Yes, but not at the same time. When used in the right order, Vitamin C should be applied in the morning as it protects your skin from UV induced collagen loss, whilst tretinoin at night as this builds new collagen.
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.
You have the right order! You can apply the Vitamin C by itself during the day, and then at night prior to the retinol. Vitamin C is not always stable, though, so I would wait at least 15 minutes before you add the retinol.
Both vitamin C and tretinoin can be irritating to the skin, especially for those with sensitive skin or when introduced too quickly. Using them simultaneously could exacerbate redness, dryness, or peeling, which are common side effects of both ingredients.
However, some research shows that using a hydrating, non-comedogenic moisturizer before medication application may prevent skin irritation. Applying the Recommended Amount of Medication: Less is more when it comes to tretinoin. It should be applied in a thin layer to the skin before bedtime.
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it is especially important to avoid using the following skin products on the same area as tretinoin: Any other topical acne product or skin product containing a peeling agent (eg, benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol, salicylic acid, or sulfur).
How do you maximize tretinoin results? To maximize the results of tretinoin, start slowly, apply tretinoin at night on perfectly dry skin and between two layers of moisturizer, wear sunscreen with SPF 50 every morning, and combine with niacinamide or hyaluronic acid to minimize irritation.
Wait at least 30 minutes after applying vitamin C before applying tretinoin. Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher during the day.
Dr Malvina Cunningham: Retinoids like tretinoin and vitamin C work well together as they both promote collagen production and enhance each other's effect. Vitamin C is generally less of an irritant so these can often be applied in combination. Retinoids like tretinoin and niacinamide work well too.
The last step of your night-time vitamin C skincare routine is to hydrate your skin and lock in the goodness of all the other vitamin C skincare products that you used so far. A rich and nourishing moisturiser locks moisture in your skin and rejuvenates your skin overnight.
“I don't advise using retinol and vitamin C in the same AM or PM skincare routine, as they are both powerful ingredients, which when together, can irritate the skin,” explains Dr. Hartman. It's easy to separate them, so doing so will ensure you get the maximum benefit without risking irritation, he adds.
The skin goes red, inflamed, and peeling because retinol has chemically burned away the upper layer of skin, the new exposed skin has not had enough time to build up its natural protection film to UV light and pollutants that a good UV moisturising oil can help with and reduce the exposure to skin cancer risk, ...
Yes, you can use them together, provided that your skin tolerates it.
Yes, you can combine Vitamin C and Retinol in your skincare routine, but it's important to do so carefully to avoid irritation. Both ingredients are potent and offer significant benefits to the skin; however, they can also cause sensitivity, especially when introduced together.
Option one: The sandwich technique
After washing your face, apply a layer of moisturiser. Allow it to dry down for 5-10 minutes. Then, apply a pea-sized amount of tretinoin to your entire face. Allow this to dry down for 5-10 minutes.
Stop using other harsh products
Tretinoin is a powerful acne-fighting and anti-aging ingredient. Mixing this prescription-strength product with other harsh products, such as exfoliating acids, may trigger severe skin irritation enough that you may have to stop treatment until your skin heals.
Avoid other topical retinoids, and skin care products containing retinol, with tretinoin. You may also want to avoid salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and erythromycin gel (Erthygel), as these ingredients and products can cause dryness.
Yes, but not at the same time. When used in the right order, Vitamin C should be applied in the morning as it protects your skin from UV induced collagen loss, whilst tretinoin at night as this builds new collagen.
Vitamin C + Niacinamide
However, when you combine niacinamide with Vitamin C, they'll cancel each other out chemically, making both formulas ineffective on your skin. Niacinamide takes out all the good properties of Vitamin C and makes it into a substance that can cause redness and trigger breakouts.
Vitamin C: This is a powerful antioxidant that brightens the skin and protects against environmental damage. However, it is best to not mix or use Vitamin C at the same time as Tretinoin. This will avoid causing irritation. If you have sensitive skin opt for forms of Vitamin C that are less irritating.
Once you've massaged the Tretinoin onto your skin, you can apply your serums and/or moisturiser if you use these at night. There isn't a golden rule about how long to wait before applying these as different formulations of Tretinoin take different times to absorb. If in doubt, wait for 15-20 minutes.
Do you have to wash tretinoin off in the morning? Yes, it's advisable to cleanse your face in the morning to remove the tretinoin before applying your morning skincare products and sunscreen.
Conclusion: After 48 weeks of once-daily treatment, the continued use of tretinoin emollient cream 0.05% at a dose of three times per week maintains and, in some cases, may further enhance improvement in photodamage.
Tazarotene may get you results much faster than tretinoin, especially if you have a lot of very visible sun damage on your face, and in one study tazarotene worked more effectively for photodamage, fine wrinkling, mottled hyperpigmentation, and coarse wrinkling.