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Retinoids are prefect for anti-ageing skincare. Retinoids are derivatives of vitamin A which bring a significant change in the skin by affecting gene expression. They boost the turnover of skin cells, increase collagen production, prevents the tendency of cells and pollutants to clump up and clog the pores, and it decreases discolouration.
Many skin care products contain different forms of vitamin A given its long list of benefits. Retinoid ingredients include adapalene, retinol, retinoic acid, tretinoin and more. People who are following a skincare routine may already have a general idea for what they are for, but the beginners are always at lost about that. Identifying your skin needs and using the right type of retinoid works best.
Over-the-Counter and Prescription Retinoids:
Your skin care practitioner will prescribe a potent treatment or recommend an over-the-counter retinol cream depending your specific skin type and problems. Topical retinoids are usually prescribed for acne as they have a comedolytic effect i.e. preventing and treating clogged pores. Also, they help decrease the discolouration as they enhance the turnover of skin cells which heals acne sooner.
The retinoids found over-the-counter such as retinol may not give you the effect like prescription retinoids because they have less concentration of the retinoid in them. It depends on the percentage of the ingredients how powerful and effective a retinoid is,
Non-prescription retinoids are considered to be gentler and safer for sensitive skin because they have a gentler formulation.
Moreover, your dermatologist can also prescribe oral retinoids for more serious concerns like psoriasis, severe acne, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Things to Keep in Mind When Using Retinoids
While retinoids have a list of proven benefits and palpable results, they have certain side effects that may alarm the first-time users. Retinoid can dry out the skin or irritate it at the beginning of use. Therefore, start with using them only once or twice a week and increase the use gradually. Using only a small pea-sized amount is enough. Waiting for the skin to be completely dry before applying it and using a moisturizer afterwards help reduce the irritation.
Sunlight can hinder the work of retinoids, therefore, they are to be used at night. If your daytime product contains a retinoid ingredient, you need to be more cautious about spending time under the sun. Using retinoid can make your skin more sensitive which means you may want to use a sunscreen with SPF above 30.
Pregnant women should avoid using products with retinoid ingredients as high doses of vitamin A can harm an unborn child and cause birth defects.
Types of Retinoid ingredients
We have brought to you a guide to choose the right retinoid ingredient after taking opinions of some of the best dermatologists so that you can reap its benefits for your skin.
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Retinoid
Retinoid is an umbrella term for different molecules that bind the retinoic acid receptors. The term is usually used for prescription-strength versions of the ingredient.
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Retinol
Retinol is one of the most effective ingredients used in anti-ageing skincare products. It is less powerful than prescription retinoids. It increases cell turnover, reduces discolouration, and accelerates collagen production.
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Retinoic Acid
It is an active derivative of vitamin A that aids cell growth stimulates elastin and collagen production and improves discolouration and hyperpigmentation. Most of the prescription retinoids contain retinoic acid. Whereas the over-the-counter retinoids react within the skin and convert into retinoic acid.
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Tazarotene
It is considered to be one of the most effective topical retinoids. Stronger dosages of tazarotene are used to treat psoriasis and lower percentages of it are usually prescribed to treat acne.
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Tretinoin
It is a prescription topical retinoid. It has anti-ageing properties and, if used in higher concentration, it helps to treat acne.
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Isotretinoin
It is also known as Accutane. It is a derivative of vitamin A which is usually taken as an oral dosage. Isotretinoin is used for more serious, scarring or cystic acne.
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Adapalene
Adapalene 0.1% gel has recently been approved to be an over-the-counter retinoid. It is great for sensitive skin as it doesn’t cause irritation like other prescription retinoids. Also, it is perfect for treating acne. It has an anti-inflammatory effect but it takes more time to absorb in the human skin.
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Retinal or Retinaldehyde
It is one of the latest minimum viable product because it brings beneficial anti-ageing effects faster than other retinoids. It is a non-prescription retinoid which has less risk of irritation and is better tolerated by the skin.
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Organic Retinol Alternatives
There are some organic plant-based ingredients that are very much similar to retinol because of their anti-ageing properties. An extract of the babchi plant has skin-brightening and anti-ageing effects. Also, bakuchiol is found to be less irritating than traditional retinoids.
