RETINOL; IS IT GOOD OR BAD?

Editors Note: To see my skin journey and what I learnt from it, click here.

It seems as though everyone new favourite beauty product is retinol, but what is retinol? Retinol is essentially Vitamin A, which is one of the most powerful anti-ageing ingredients out there. Not only is it used to keep your skin looking fresh and bright, but it’s also supposed to help with acne as it pushes your skin to regenerate. Now, everyone is talking about how retinol is amazing, and in doses and with the correct supervision it can be, but there are also certain things about retinol that people don’t tell you, including why retinol can be bad for your skin. Whether retinol is right for you, is completely your decision, but today I wanted to share with you five things no one told me before I started using retinol in my skin routine, that I wish I knew before.

1. Your skin PURGES
… trust me, when I say purge, I mean PURGE. Shortly after introducing retinol into my routine my skin began to break out like crazy. I experienced some of the worst breakouts I’ve ever had and it just kept going for around two weeks. I had no idea that this was actually normal and that you can expect your skin to get a lot worse before it starts to get better. You can expect your skin to flake, feel a bit tight and really sensitive.

2. You have to ease into it
You cannot start using retinol every day in your skin routine. Vitamin A is a harsh substance for your skin and you have to ease into the process. Start by using it maybe once or twice a week and up the dosage as your skin becomes used to it.

3. You Can’t Use A LOT of other ingredients
There are so many things that you cannot use Vitamin A with, including Vitamin C. Any type of exfoliant will only further aggravate your skin if you have sensitive skin like mine and you need to be very conscious of what you mix with retinol.

4. Sunscreen is a MUST.
Retinol makes your skin more photosensitive. You need to be applying sunscreen every day. One of the myths about sunscreen is that you don’t need to put it on if it’s not a sunny day. That is NOT TRUE. Sunscreen protects your skin from UV rays that can be harmful. They are present even if you can’t see them and that’s why you need to wear sunscreen EVERY DAY!

5. It may not work for you
I’ve seen retinol work wonders for some of my friends. Their skin glows and looks so much younger. Unfortunately, it did not have the same effect on me. I was told that because my skin is sensitive, the retinol kept forcing my skin to regenerate and shedding away old skin. My new skin wasn’t ready for the environmental factors and I would just keep breaking out. It was a vicious cycle. I took retinol out of my skin routine and I have seen a huge improvement in my skin. So, the lesson here is it may work for you or it may not, but just because it’s a hot topic right now doesn’t mean you need it!

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