Let's Talk About Retinols

When I was in high school I stumbled across a bag of innocent looking cream samples that my father had brought home from his practice.

I used one sample a night for three days- disappointed that nothing was happening, I slathered it on for another night or two.  

By the end of the week, my face was peeling off in sheets!!!

Those "innocent samples" were Retin A.

Ok, so it sounds exteme and most people would swear off retinol creams and topicals, but it made me realize how powerful these creams can be!

Once you reach about 30 years of age, our skin isn't as "motivated" to naturally turn over and "shed".  What Retinols do is provide chemical exfoliation and stimulate our skin so that we can safely expose the soft, dewy skin just below the surface.  

Retinols will help you get that youthful glow we all seek and can also help diminish the appearance of wrinkles.  By preventing a "build up" of thick, dead skin, your creases won't have an opportunity to develop the deep grooves that make wrinkles more visible.  Retinol creams can also help with skin pigment imbalances and lighten dark spots caused by sun damage.

Speaking of sun...

Once you add a retinol into your skincare routine you must, MUST, must wear a daily sunscreen (but as my loyal blog readers, you KNOW THIS and you've been doing this already... right?).

The retinol exposes soft and supple skin that also happens to be SUPER photosensitive.  If you expose that skin to external environmental stressors, your efforts will be counter productive.

How to use:

Start off slow- use in the evening once or twice a week.  

Watch This: My "Go To" Retinol Cream