Retin-A: the closest thing to the fountain of youth.

The only other product I’m more passionate about than daily sunscreen is Retin-A. A facialist once told me, “the one product you need to wear for the rest of your life is Retin-A, it’s the closest thing to the fountain of youth.” I never forgot those words. Retin-A is a derivative of Vitamin A. It’s a topical cream or gel that at one time was only available by prescription and mostly prescribed for acne sufferers. Retin-A is a true skin game-changer. Long term use of Retin-A can clear up acne, decrease fine lines, even skin tone and even helps with collagen production. Retin-A is a product you start out using minimally a few times a week and increase the frequency as your skin builds up a tolerance to it.

Retin-A is mostly used at night when you have no other products on your face. It’s best applied when your skin is dry and there’s no moisture so I always wait 15-20 minutes after washing my face before using it. With Retin-A, LESS IS MORE. As I’ve learned from my skincare gurus, you start out with a dime-size amount and spread it all over your face (being careful around the corners of your nose and mouth – don’t let it puddle).

You should not wear Retin-A and go in the sun without sunscreen. I can’t emphasize this enough. Retin-A is a skin exfoliator. It does its job by sloughing off the top layers of skin to reveal new layers of fresh skin. When you are using Retin-A, think of your skin as that of a newborn baby. Imagine what would happen to a newborn baby’s skin if it was in the sun without sunscreen. When you are using a product containing Retin-A, it’s extremely important that you stay in the sun minimally and wear a broad spectrum sunscreen.

Below I recommend 2 of my favorite Retin-A products. The first one is by prescription and is Retin-A micro pump. If you frequent a medspa that’s under a physician, you can usually purchase it through the medspa. There are quite a few OTC products with high percentages of retinol and are available at drugstores or beauty stores. Two that I like are Vichy LiftActiv Retinol HA and Philosophy Help Me Retinol night.

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