Sunshine greetings my lovelies.
Have you been loving this Mediterranean weather as much as me? I have been basking in the sunlight, soaking up the sun, loving the warmth on my skin and making the most of being outdoors in this gorgeous climate.
With all this sun comes lots of protection and a great SPF. I know I talk about a lot, but a great SPF on your skin in summer is so important and should be your number one beauty and skin health product and it’s important to use it all year round, yes even in winter. One of my favourites is Alumier, check it out here.
Retinol in summer?
One question I have been getting asked a lot about recently is; “Should I continue to use Retinol in summer?”
The short answer is yes. You will still see the benefits of Retinol in summer, but let’s dive a little deeper first.
What is Retinol?
Retinol, also known as Vitamin A₁, is a type of retinoid and is from the Vitamin A family. It can be found in a variety of foods and is often used as a dietary supplement.
It is gold standard in the skincare world and can have fantastic results, which is why it is now popping up in many skincare products.
What are the benefits?
Retinol is an all-rounder product, the list of benefits this wonder product has is endless, with benefits such as;
- Increases the rate of skin cell turnover
- Promotes the production of collagen
- Helps exfoliate skin cells and unclog pores
- Improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
- Improves uneven skin tone
- Improves the appearance of pigmentation
It really is a seriously luscious product and if it’s not part of your skincare regime, I recommend you introduce it.
Are there side effects?
I know some of my clients have been a little nervous about using Retinol as it is such a powerful product, even in small doses. Sometimes when you first start using it, you may experience a few side effects such as;
- Redness
- Dryness of your skin
- Slight irritation of your skin
These side effects are simply your skin adjusting to this new product and should not last long. Of course, if they do, stop using the product and seek the advice of a professional.
It is worth noting that not all retinols cause reactions, it’s about finding the right formula for you.
Find the right Retinol for you
Retinol is found in a huge amount of products from moisturisers, to serums, eye creams and more and one of the key things to look out for is a product that has retinol in it, but has a protecting factor too like a hydrating element. You want to look for things like hyaluronic acid and ceramides.
Build it into your routine
As Retinol is such an amazingly powerful product, it needs a little time for you to break it in. If you go in all guns blazing and use too much to soon, you may experience some of those pesky side effects we talked about like dryness and redness of your skin, so start small.
A patch test is always a great way to start as with any new products. Test a little out on an area of your skin and leave it for 24 hours and if there is no irritation, you can start to build it into your routine.
I would recommend if you are completely new to Retinol, to start by using it just a couple of times a week until your skin is comfortable with it, then build it up to every other day, until your skin is ready to use this beauty every day. However, wonderful human, do listen to your skin and what it needs, it will often tell you if it needs to take a break and because this delicious product is so amazing, it has long term benefits, so if you have a day here and there when you don’t use it, you will still experience it’s fabulous results.
It’s all about protection
As I said at the beginning, a great SPF should be your number one product and this is especially true when using Retinol.
Retinol makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight, so you must wear a good SPF during the day on your face and neck when using it. If you don’t, your skin will be more susceptible to UV damage for the skin, which entirely defeats the object of using Retinol in the first place. But as I’ve said before, even if you don’t use Retinol, you should 100% be using a SPF of 30 or above every day.
Less is more
We have talked about how powerful Retinol is, which is why if you are using other active ingredient products to alternate these as to not overload your skin. So if you are using a Vitamin C product, or chemical exfoliant, don’t use it on the same day as Retinol. Either don’t use it, or alternate it, so you use Retinol on one day and your exfoliant or Vitamin C cream the next. This will help prevent your skin drying out or becoming irritated. So remember, less is more my lovelies.
Want to learn more about Retinol and the treatments I have on offer with this? Book in a free consultation here.