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Acne Skin Care, Fine Lines & Wrinkles, Ingredient Focus, Pigmentation, Pimples, Retinol, Skin Care Ingredients, Skin Concern, Skin Types, Textured & Rough Skin

Choosing The Right Strength Retinol

Not Sure Which Retinol To Use?

Choosing The Right Strength Retinol. Read Dr Alek Nikolic’s Guide On Retinol Choice, Strength and Treatment Guidelines

I have recently stated using retinol on my skin and can honestly say that I am amazed at the difference it has made.

Visible changes include a more healthy and youthful glow to my skin but I have also noticed a softer texture, pore reduction and even an improvement of fine lines.

I now have 2 must have topical products for any skin care regime and for any age:

  1. A good SPF factor 30 or higher that contains zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide
  2. Retinol: to be applied every night after cleansing. Some of us will not be able to tolerate a nightly application so every 2nd or 3rd night is a great way to still get the benefits.

Retinol does increase the skin sensitivity to the sun so this is a perfect time for all of us to add this super ingredient to our skin care regimes. My advice is that even though we are entering our winter months always remember to apply a good sunscreen.

Retinol Introduction

Choosing the correct type of retinol is dependent on your skin needs including skin type, skin concerns, and your skin’s ability to tolerate this ingredient. Retinol can sensitise skin and if overused or incorrectly applied can even produce reactions including dryness, flaking and even produce a red inflamed rash. As a result the correct introduction of retinol into your skin care regime is vital and choosing the correct strength or concentration will also help reduce any unwanted side effects.

I will highlight and guide you in not only what the different strengths of retinol can do for your skins but also the concentration of the different prescription strength retinol is included in each of the retinol products that we supply on SkinMiles.

Even although retinol can provide amazing results for the skin including:

Pigmentation removal

Reduction of pore numbers and pore size

Improving the skins texture with visible and tactile softening of the skin

Providing a youthful glow

Increased collagen and elastin production

A reduction of fine lines and wrinkles

To achieve the best possible results for your skin one should include a range of ingredients in your skin-care regime such as antioxidants, skin-repairing ingredients, and cell-communicating ingredients.

Retinol is divided into low strength, medium strength and high strength each with their own characteristics, uses and effects so let’s take a closer look at each of them.

Low Strength Retinol

Results You Can Expect:

Even if your skin can only tolerate the low strength retinols you will still see results and changes with your skin. Not everyone can get to a medium or high strength retinol but that does not mean you should not add a low strength to your daily skin care regime.

Low-strength retinol products:

EXUVIANCE BLEMISH TREATMENT GEL

NEOSTRATA RENEWAL CREAM

LIFTACTIV ADVANCED FILLER  

The above products can be used at night after cleansing and before applying your night time moisturiser and anti-oxidants.

Day time retinol moisturisers:

EXUVIANCE AGE REVERSE DAY REPAIR SPF30

NEOSTRATA SKIN ACTIVE MATRIX SUPPORT SPF 30

Moderate-Strength Retinol Treatments:

Once your skin gets used to the low strength retinol it is time to move onto the medium strength retinols (concentrations from 0.04% to 0.3%). As we increase the concentration of retinol so you can expect to see added benefits especially with pigmentation marks, fine lines and even wrinkles. My advice is to add the moderate strength retinol slowly to your skin care regime as follows: apply after cleansing every 3rd or 4th night for 2 weeks, then every2nd or 3rd night for 2 weeks and then every night or every 2nd night for 2 weeks and so on. This will help you build your skin’s tolerance to retinol and even allow you to move onto the higher strength.

Retinol Tip:

Do not be afraid to apply to the eyelids. The eyelid skin also needs rejuvenating.

Results You Can Expect:

Do not expect to see results within a few days of use. Optimal effects will start to be seen after 8 to 12 weeks of use. Specific changes that will be seen:

Improvement of fine lines and wrinkles

Pigmentation improvement

Increased glow of the skin

Soft textured skin and increased hydration

SkinMiles.Com offers a variety of retinol formulas in the moderate-strength range:

EXUVIANCE OPTILIGHT TONE CORRECTOR

NEOSTRATA PIGMENT CONTROLLER

SKINCEUTICALS RETINOL 0.3

High-Strength Retinol:

Higher strength retinol is usually marked as a 0.5% and 1% concentration and it should only be used once your skin can fully tolerate the 0.3% or medium strength retinol for at least a month of daily night time use. The higher strength retinol is an effective tool in controlling sun damage, enlarged pores, wrinkles, and even acne-prone skin.

