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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nRetinoids are a holy grail category of product for me\u2014I couldn\u2019t imagine my routine without one because it does so much heavy lifting when it comes to making my skin look good. How to use tretinoin cream isn\u2019t as straightforward as you might think, though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This category of ingredients is really<\/em> confusing for the initiated\u2014there are a lot of similar-sounding names that are easy to mix up! It\u2019s important that we\u2019re all on the exact same page when it comes to retinoids\u2014so let\u2019s define what exactly that is before we can talk about how to use Retin-A<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Retinoids are a group of molecules that are derived from Vitamin A. It\u2019s the name that covers pretty much all Vitamin A derivatives. Retinoids are used for both anti-aging and anti-acne. However, they\u2019re not all created equal! There are multiple generations of retinoids<\/a>\u2014just like a family, and they each act slightly differently when applied to skin. Vitamin A has to be converted to one of these forms in order to work on the skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes! First-generation retinoids include tretinoin,\u00a0retinol<\/a>, retinal, and isotretinoin. Yes, these are ALL different! Second-generation retinoids include etretinate and acitretin. (Never heard of these? Me neither. First and third-generation retinoids are much more common!) Third-generation retinoids include tazarotene and adapalene<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not exactly. Imagine Vitamin A as the \u2018grandmother\u2019 of the family, with each molecule in the generations down being derived from Vitamin A in different ways to give their individual effects. They act quite different from Vitamin A, and in fact pure Vitamin A applied to skin doesn\u2019t do much. That\u2019s why retinoids were created\u2014molecules that our skin can actually do something with.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n What groups each retinoid to a specific generation is that they have similar modifications to the original Vitamin A structure within that particular group. I\u2019m not going to get into that too deeply, but it\u2019s a crucial difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technically, retinol is a type of retinoid.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n What makes plain retinol different from prescription retinoids is that retinol on it\u2019s own isn\u2019t usable right away by the skin. Retinol, or how it may appear in ingredients lists as retinyl palmitate, retinyl linoleate, retinaldehyde, propionic acid, or retinyl acetate, needs to convert to all trans retinoic acid before it can be effective.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n (All trans retinoic acid is just another name for tretinoin, by the way! I hope you\u2019ve been taking notes!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this reason, retinol products are generally considered gentler than the prescription-strength versions. Are they less effective? Well, you could say that they take a much longer time to see effects, but given enough time they can definitely help. However, if you\u2019re looking for a product to treat acne, prescription retinoids are the go. Their formulations will be much more effective for clearing skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In comparison to retinol, prescription retinoids are already converted into forms that don\u2019t require any further processing to be effective on the skin. They can be readily used by skin straight from the get-go, which is what makes them so potent (and prescription-only in some countries). If you\u2019re thinking of noping out of this blog post because you use retinol, don\u2019t worry! This guide is great for how to use retinol too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I know\u2014it\u2019s really tempting to just go ahead and slather it on twice a day. Using more of it means you get results faster, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to use retinoids properly has one golden rule: start using them slowly. How to use Retin-A (and any Vitamin A-derived skincare) takes patience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I see so many people in social media falling into the trap of thinking they\u2019re not going to get irritated from a retinoid because they used it every night for a week with no irritation. Unfortunately, that isn\u2019t how it works!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The thing with retinol usage is that they\u2019re not like acids, where you get an instant stinging sensation and irritation when you overuse them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Retinoids and Retin-A play the long game when it comes to skin irritation because of how deeply they affect\u00a0corneocytes<\/a>, just one type of keratinocyte (skin cell) that makes up the epidermis (the upper layer of the skin).<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of the natural skin cycle, these corneocytes travel from the lower layers of the epidermis to the upper levels of the stratum corneum (the topmost layer of skin, the one we touch and feel). When they make this move is when skin becomes irritated\u2014retinoids literally rearrange corneocytes. It takes a while to get to this stage, which means that the side effect of irritation sneaks up on a lot of people!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people claim they never get irritated from retinoids or tretinoin usage. The thing is, it\u2019s really rare for someone to not get irritated at all. To be honest, when someone says their retinoid doesn\u2019t irritate them, I assume a) they\u2019re lying and b) they\u2019ve used it for a week or less. In my opinion, it\u2019s always better to assume that your skin will get irritated (and have the right products preparing for that) than to think you won\u2019t, but end up with really irritated and red skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve already touched on irritation as one of the tretinoin side effects, but there are a couple more major ones. Let\u2019s get this one thing out of the way\u2014these side effects are likely to happen and you should prepare yourself for them. However, just because you don\u2019t get one or more of these side effects doesn\u2019t mean tretinoin isn\u2019t working. Here are the two other side effects of tretinoin usage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most famous side effect is the tretinoin purge. Skin purging is definitely a phrase that sparks fear in most peoples\u2019 hearts\u2014especially if you\u2019re using retinoids for acne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The thing is, there\u2019s no getting around the purge. A skin purge is usually classified as a \u2018acne flare\u2019 in medical journals and by dermatologists, and the simple way to put it is an increase in acne for a short period of time before it all goes away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can tell if you\u2019re going through a tretinoin purge if you seem to have more acne in places that you normally get it. The thing about skin purging is that it doesn\u2019t last the same amount of time for everyone. I\u2019ll have a blog post about purging (and how to deal with it) up very soon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dryness and peeling is another common Retin-A side effect, and is usually paired with irritation. Because your skin\u2019s corneocytes are rearranging themselves, skin tends to dry out faster than it normally would if you didn\u2019t use a retinoid. However, don\u2019t get this mixed up for reducing oil production\u2014peeling skin is usually caused by a lack of water-based hydration.