Retinol: The Antioxidant Your Skin Needs

It is possibly the revolutionary ingredient we all want to try because of its miraculous benefits for the skin. A powerful anti-ageing active that improves its texture, removes sun and acne marks and brings radiance. Yes, we are talking about Retinol: the antioxidant your skin needs. 

Once we reach our twenties or thirties, our skin starts asking for a series of specific treatments to deal with those first fine lines,crow’s feet,sun spots or acne marks... At Farmaciasdirect we have what your skin needs!

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Retinol: what you need to know

Retinol is a derivative of Vitamin A, capable of stimulating skin cell renewal,reducing acne, combating sun spots and blemish marks and increasing collagen production. It also has a powerful antioxidant action that works against free radicals, thus protecting the skin from skin ageing.

Side effects of retinol

But not all that glitters is gold, and among the side effects of Retinol are skin irritation and dryness. For this reason, when including it in our routine it is important to take into account a series of guidelines to follow. But do not worry, because we will tell you how to do it. If you add Retinol to your daily skincare and after a few weeks notice that your skin starts peeling or feels tight or irritated... do not panic! It can happen. If so, we recommend that you do not stop using the product. Simply apply a cream that deeply hydrates your skin and reduce its use to 2-3 days a week until you notice that your skin has adapted to Retinol. In any case, to avoid these side effects,we recommend introducing Retinol into your routine gradually. How? In small doses, applying it on alternate days, always at night and accompanied by a cream with sun protection in the morning. And before we forget, products with Retinol are not only indicated for the face; you can also apply it to the décolletage and facial contour. We normally tend to forget these parts of the body completely, and ageing leaves its mark there too.

Retinol and the sun, incompatible?

This active ingredient makes the skin more sensitive to UV rays and also loses effectiveness with sunlight, which is why it is necessary to protect the skin whenever we are going to be in contact with the sun. Even if it is just because we are going out to run a couple of errands or spending time on our terrace. In this sense, it is important for you to know that if you are planning a trip to the beach soon or spending your holidays somewhere very sunny... you should leave your Retinol products at home. As we have just mentioned, they are not at all advisable in sunny situations.

Retinol for sensitive skin

If you are someone with sensitive skin such asrosacea or eczema, and you are determined to try Retinol, you can try it and if you notice that it worsens your skin, try another anti-ageing product. For example,Vitamin C, whose active ingredients also work by preventing skin ageing and improving its appearance. 

You now have everything you need to know how to introduce Retinol into your beauty routine. All that remains is to choose the right products for your skin type and needs. Would you like us to make a selection of our favourites?