Retinol Tip:

Retinol does not exfoliate skin so no need to worry about retinol thinning your skin. In fact the exact opposite will happen due to the collagen and elastin production and an increased hydration from the stimulation of GAGS.

SkinMiles.Com offers a number of high-strength retinol products:

0.5% Strength:

SK.IN FLASH 2 | REPAIR SHOT

DERMACEUTIC ACTIV RETINOL 0.5

DERMACEUTIC SKIN AGING & PIGMENT SPOTS HOME KIT

DERMACEUTIC ACNE-PRONE SKIN HOME KIT

1% Strength:

SK.IN FLASH 3 | REPAIR SHOT

EXUVIANCE SUPER RETINOL CONCENTRATE

DERMACEUTIC ACTIV RETINOL 1.0

Retinol Tip:

Choose the Right Retinol for Your Needs. If you are unsure please feel free to email me directly at dralek@skinmiles.com or take our Face2Face Skin Assessment for a personalised skin care regime.

My last word of advice:

Please remember to use a good sunscreen SPF 30 or higher that contains zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide.

I hope the above article on retinol has helped you decide in not only adding this vital ingredient to your skin care regime but that is has also increased your awareness and understanding of the importance of retinol and what retinol can do for your skin and how to use it correctly in your skin care regime.

Kind regards

Dr Alek Nikolic

 

Recommended Products:

Dr Alek Nikolic’s Recommended Retinol Products:

EXUVIANCE Retinol Serum

R1,420.00
EARN 568 SkinMiles

sk.in flash 1 | restore shot

R1,035.00
EARN 331 SkinMiles

sk.in flash 2 | restore shot

R1,153.00
EARN 368 SkinMiles

sk.in flash 3 | restore shot

R1,470.00
EARN 588 SkinMiles

SKINCEUTICALS Retinol 0.5

R1,580.00
EARN 1264 SkinMiles

DERMACEUTIC Activ Retinol 0.5

R1,275.00
EARN 510 SkinMiles

DERMACEUTIC Activ Retinol 1.0

R1,530.00
EARN 612 SkinMiles

EXUVIANCE Retinol Serum

R1,420.00
EARN 568 SkinMiles
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About Dr Alek Nikolic

Dr Alek Nikolic was born in South Africa and received his MBBCh (Wits) in 1992 and in 2000 he received his MBA (UCT). He has been in private practice for 24 years and is the owner of Aesthetic Facial Enhancement, which has offices in Cape Town. Dr Nikolic specialises in aesthetic medicine and is at the forefront of the latest developments in his field. He is very driven and has lectured extensively and has performed live demonstrations throughout South Africa and Internationally including Bangkok, Rome, Paris, Monte Carlo, Prague, and Warsaw. Dr Nikolic’s focus is on skin care, skin ingredients and cosmetic dermatology treatments such as lasers, chemical peels, Botox, and Dermal Fillers. He has performed over 20 000 procedures to date and as such is responsible for training numerous medical practitioners both in South Africa and internationally. Dr Nikolic is one of the founding members of the South African Allergan Medical Aesthetic Academy and chaired its inaugural launch in 2012. The Allergan Academy provides essential training to keep up with the latest technology in aesthetics. Dr Nikolic holds the advisory position of Allergan Local Country Mentor in Facial Aesthetics and is the Allergan Advanced Botox and Dermal Filler Trainer. He is Vice President of the Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Medicine Society of South Africa (AAMSSA) and is an Associate Member of the American Society of Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS).

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2 thoughts on “Choosing The Right Strength Retinol

  1. claire says:

    so excited to get such in depth information on this topic and its for free ! thank you sooo much dr alek

    1. Dr Alek Nikolic says:

      Hi Claire thanks for the feedback. Dr Alek Nikolic

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