Dot the retinol in nine spots: three on your forehead; three across the center of your face/cheeks; three between your jawline and chin. Gently rub the product in. Use your retinol product 2-3x/week during the first week of usage, and gradually increase from there. Next, apply your moisturizer.
In the middle is buffering, which gets you a medium amount of retinol, with its intensity mildly dulled. As an experienced player, I rub a pea-sized amount between the tips of my fingers, then pat it on all over.
Patting is generally gentler than rubbing in skin-care products because you minimize the chances of pulling or dragging on the skin, Alisa Kerr, another Tokyo-based Japanese beauty expert, tells Allure.
Retinol (leave to absorb for 10-20 minutes)
Retinol is also an ingredient that should be left to absorb sufficiently into the skin before following up with another product. “It is important to leave a 10-20 minute wait time before applying the next product.
Rouleau says the best time to use a scrub is in the morning. Overnight you've loosened up dead skin cells with your glycolic acid or retinol products, making the morning a perfect time to brush them off.
Retinoids work best if you use them daily. Specifically, they should be used at night because some types are deactivated by light and air. It's important to start slowly and allow your skin time to adjust. Using too much too quickly can cause redness, dryness, and irritation.
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.
Don't Mix: Retinol with vitamin C, benzoyl peroxide, and AHA/BHA acids. AHA and BHA acids are exfoliating, which can dry out skin and cause further irritation if your skincare routine already includes retinol. As for benzoyl peroxide and retinol, they cancel each other out.
Purging is slightly different, appearing on the skin mostly as blackheads or small skin-coloured bumps just under the surface of the skin. But it is also possible for purging to cause similar spots to a breakout, too.
Apply your face serum this way.
Just remember: A gentle touch goes a long way—there's no need to rub the product into your face like you're waxing a car. That can irritate your skin, especially around delicate areas like the eyes.
When you don't use a moisturizer on your body or face, you are likely to see more signs of premature aging. What's happening when the skin gets dry is that it's actually experiencing a low level of inflammation. This ongoing inflammation can lead to a breakdown of collagen. That's bad news for beauty.
Creams are better able to lock in moisture when you apply on damp skin. After you finish, pat your skin dry. The best way to apply a face cream is using small quantities. Using more doesn't always show the benefits.
A formula with retinol, like the L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Eye Treatment, should be applied after your serums and before moisturizer due to its consistency.
“Retinoids break down quickly when exposed to sunlight. For that reason, it's best to use a retinol product at night when skin repairs itself,” explained Dr. Haberman. “In general, anti-aging ingredients will be more effective if applied before bedtime,” he added.
Always apply Retinol products at night, as sunlight can diminish their power. If you're a prescription-strength user, use Retinol as the first layer on your skin after washing your face with a cleansing cream and before applying your anti-aging moisturizer.
Pairing the two ingredients is safe and can make retinol easier to use. Niacinamide helps hydrate the skin, which reduces the risk of irritation caused by retinol. Niacinamide and retinol can be combined in one product or used as separate products.
What Are the Benefits of Combining the Two? Good news: Retinol and hyaluronic acid actually have a synergistic effect. “They can be combined so that the benefits of retinol can be achieved more easily with concomitant use of hyaluronic acid, which helps to prevent retinol irritation,” says Hartman.
Using niacinamide before retinol works well. So does combining them into one product. A 2016 study found that a product containing retinol, niacinamide, hexylresorcinol, and resveratrol improved fine lines, sallowness, wrinkling, hyperpigmentation, and skin tone.
The problem is, retinol can be irritating when applied straight to the lips (so keep your prescription-strength cream off your mouth for the time being). But Verso's formula contains a gentle derivative, called retinol 8, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines around the mouth overtime.
After two to six weeks of using tretinoin, it's usually okay to start using an exfoliant. However, it's best to use exfoliating products as sparingly as possible while using tretinoin to avoid potentially irritating your skin.
Apply topical retinoids
Retinoids, which are topical vitamin A-based derivatives, may help reduce fine lines and wrinkles by increasing collagen production. If you use retinoids on your face, extend the treatment area to your neck and chest at night. Retinoid products are available by prescription or over the counter.
The truth: You can use vitamin C with retinol and retinoids. Get them as separate products so you can tailor the concentration of each and use them at the right time of day. Although vitamin C can be used day or night, it is ideal for daytime use, while retinol and retinoids should be applied at night.
"[but] best to re-start your retinol again when you can." Most dermatologists recommend using it at least twice weekly to see results.
Using any form of retinol makes your skin more prone to sunburn. Sun damage combined with retinol burn is a recipe for redness or discoloration, inflammation, and more.