Retinol can be confusing and intimidating, especially if you've never used it. Many of my friends and followers on Instagram ask me about it as they just don’t know where to start - or they've tried it, had a bad reaction, and given up. I've dipped in and out of using the sometimes controversial ingredient over the years, but since nearing 50, I've started using it consistently, and my skin has never looked better.
I don't have injectables, so I depend on hardworking skincare to help keep my skin in good shape, but perimenopause has brought with it some noticeable changes: lines on my forehead, crows feet around my eyes and the newest bugbear - a sagging jawline.
Curious as to whether retinol could be the ingredient to make a difference to my midlife skin, I sat down with consultant dermatologist Dr. Justine Kluk, who is one of the best in the field when it comes to translating science into real-life skincare advice, and she broke it all down in a way that finally made sense. Here's what I learned about using retinol in midlife - and how it's changed the way I use retinol.
I started by asking the question I am most frequently asked by my midlife friends - what is retinol? "Retinol is one of a group of what we call retinoids - these are ingredients derived from vitamin A, and are available in oral and topical form," explains Dr. Kluk, adding that it’s the topical retinoids that are used most commonly to support healthy skin aging.
I've always known that retinol is an important part of my skincare regimen, but it wasn't until I hit my forties that I saw how it can turn a dull skin day into a glowing one. It makes a difference to the glow of midlife skin in particular because as we age, our skin cell turnover slows down, which makes it look dull and feel rough - but retinol fixes that. "Retinol helps us shed mature or dead skin cells from the surface, and allows new, fresh baby skin cells to come through," explains Dr. Kluk.
In addition, something that not many people know about retinol is that it helps stimulate collagen production in our skin. "Collagen is a protein that keeps our skin firm, and the sharp decrease of collagen in our skin during perimenopause and into menopause is the reason why it changes so much in our forties and fifties. Using retinoids can help to slow this process down and also help us generate new collagen."
I'm often asked if our 40s and 50s is too late to start seeing the benefit of retinol, bu Dr. Kluk reassured: "It's never too late to start using retinol. There's a sweet spot, from your late 20s until your early 50s, but when you’re in your 40s or 50s, it can absolutely still give your skin incredible results. You just have to use it correctly and pick the right strength."
So how do we know how to use it "correctly" and what's the right strength? One of the biggest mistakes people make with retinol is going in too strong, too soon. "It's always a good idea to start at a low strength and build up the strength gradually,” explains Dr. Kluk. "Stronger retinoids can make skin dry and irritable at first, so starting low will make the process seamless. Retinol 0.3 is a good starting strength. Many brands sell 0.3 - it's the average strength, and well tolerated by most people."
"Once you've finished a bottle of a lower strength retinol, move up to the next strength, and if that's still fine, you can move up to a retinal, an ingredient which is similar, but tends to be stronger. But it's not the end of the world if you stick to a low strength and use it for many years consistently. The key is to let your skin adjust and then slowly step it up if you want to."
As for using retinol correctly, Dr. Kluk explains: "We are advised to only use retinol at night. Retinoids can increase the sensitivity of your skin to the sun, which means that your skin might burn faster than it would ordinarily do if you weren't using a retinoid. The other reason is that sunlight may break down retinol and make it less stable, which means it's less likely to do the good stuff that you want it to do.”
Start slow. “Use the retinol alternate nights for a month and then every night. And on the nights you're not using it, let your skin rest." I started with two nights a week for two weeks, three nights for three weeks, four nights for four weeks - and so on. Now I’m now using it every night with no irritation. "Once you're a seasoned retinol user, you can absolutely use retinol every night, provided your skin is not sensitive," advises Dr. Kluk.
If you're worried about sensitivity, Dr. Kluk recommends using a “buffering” application method - putting on moisturiser before your retinol - to reduce any flaking or redness.
If you're feeling impatient waiting to see results, Dr. Kluk implores us to practice patience - because changes happen gradually. "After three months, your skin should feel noticeably smoother, and look more glowy," says Dr. Kluk. "And in six or twelve months, you will still be seeing improvements such as clearer skin and smoothed out lines."