When you hear the word retinol, what does it make you think of? Many people are aware that it’s a common skincare ingredient, but not many know exactly what it is, or does. You might be surprised to learn that retinol is a form of Vitamin A. Not so scary now, right? Retinol is an ingredient that is used in skincare products because of its super power ability to speed up skin cell renewal and enhance collagen production. There are also a lot of misconceptions and myths surrounding retinols and their use, so we thought we put some of them straight for you:
“Retinols take 4 to 6 weeks to work”
We hate to disappoint you, but in some cases it can be double or even triple this length of time, and it all depends on your skin. Generally, by the 12 week mark, you’ll start to see a massive improvement in your skin, but the main take away from this is that you shouldn’t be disheartened if you don’t see results right away. Stick with it!
“Stop using retinols if your skin gets worse”
Retinols are very much a “things will get worse before they get better” kind of ingredient and providing you aren’t experiencing extreme discomfort or signs of an allergic reaction, you should power through because things can only get better. For many people, their issues with retinols could be solved if they didn’t give up on them so quickly, but for something potent, opt for Jan Marini Age Intervention Retinol Plus.
“Go for the strongest formula”
Different products contain different concentrations of retinol and a lot of people will go straight for the strongest, believing it to be more potent. However, this can be a little like using a sledgehammer to crack an egg. Dermalogica Overnight Retinol Repair is customisable and can be mixed with a buffer cream so that you can choose your exact concentration for yourself.
“Don’t use retinol around your eyes”
This is one of the myths we find most annoying, not least of all because so many people are missing out when the eye area is often in the MOST need for potent ingredients. Retinol might sting a little if it gets in your eye, but it’s not going to damage your skin. In fact, Jan Marini Age Intervention Eye Cream contains all-trans retinol and is designed specifically for use around the eye area.
“Retinols stop working after a year”
While it might be true that after 12 months of using the same retinol-containing products you’ll see results start to plateau, this doesn’t mean that the retinol has suddenly become useless. What this actually means is that your skin is ready for something with a higher concentration of retinol so that your improvement can continue. If you’re ready for a more intense treatment, we recommend trying Jan Marini Luminate Face Lotion, which is highly-concentrated.
Last updated on 09/11/2019.