Limited knowledge about retinoid

Retinoid is a form of Vitamin A.  Retinyl palmitate, retinol, retinaldehyde, adapalene, tretinoin, isotretinoin, and tazarotene are various forms of retinoids and each of them differs on terms of retinoid concentration. If you are keen enough to read some reputable brands like Estee Lauder, Neutrogena and Aveene packaging labels, retinol had been mentioned as key ingredient in some of their anti-aging/wrinkle lines.

Retinyl palmitate,retinol, and retinaldehyde are available over-the-counter while the rest of the retinoids are only available through prescriptions. Retinol (retinyl palmitate is even weaker than retinol) is the weakest retinoid while Tazarotene is the strongest one.

A reasonable excuse to skip dermatologist

Prescription retinoid formulas are deemed most effective, but an over-the-counter retinol is effective enough to lessen fine lines and skin discolorations. Retinol is slowly converted into retinoic acid (the key ingredient in the prescription retinoid) a less powerful form and you need to wait until 12 weeks before the desired results begin to manifest.  Our skin can only use a retinoid when it’s in retinoic acid form. For that reason, all types of retinoids are converted into retinoic acid by your skin before it can be used.

False impression that retinoid will make your skin sun-sensitive

This is one of the biggest myths associated with retinoids. Retinoid itself is sensitive to sunlight and that is the reason why one should apply it during bedtime. After buffing away dead skin cells using a face scrub, retinoid will not make your skin more vulnerable to UV rays says Dr. Schweiger of Clear Clinic. Summer actually is the ideal season to use retinoid as our skin adjusts to the humidity making our skin less prone of drying out. Above all, do not forget to apply sunscreen; this had been always a part of our skin care routine beforehand.

Worried that your skin will look worse before it gets better

During retinoid’s initial usage, possibility of skin redness, dryness and flaking is imminent – but once you ease in, one can avoid the rough transition. During the first two weeks, apply retinoid every third night, if there had been no irritation then you can apply retinoid every other night and look for skin irritation. If there had been no signs of dry and flaky skin then one can apply retinoid in nightly basis. To prevent or at least minimize the irritation, wait for 15 minutes before applying retinoid. A pea-size amount would be enough to cover the whole face. After a few minutes or retinoid application, quick application of moisturizer is needed to combat dryness.

Too expensive to afford

Retin-A price, a prescription retinoid may vary depending on insurance plan. Generally a 20-gram tube costs around $75. There are cheaper alternatives like generic trenition which costs around $40 – a great deal indeed considering retinoid’s proven efficacy. At the moment only tretinoin has the generic version. Some retinol products available in drugstores are even cheaper and they are usually package in small aluminum tubes to protect the formula from air and sunlight.

 Retinoid usage caution:

• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are not allowed to use retinoid.
• Beauty skin products with alpha hydroxy acids and Benzoyl peroxide must not be used together with retinoid as the mixture weakens retinoid’s potency and efficacy.
• If you had just undergone waxing, wait for several days before using retinoid to avoid excess redness on skin treated with retinoid.
• People with ultrasensitive skin may not withstand retinoid. If you have sensitive skin, use a gentle exfoliator twice a week to soften your skin and make sure to use sunscreen to protect skin collagen.

Image source by en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinol
Written by Cha Lim-DelRey. Cha Lim-DelRey is a freelance writer with sense of passion about things that catches her interest. Beauty, skin care and health are some of her favorite topics. She is fascinated with photography, cheap travel deals and of course Northern Lights. She is a wife and a mom of two.