Do You Need This Skincare Hero?

If you could use just one product that had a significant impact on your skin, and that experts hailed it as the most beneficial thing you can do for your skin – would you? 

The problem is that a lot of the potent products often have names that feel too technical. 

Glycolic acid, ferulic acid, kojic acid, retinol, lactic acid, even the more mainstream hyaluronic acid – they sound confusing. 

Where do you start? What do they do? Not to mention that the term ‘acid’ and putting it on your face can seem like a daunting situation. 

Most importantly, which one of these is the hero product? 

It’s retinol. 

But retinol covers a range of retinoids, and those come in different forms too. Luckily, you don’t need to understand all of the different retinoids – unless you want to. 

What you need to know about retinol

The first and most important rule about retinol is that you can’t go ahead and slather your face in it. Retinol is different from your everyday moisturisers and will require you to build up a tolerance to it gradually. 

And really, you want to start using it. Retinol is one of the only ingredients that has been proven to impact the signs of ageing. But that is not all. 

What else can retinoids do?

The honest answer is, almost anything to do with skin can be improved by using retinol. Here is a not so short list of all of the areas that retinol c an help:

• Minimise the appearance of pores (it is essential to know that pores don’t get smaller, but you can minimise their appearance)
• Acne
• Textured skin (it is worth noting that skin does have some texture anyway)
• Age concerns like wrinkles 
• Dullness 
• Plumping fine lines
• Uneven skin tones
• Help pigmentation
• Cystic acne

It is essential that you look for a high-quality retinol product like the retinol collection by Zo Skin.

When should I start using retinol?

Ideally, you start using retinol in your 20s, but most often, it’s much later than that where retinol gets on the skincare radar. 

So that answer is – anytime. 

How do I apply retinol?

All retinol will come with guidelines for usage, but here are some general tips to help you introduce retinol into your weekly skincare routine. 

Introduce the retinol slowly by using a minimal amount once a week. This will avoid your skin breaking out, flaking or going red. 

After several weeks, add an extra retinol application day. Only apply the retinol in the evening, as it does leave skin susceptible to sun damage. 

Don’t use them with AHA, BHA on the same day, or sometimes at all. You’ll need to see how your skin reacts. And always leave the retinol to soak into the skin for at least 30 minutes before any other product is applied. 

When you use retinol, your skin’s cell regeneration increases, so always ensure you have applied your SPF before heading out the door. 

Like any other skincare, you will see results between 12-14 weeks and then improve over time. You may see some slight results before then since you are looking for them, but 12 weeks is the typical time. 

Need some more quick beauty tips? Check out: 3 Quick Beauty Tips for Mums by Tattooed Tea Lady