I have a ton of products, but my skincare routine like most things has been fairly minimal while I’ve been home. For anyone who has gotten out of a normal routine of wearing a retinoid because. . . . life . . . this is a good time to ease back into it. As a topical, it’s one of the most well studied anti-aging ingredients. As a former skincare rep selling Avene products to medical spas, I know this first hand because I had to walk around with a large binder full of retinoid studies almost ten years ago!
For anyone unfamiliar, Retinoid is the term for all products with vitamin A. There are versions you can get in “over-the-counter” such as versions you find on Sephora or a drug store and versions you will get as a prescription from a dermatologist. While you may have heard about it as an ingredient to use to help prevent wrinkles, it does so much more including;
Smooths skin’s texture
Brightens skin
Clears skin
I use Retinol now, but in the past I'd associate it with dryness, irritation, and flaking. This is why many people want to avoid it. When I was 23, I went to see a Derm in NY and asked her what the number one thing I could do to help prevent wrinkles was. She told me to start a Retinoid she prescribed for me, but don’t start it until I came back from my trip to Spain. I’d be between there and Italy for two weeks during the summer and she didn’t want me to start flaking and get discouraged. I also slightly remembered something she said to me about making sure to wear more sun protection while I was using it which went in one ear and out the other. Naturally, I heard fewer wrinkles and wanted to use it right away. My skin was a hot flaky mess by the time I got to Spain!
Retinol stimulates cell renewal to produce new skin cells so the new skin that develops is more delicate and thinner so cue fresh baby skin that also burned more easily. Here I was on the trip of a lifetime and I was flaky with a sunburn on my cheeks. I blamed the Retinol instead of my failure to follow directions and didn’t touch it again until almost 30 when I worked for a skincare company where I had to learn the science behind this ingredient and so many others.
If you’ve ever been afraid to start because of the dreaded skin flaking phase or don’t want to restart because you’ve had a flaky start like mine that was kind of awkward....these are two products I’ve tried which are both good for newbies or those with sensitive skin who have never felt like they could tolerate retinol.
Sente’s Bio-Complete Serum is an extremely gentle retinol combined with Vitamin C for a light, silky finish that is my absolute favorite. Avene also makes two extremely gentle versions so you are less likely to have to deal with flaking and dry skin. It has a creamier texture versus the light gel of Sente’s. Both brands are available online or at a dermatologist’s office as they are considered medical-grade skincare.
Now where things get tricky is technically, Avene uses Retinaldehyde. It requires your skin to perform one less step to convert the active ingredient into retinoic acid, which is what you get with the Rx version from your derm, Tretinoin. I’m a little rusty with having to stay on top of their clinical studies and all their competitors, but the way I used to explain the difference is while the word "retinol" is often used, there are several versions.
So let’s separate the prescribed from over-the-counter versions. The Rx version, Tretinoin, is Retinoic Acid. It’s the only retinoid in its pure form that your skin can actually use. The other common over-the-counter versions (Retinyl Palmitate, Retinol, and Retinaldehyde) have to go through a conversion process to turn into Retinoic Acid before your skin can use it.
The more conversion steps needed before a retinoid can turn into Retinoic Acid, the weaker and less potent it becomes, which is why the Rx version from your Derm is way more intense than anything from the store. If you are using “Retinol”, your skin has to perform two steps to convert it into Retinoic Acid. Since your skin is only performing one step to convert “Retinaldehyde ” into “Retinoic Acid”, the outcome is usually less irritation then Rx Retinoic Acid while being more potent than Retinol.
So if you are just starting out, you may want to start with Sente’s Bio Complete Serum and work your way up into Avene. As a skincare representative, I would usually say “start low and go slow” which means to mean start with the more gentle product and slowly add it to your routine. While you may be used to buying a new product and adding it into the daily rotation, with Retinols, you might start with just once or twice a week as your skin builds up a tolerance. I sold another line at the same time of mostly very active products based on Glycolic, Salicylic, and other acids at the same time so I always made sure to explain to avoid using chemical exfoliants on the same night as the Retinol. (This is one of many reasons it’s always good to flip your bottle around to the back and get to know your ingredients!) Just know no matter which version you choose, always use it at night, protect your skin with SPF during the day, and quit it altogether if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
It’s always worth experimenting to find a Retinoid product that works for you. Are you willing to give Retinoids a try now? I’d love to hear which one! DM me on Instagram @JasminePennamma to let me know!