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can combat dryness and peeling by adding more watery serums to your routine, and using a thick occlusive (especially in the early stages of adding retinol to your routine) on dry spots to help them heal over faster.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using daily sunscreen is non-negotiable if you use any type of retinoid. Retinoids make skin more sensitive to the sun, potentially causing more damage than good. This Retin-A side effect gets overlooked a ton\u2014the truth is, you should be wearing a dedicated sunscreen product every day anyway. However, the importance of that basically triples if you use anything that photosensitizes your skin, like a retinol\u2014so don\u2019t skip it!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n When starting to use any retinoid, slow is the name of the game. Because retinoids fundamentally change your skin deep in epidermis, it\u2019s really unlikely to avoid any irritation at all. However, introducing it slowly to your skin<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I said before, every night is too much, too fast. A great starting point for most is twice a week. Or if you want to take it really slow, some dermatologists recommend short contact therapy\u2014where you wash off the product after a certain amount of time. You would eventually build up to applications where you leave the retinol on overnight, and then you can think about how often a week you apply it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But how slow is too slow?<\/p>\n\n\n\n That depends on what you\u2019re using Retin-A or Retinol for. If you\u2019re using a retinoid for anti-aging, you can take advantage of starting reeeaallly slowly, like with a once-a-week application at first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, when it comes to using a retinoid for acne, there is a small element of speed we want to keep\u2014and that\u2019s because of the purge that I mentioned before. It depends who you ask, but I would rather get over the purge quickly, rather than draw it out for longer than it needs to be. By applying a retinoid consistently (but not too frequently) you can speed up skin cell turnover (which is what affects the purge).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think a good rule of thumb for most people is twice a week for around 6 weeks, three times a week for 6 weeks, every other day for 6 weeks, then from there, you can maintain every other day OR go ahead to nightly application.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a really contentious subject\u2014I\u2019ve seen so much information about using retinoids after thin, watery-textured products based on an application rule of \u2018thinnest texture to thickest\u2019. If you ask me, that\u2019s not a blanket rule that applies here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n People forget that tretinoin or other retinoids aren\u2019t regular skincare, which the texture rule generally works for. Retin-A, Differin, and most retinoids are\u00a0actual medications<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since it\u2019s a medication, my view is that any retinoid ideally should go on clean, dry skin\u2014ahead of any toners, first essences, serums, whatever. In my experience of using many, many prescription acne treatments, you are always going to get the best results when you apply it directly to the affected area.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, in reality, applying it before or after a thin watery serum is completely up to you. I would still keep it to one layer in between bare skin and tretinoin\u2014applying too many products before your retinoid could make it pill up. You know, when you product build up that looks like eraser dust? Blech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personally, this is the nighttime skincare routine order that I use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s important to note that this is only my evening routine\u2014you should only use retinols once a day, at night. I know what you\u2019re thinking\u2014what about other products I already use? Can you use retinol and Vitamin C together, for example?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, but ith conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When starting a retinol, it\u2019s a good idea to hold back on all other\u00a0actives<\/a>\u00a0for a while. This includes Vitamin C, Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, and pretty much any type of exfoliator. This loops back to skin coming sensitive due to retinol usage (at first.)\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n After three months, you\u2019re good to go to start adding products back in\u2014but take it easy and start with just one at a time and you’ll be on your way to good skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re ready to start your retinoid journey, I have a downloadable guide for you right here\u2014including the 10 Commandments of Using Retinol and a FREE suggested schedule for how to use retinoids in your routine!<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is a Retinoid?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Is Tretinoin a Retinoid?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Is Vitamin A the Same as Retinol?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Is a Retinoid the Same as Retinol? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How Often to Use Retinol\/Retinoids\/Retin-A<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nDoes Everyone Get Irritated by Retinoids? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Are the Retin-A Side Effects?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Skin Purging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dryness and Peeling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Increased Sun Sensitivity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Frequently to Use Retinol?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Retin-A: How to Use it in a Skincare Routine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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