Retinoids are the gold-standard ingredient in anti-ageing skincare. The most effective retinoids are available through prescription only and due to their strong nature, must be used with extra care.
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Founders of Australian skincare brand The Secret, Dr Clara Hurst and Dr Deb Cohen-Jones share their four top tips for using retinoids in the most effective way.
Start by applying your vitamin A cream on alternating nights to begin with. That way you can start to build up your skin's ability to tolerate the active ingredient.
1. Start slowly
Start by applying your vitamin A cream on alternating nights to begin with. That way you can start to build up your skin's ability to tolerate the active ingredient. For the extra sensitive, you can even try every third night to begin with.
At The Secret, the doctors base your usage on the details you provide in your consultation form to ensure seamless adjusting for the skin.
2. Apply to clean, dry skin
Retinoids are most effective at penetrating the skin when applied to clean, dry skin and not layered with any other products. Layering retinoids with other products has the potential to cause a reaction on the skin.
3. Use only a pea-sized amount
The strong nature of the product means you do not need to use much at all. Even though this may feel unnatural to some who love to slather on their night cream before bed, only a pea-sized amount of your retinoid cream should be used and is more than sufficient.
4. Use the right supporting products
As nightly use of your retinoid can induce an initial drying period to the skin, you want to make sure you are support this process during the day. Using hydrating serums, moisturisers and non-stripping cleansers will help immensely.
