Guide to Using Retinol and Other Vitamin A Derivatives: Do you have to use them daily?
The Ultimate Guide to Using Retinol, retinoids and other Vitamin A derivatives: Do You Have to Use them Daily?
Introduction: why consistent use does not mean daily use of retinols/Vitamin A Derivatives
What is retinol/Vitamin A derivatives?
How often should I use retinol?
Is retinol once a week enough? What about skin cycling?
Can I ever stop using retinol?
How does our use of retinol and frequency use as we get older especially for women during perimenopause and menopause?
How often should you use Retinol and other Vitamin A derivatives?
Introduction: why consistent use does not mean daily use of retinols/Vitamin A Derivatives
Retinol and other derivatives of vitamin A, are considered the gold standard when it comes to treating the skin for both acne but also for signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles. It’s one of the few skincare ingredients that has clinical data to show that it can actually stimulate the creation of new collagen and elastin fibres in addition to its speeding up cellular turnover. This is why the class of Vitamin A derivatives, known as retinoids, are actually considered drugs in both the US and Canada. Most are considered prescription drugs and need to be prescribed by a physician with the exception of adapalene in the US. However, many forms of Vitamin A derivatives also cause side effects in the skin like irritation and dryness. Hence, one of the most popular questions we get from our customers is, how often should I use it?
What is retinol/Vitamin A derivatives?
This post refers to retinol but in truth, it’s actually our least favourite type of Vitamin A derivative. Our co-founder Dr. Sharyn Laughlin is a Canadian dermatologist with 40 years experience. During her time in her daily practice, she prescribed the prescription versions of Vitamin A in the form of tretinoin, adapalene and sometimes tazarotene to almost all of our patients for either acne or anti-aging benefits. However, we had started making skincare for her patients, she requested that we find an alternative to prescription retinoids. She did not like that some of the prescription versions came with ingredients like parabens. More importantly, she did not like the many of her patients could not ever get past the point of acclimation in getting use to their prescription and stopped using them.
We therefore started by creating our Cyberderm Retin+Erase with 1% active hydroxpinacolone retinoate (HPR). HPR is a retinoid ester but unlike retinol or retinol esters, it can actually be used as is by the retinoid receptors in the skin without having to be converted. This makes it more powerful and yet the ester modification of the ingredient meant that it was relatively gentle and did not have the same potential for irritation. We have the happy news to report that this product is now allowed for sale within Canada, the US and globally.
We subsequently created our Natrèceutique Bakuchiol Building Blocks with bakuchiol as a very gentle Vitamin A alternative. It has building clinical studies to show that it provides excellent cell turnover and can target the retinoid receptors in the skin as well. Almost everyone can use Bakuchiol but we are one of the few companies that recommends not using it during pregnancy.
How often should you use retinol and/or other Vitamin A derivatives?
The short answer is that you should use them as often as you can tolerate them. Everyone has different factors that impacts what consistency looks like for them and for many, consistency does not mean daily use and that is ok.
The frequency of retinol use varies from person to person and depends on several factors:
Skin Sensitivity: Retinol can cause dryness, redness, flakiness, and peeling during the initial stages of use. To mitigate these side effects, start by using it 1-2 times a week, allowing your skin to adjust. Once your skin has adapted, you can consider using it more frequently, but daily use may still not be necessary.
Individual Skin Type: Those with sensitive or dry skin may find daily use too harsh and prefer 1-2 times a week. Conversely, individuals with oily or resilient skin may tolerate daily use better.
Targeted Treatment: Consider your skincare goals when determining the frequency of retinol use. If you're primarily using retinol for anti-aging purposes, using it every other night or a few times a week may suffice. However, if you're battling acne, your dermatologist may recommend daily usage or a higher concentration.
Is retinol once a week enough?
Yes, it can be. It’s first of all important to consider what type of Vitamin A derivative you are using and at what strength. If you are using a prescription retinoid, most physicians will choose the lowest concentration to begin with. Adapalene is typically the best tolerated. Tretinoin is considered a more powerful version and tazarotene is incredibly strong. These also can come in gels or creams depending on whether you are treating acne or anti-aging concerns.
Most physicians will recommend that you start a Vitamin A derivative and increase use as tolerated. However, you can realistically look at your skin’s reaction to your chosen product and make a decision. Ultimately, you want to balance seeing some form of skin response, i.e. typically you should see a small amount of exfoliation on subsequent days of use, without seeing a lot of irritation and or dryness. If you see no reaction when using your Vitamin A then you can increase frequency of use or strength. Some people never get to this point though and get plenty of benefits from using it just once a week. This leaves them enough time on other nights to incorporate other beneficial ingredients like glycolic acid, anti-oxidants and hydration, skin brightening ingredients like turmeric and anti-inflammatories. You can have a very well-balanced skincare routine that involves using Vitamin A derivatives once a week.
Do you have to use retinol forever once you start?
If you are using it correctly, where you are balancing getting an effect with minimizing irritation and dryness, then there is really no reason to stop (with the exception of during pregnancy). It’s like eating well versus being on a crash diet- if you adopt it as a lifestyle then it’s easy to maintain on an every day basis.
How does our use of retinol and frequency use as we get older especially for women during perimenopause and menopause?
This is something that we almost never see addressed- if you are a women in perimenopause and/or menopause, it makes sense to adapt your skincare approach. As estrogen levels decline in the skin and in the body as a whole, women experience a decrease in collagen and elastin, sebum, cell turnover and wound healing ability and an increase in inflammation. Using a Vitamin A derivative is important during this time period to help continue stimulating collagen and elastin fibre creation and facilitate skin exfoliation. However, it also makes sense to take a gentler approach as skin is more fragile and drier. This is a time of life where using a Vitamin A derivative 1-2x per week might be the perfect amount. Supporting skin with hydration and anti-oxidant support will be important as will stress management, nutrition and supplementation. Hormone Replacement Therapy will also be potentially beneficial in terms of skin health as well.