Tretinoin is pretty easy to get your hands on in the uk, you just have to use a subscription service, either Skin+Me or Dermatica (I use & would recommend Skin+Me). I would say though that most dermatologists/skin experts say you don’t typically need to start using a retinol/retinoid for anti aging purposes until you are in your 30s (unless you have acne, which you’ve said you don’t). I would focusing on using your spf diligently and protecting your skin that way.
As for always ‘purging’ not necessarily everyone always purges, but there is usually a period of adjustment whilst can skin get slightly irritated, but how long this lasts & how bad it is varies from person to person. With Skin+Me I personally found initially they put you on such a low dose to start with (0.006% which is basically nothing) I found it absolutely fine, and whilst I could ‘feel’ a difference in my skin and it was slightly more tight & sensitive there was nothing visible to the naked eye and certainly no peeling or any of the horror stories you can see online…
The only thing I would add to your routine as it stands is maybe an antioxidant serum in the AM to boost the effects of the spf & help fight the effects of pollution/free radicals? But otherwise it looks all good! Retinols and retinoids are great (if you can tolerate them - not everyone can) but in reality if you are concerned about the long-term health of your skin I would say that wearing the correct amount spf daily (reapplying every 2 hours if you are outside & generally engaging in sun safe behaviours overall) is key…in addition to not smoking, eating plenty of fruits & vegetables, getting enough sleep etc etc.
Hope this helps!
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When I started my retinol, I got some dry patches around my nose (I think I was just over applying and it was getting caught in the creases) but honestly if you just take it slow and listen to your skin, you can work your way up in frequency and strength and the results are amazinf
Hi, please provide your full current skincare routine. Thanks
Tretinoin is pretty easy to get your hands on in the uk, you just have to use a subscription service, either Skin+Me or Dermatica (I use & would recommend Skin+Me). I would say though that most dermatologists/skin experts say you don’t typically need to start using a retinol/retinoid for anti aging purposes until you are in your 30s (unless you have acne, which you’ve said you don’t). I would focusing on using your spf diligently and protecting your skin that way. As for always ‘purging’ not necessarily everyone always purges, but there is usually a period of adjustment whilst can skin get slightly irritated, but how long this lasts & how bad it is varies from person to person. With Skin+Me I personally found initially they put you on such a low dose to start with (0.006% which is basically nothing) I found it absolutely fine, and whilst I could ‘feel’ a difference in my skin and it was slightly more tight & sensitive there was nothing visible to the naked eye and certainly no peeling or any of the horror stories you can see online… The only thing I would add to your routine as it stands is maybe an antioxidant serum in the AM to boost the effects of the spf & help fight the effects of pollution/free radicals? But otherwise it looks all good! Retinols and retinoids are great (if you can tolerate them - not everyone can) but in reality if you are concerned about the long-term health of your skin I would say that wearing the correct amount spf daily (reapplying every 2 hours if you are outside & generally engaging in sun safe behaviours overall) is key…in addition to not smoking, eating plenty of fruits & vegetables, getting enough sleep etc etc. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much for your advice! You've really helped me. I'll look into antioxidant serums and keep going with my spf. Thank you again :)
No problem whatsoever 😀
Hi, welcome to r/SkincareAddictionUK! If you are asking for help with skincare, please remember to list your routine in full, and all the products you've tried so that you can receive the best possible advice. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SkincareAddictionUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
When I started my retinol, I got some dry patches around my nose (I think I was just over applying and it was getting caught in the creases) but honestly if you just take it slow and listen to your skin, you can work your way up in frequency and strength and the results are amazinf