Retinoid products are a great addition to your regular skincare routine. However, you want to make sure you add them correctly– retinoids and retinols are known for their powerful effects, which can actually end up irritating and/or drying your skin if you start using too much at once.
Today, we’re going to take a look at how to practically use these products and ingredients in your skincare routine. We’ll answer two important questions in this blog: when should I use retinoids in my skincare routine, and how often should I use retinoids in my skincare routine?
What’s The Difference Between Retinoids and Retinol?
As hinted above, retinoids and retinol are different. For a quick recap, retinoids are usually prescription-strength and are therefore more likely to irritate your skin. They also tend to have the best effects on the skin, though. Retinol, on the other hand, is much more gentle on the skin and definitely far less likely to cause an unwanted reaction. You’ll notice that retinol isn’t quite as strong in its effects, though.
Of course, this all depends on the retinoids and retinols you’re using. Our own retinoid products featuring our Tri-RetinX Complex deliver potent, skin-nourishing results with a gentle, non-irritating formula,
For more information, check out: Retinol vs Retinoids: What’s The Difference?
Adding Retinoids & Retinol To Your Skincare Routine
Now, as we’re sure you’ve guessed, retinoids and retinol products can cause some irritation when you first add them to your skincare routine. For this reason, pretty much every dermatologist out there will recommend that you ease into using these products on your skin. Let’s take a look at what they mean:
How Should I Start Using Retinoids In My Skincare Routine?
Most dermatologists will recommend using a brand-new retinoid product only once or twice a week at the maximum, until your skin gets used to the new product. Retinol products are already a little bit weaker, so you could probably get away with trying that product every other day (or even every day).
The bottom line is this: start slow and let your skin tell you when it’s had too much. You’ll know you’ve reached that point when your skin is red, inflamed, flaky, and irritated.
Our retinoid products (like our Retinoid Face Serum & Retinoid Eye Cream) are meant for daily use! While we still recommend easing to regular use just to be on the safe side (especially if you have sensitive skin), eventually you should be able to use these in your everyday routine!
When Should I Use Retinoids In My Skincare Routine?
Retinoids are meant to be as close to your skin as possible. For this reason, and to get the most benefit out of these products, apply them directly after your face has dried from cleansing. Applying these products to freshly cleaned skin will ensure that they can soak into your skin well, giving you maximum results. It is also highly recommended that you wait for your retinoid or retinol cream to dry completely before covering it up with your moisturizer.
If you find that your retinoid or retinol cream irritates the more sensitive skin around your eyes, lips, and nose, you can apply a bit of moisturizer in this area before using your retinoid or retinol cream.
How Often Should I Use Retinoids In My Skincare Routine?
Once you’ve successfully integrated retinoids or retinol into your skincare routine, it’s nice to have a schedule upon which you can rely. Generally speaking, retinoids can be used once a day; people with sensitive skin will probably find that this is too much for their skin.
Again, let your skin be the judge here. If you’re struggling with continuous retinoid use during the week, your skin might prefer something like skin cycling, something that we covered in What Is Skin Cycling? The Science Behind the TikTok Trend.
What Kind of Reaction Should I Expect From Your New Products?
We created our Rejûvaskin Dermacosmetics line with sensitive skin types in mind. Our proprietary blend of gentle retinoids should cause far less reaction in your skin than other prescription-strength creams. Plus, we’ve separated our creams into a stronger Retinoid Face Serum and a gentle Retinoid Eye Cream. We even developed a special Facial Moisturizer to follow up your retinoid routine and help mitigate any potential drying effects!
Order the three-step package today and start giving your skin the youthful glow it needs!