creams on your neck. “Retinol can sometimes cause redness or irritation as a side effect, but it is worth the effort. Fortunately, there are beginner formulations that can get skin acclimated gradually,” Dr. Schlessinger says.
Believe it or not, Vitamin C Eye Cream or Retinol Eye Cream can also function as lip moisturizers. Not only can eye creams be used on the delicate skin around your eyes, but they are also ideal for other sensitive places, like your lips.
Don't Mix: Retinol with vitamin C, benzoyl peroxide, and AHA/BHA acids. AHA and BHA acids are exfoliating, which can dry out the skin and cause further irritation if your skincare routine already includes retinol.
Is it safe to use retinol every day? For most people, yes — once your skin is used to it, that is. That said, there are some people who may not want to use it frequently or at all.
While prescription-strength retinoids may have an effect in a matter of weeks, it can take up to 6 months for OTC retinols to produce the same results. You may notice a difference in conditions like acne after 12 weeks, but sun damage and signs of aging can take much, much longer to improve.
Yes, you can, retinol is able to work on the upper and lower eyelids and areas of skin. This is because it can penetrate the lower layers of the skin and boost collagen production. This will result in the skin around the eye will become tightened with signs of sagginess, fine lines, and wrinkles visibly reduced.
First, the answer is yes, retinol can make wrinkles worse, especially when you first start using it. What is happening is a drying effect, and one can get epidermal sliding from separation from the dermis.
If you suffer from rosacea, eczema, or psoriasis, it's probably best to avoid retinol since it can be too powerful on skin that needs a gentle touch – it can increase inflammation, dryness and sensitivity in already delicate complexions.
STEP 5: APPLY YOUR RETINOL
You'll want to use clean, dry fingertips for application. We recommend starting at your chin and working your way up to your face. Use your fingertips to apply the product to your skin using gentle, outward, upward strokes. Never rub the skin, as this can lead to increased irritation.
Retinol's potency is unlike many other skincare ingredients, and, when it's applied too heavily, our skin barrier becomes compromised, resulting in increased skin sensitivity amongst other things. It's almost a right of passage to experience a damaged skin barrier while starting out with retinol.
Regardless of your skin type or which product you use first, a layer of moisturizer should always be applied after retinoids.
Yes, you can use hyaluronic acid with retinol together and it's perfectly safe to do so. In fact, using hyaluronic acid with retinol has synergistic effect on your skin because they complement each other.
Before continuing with the next step of your routine, you should allow 20 minutes or more. It is okay to use other products afterwards, but allow enough time for the vitamin A to be absorbed. Hence, for your question, how long after retinol to apply moisturizer, the answer is 20 minutes.
Retinol is unsafe for use in the sun
Retinol has been shown to increase the sensitivity of the skin to sun, meaning that using retinol in the sun (especially without sunscreen) can make the skin more susceptible to sun damage and be at increased risk of skin cancer development.
There's no problem with using both retinol and vitamin C as part of your skincare routine, dermatologists say. In fact, Shirazi calls this combo a "power couple" when it comes to aging well.
At night we might be using night creams that contain actives such as retinol which are not recommended to be used in the morning so it is essential to wash your face in the morning to remove those residual creams/serum.
Answer: Retinol
You can apply retinol around the mouth but just be careful you don't apply too much because you can irritate and dry out that area. To treat your whole face you only need a pea sized amount of retinol. I would suggest using a moisturizer on top to combat any side effects like dryness/redness/irritation.
The best results for lip lines will be with the use of retinol or one of its more powerful cousins like tretinoin (Retin-A). This puts the skin into overdrive and increases thickness and skin quality, and it plays well with the other modalities we discuss in this post.