Everything You Need to Know About Retinoids, the Anti-Aging, Miracle-Working Skincare Essential
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Walk into any pharmacy or grooming emporium and you’ll be met by shelf after shelf of salves promising the impossible: turning back the hands of time and clearing your skin of every blemish.
But can anything—short of a good old-fashioned scalpel to the kisser—actually give you those kinds of results? If you have a decent amount of patience and you’re willing to make a physical or virtual appointment with a dermatologist, the answer is a resounding yes.
That’s because you can only get top-shelf retinoids, a buzzy ingredient that skincare enthusiasts love, with a prescription. “There is a plethora of data showing that consistent retinoid use minimizes fine lines, evens skin tone, smooths texture, and decreases acne,” says Dr. Carolyn Treasure, a board-certified physician and founder of Peachy, a New York-based skincare studio that focuses on three pillars of skincare—Botox, sunscreen, and retinoids.
What are retinoids, and how do they work?
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Retinoids are a category of skincare products beloved for their skin-firming and acne-clearing abilities. You might know these products or ingredients by any number of names, including retinol, retinoid, tretinoin, retinaldehyde, retinoic acid, and Vitamin A. And while none of these words means exactly the same thing, they all share similar abilities when applied topically. Our advice: Don’t get too lost in the weeds of their names. Just embrace the category of retinoids, which is also more commonly referred to as “retinols.”
When you apply any retinoid product to your skin, the vitamin A from which it is derived converts to its active form, retinoic acid. This tells your skin to increase cellular regeneration and collagen production, says Daniel Isaacs, director of research at Medik8. “This action triggers the smoothing of fine lines and wrinkles, improved skin tone, texture, and clarity, while brightening the look of dark marks and age spots,” Isaacs says.
“Retinoids increase the rapidity in which the outer layers of the skin turn over,” explains Dr. Evan Rieder, a dermatologist who works at NYU Langone and specializes in both general and cosmetic dermatology. “This can be helpful for unclogging pores, removing dead skin cells, preventing acne, and also as an antiaging medication. With regular use, people are able to achieve a glow-like appearance to their skin and less crinkliness.” Dr. Rieder likes them so much he recommends them to almost all of his patients, “as most of them have some type of aesthetic concern with their skin.”
You can get retinol over the counter in any number of forms as skincare creams or serums, as well as in a highly concentrated prescription from a board-certified dermatologist (this prescription will likely be tretinoin, which is prescribed at various intensities). But don’t discount the over-the-counter retinoids, which we’ll get into below.
How do I use a retinoid?
These products come with a short user’s manual because they can cause reddening or irritation in the first few weeks of use, as well as increased sensitivity to sunlight.
“The side effects of retinoids are often associated with the active ingredient being delivered too quickly and in too large a quantity,” Isaacs explains. “This can result in dryness, sensitivity, and purging.” He advises starting “low and slow” with retinol in order to train the skin and avoid experiencing any harsh side effects. “I suggest using it twice a week for the first two weeks, every other night for the next two weeks, then every night, to help your skin adjust to your chosen retinoid and ensure your skin remains comfortable during this period,” Isaacs says. Don’t use it during the day, since the sunlight can deactivate the active ingredient, and always pair its use with a moisturizer in order to offset any drying effects, adds Isaacs.
It’s also imperative to apply a facial SPF every morning to help protect the skin from the sun. (This is also just really good anti-aging practice; SPF and retinol might be the best combination for all these youthful efforts.) This SPF will also minimize any sensitivities felt by the freshly exfoliated skin and newly exposed skin cells. There is a misconception that retinoids can’t be used during the summer months because of the sun, which is a rumor Isaacs happily dispels. “Vitamin A is extremely beneficial in the summer months, as long as you are applying a high-protection sunscreen,” he says. “We strongly recommend using your vitamin A product at night, and then applying sunscreen in the morning and throughout the day.”
How long will it take to see results with retinoids?
Sadly, retinol is not an overnight miracle. But that doesn’t mean they’re not worth your time. “Retinoids [especially prescription-grade tretinoin] make changes on a cellular level,” says Dr. Treasure. “Because of this, changes are long-lasting, but it can take several months for you to see the full results.” She says its effects take, on average, four months to fully express themselves. At this point, you should notice a prominent change in skin tone, texture, and firmness.
You will also notice gradual improvements along the way, like a lessening of “tactile roughness” in as soon as one to two months, a “rosy glow” (the actual scientific term) during the second or third months, and the minimization of fine lines afterward.
All of these benefits are multiplied if using prescription-level tretinoin, too. “Tretinoin is truly the gold standard in any skincare regimen, and almost everyone would benefit from including tretinoin in their skincare routine,” Dr. Treasure says. “While all retinoids act through the same pathway, [OTC] retinol is the less active form, rendering it 20-fold less potent than prescription tretinoin,” she says. So, for the best results, seek a script from your board-certified dermatologist. (Or summon the docs at telemedicine sites like Peachy, DocBright, Ro, and Apostrophe.)
You need to keep using the product in order to maintain these results, but doing so will also significantly slow visible signs of aging, and could make a huge difference in the long run compared to anyone not using them.
How will my skin react to retinoids?
“The mechanism of rapid cell turnover makes these products particularly drying,” says Dr. Rieder. “Especially when they are introduced in high quantity and too frequently.” Dr. Treasure agreed. “While your skin quickly grows accustomed to this, patients may experience this redness, dryness, or can see mild acne flares during the first two weeks,” Dr. Treasure said. At Peachy, she noted, they formulate tretinoin treatments with a lower dosage and slowly bump it up, and each patient gets a custom formulation which also includes vitamin C, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid to help offset the more severe reactions and pump up the hydration. But agitation, redness, and dry flakiness aren’t unheard of.
Peachy
Why is now a good time to start using retinoids?
Well, depending on when and where, exactly, you read this, you may have two things going for you: working from home and masking. Spending more time indoors can help cut down on irritation, as retinoids can make the skin more sensitive to sun exposure. And if you do have to go out into the world, those essential face masks may hide any dry skin or reddening that some beginners experience.
So what should a retinoid newbie do?
“I always tell patients to start with a pea-sized amount every other night and to moisturize twice daily,” Dr. Rieder says. “Often people have difficulty with application and tolerability so I even made an intro video to retinoids on my Instagram page to help troubleshoot and offer alternative methods of application when things are not so straightforward. Start slow, moisturize frequently, be patient, and don’t get discouraged by mild side effects in the beginning.”
What are the best non-prescription retinoids?
While most OTC products are far less effective than prescription-grade options, a handful of luxury brands are finding ways to provide users with similar anti-aging benefits thanks to heavily researched and tested formulations. These are those superior products.
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