What is Retinol & Do I need it in my skincare regimen?

I know you’ve seen or heard that word “retinol” thrown around here recently. "What is that stuff and do I need it", “may be some of the questions you may have asked yourself. I wanted to give you a little insight on the magic sauce and how you can benefit from it. Retinol is a form of Vitamin A which is found in eggs, carrots and sweet potatoes to name a few. When retinol is introduced in a skincare regimen that is to be an age preventative treatment it changes the behavior of aged skin cells. When applied on the skin topically it converts the skin enzymes into retinoic acid to begin the process of transformation that you have seen in the magazines or photoshopped...IJS.

What is retinol?

To make it plain, retinol is an ingredient that exfoliates, increases production of collagen and fight free radicals that damages your skin daily. The majority of skincare manufacturers are putting this secret sauce in their products and with that being said…YES, this is what the craze has been all about. Listen beauties, this does not take the place of doing the right thing which consist of eating healthy foods and consistently following your skincare regimen. This does help tremendously with slowing down the aging process. Retinol will change the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, aging spots, acne scars plus give your skin an added bonus of glowing radiance. That’s what we all want, right? Skin that's free of unnecessary problems.

There are many different levels to retinol, so you want to be sure to pay attention to packaging and the level of the retinol in the product. Personally, I love retinol products that are time released (most of them are). This helps your skin not become so sensitive while out in the sun and doesn’t dry you out. Throughout the day the product is released to exfoliate and speed up the production of collagen to help those fine lines and wrinkles magically disappear.

Is it necessary to include retinol in my skincare regimen?

Absolutely! Every skin type can benefit from retinol. With saying that I must also let you know that not all retinols are equal. Some are stronger than others so if you suffer from sensitive skin and acne you need to pay close attention to the potency of the retinol in the product. There are other factors to consider such as molecular weight, however most companies do not disclose this information on their packaging.

If you use this product during the day you must be sure to wear SPF 30+ due to this product breaks down once UV rays get all up in the mix. If it’s your first time introducing retinol in your skincare regimen, start by using this product once a week so that your skin slowly develops a tolerance to this product.

I must say this is a great product and your skin will look Ah-Mazing with patience and consistency. This is a win for the skin.