Skincare regime??How/what should I begin with?CONFUSED
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:53 pm

Hi.
First time writing here.I just turned 30 and I have good skin.my skin is dry but no breakout, no sensitivity, no wrinkles etc.I use sunscreen every morning and moisturizer etc.

I just bought Retin-A and Vitamin C serum. Just don't know which one to start with and how. Afraid to ruin my skin.
Also confused about what moisturizer to use.Should i use one with AHA?Any recommendations? Want to start preventing wrinkles in time...

Grateful for ALL tips

free skin care · Tue Nov 29, 2011 8:26 am

I wouldn't go too gung-ho with anti-aging products if you have good skin to begin with and especially being dry. Dry people tend to be sensitive to this or that or lots of things, dependent on the individual...I would consider my face able to tolerate lots of things, but being dry there are some things that can cause crazy reactions so I have to be careful.

I would suggest slowly introducing products one at a time and not all at once or you could have bigger problems then you started with.
I definitely wouldn't use an AHA, C and retin-a at the same time right out of the gate.

Will this be your first time with retin-a or have you used any products containing a retinoid in the past?

I would really suggest starting with either the C or retin-a alone, basic cleansing, a nice moisturizer and sunscreen. Once your skin can tolerate either or, then I would start adding others.

free skin care · Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:23 pm

If your skin has no problem apart from being dry why dd you buy Retin A and Vit C? What do you hope to achieve? Those proucts are for treating skin problems. They dont prevent wrinkles.

If you are happy with your skin moisturise it and enjoy it. Dont mess around with unnecessary products that are likely to irritate and possibly cause you problems.

I suffered a chemical burn and pigmentation from a fairly low level of Vit C. Another post a gentleman suffered the same from using retin A and Vit C. If you search the internet there are plenty of people who've had problems using these products. And in most cases use of those products wasnt necessary in the first place. My skin was much better before I used Vit C. I hope you dont make the same mistake I did.

free skin care · Tue Nov 29, 2011 2:57 pm

NotMeNotYou wrote:

If your skin has no problem apart from being dry why dd you buy Retin A and Vit C? What do you hope to achieve? Those proucts are for treating skin problems. They dont prevent wrinkles.

If you are happy with your skin moisturise it and enjoy it. Dont mess around with unnecessary products that are likely to irritate and possibly cause you problems.

I suffered a chemical burn and pigmentation from a fairly low level of Vit C. Another post a gentleman suffered the same from using retin A and Vit C. If you search the internet there are plenty of people who've had problems using these products. And in most cases use of those products wasnt necessary in the first place. My skin was much better before I used Vit C. I hope you dont make the same mistake I did.

I beg to differ....retin-a is an excellent anti-aging tool and it will keep your skin looking younger longer. You don't HAVE to have wrinkles or skin problems to start using retin-a. Ask any knowledgeable dermatologist out there and most will agree that anyone over the age of 30 should be using it, if they can use it, regardless of skin condition due to the anti-aging properties. Also, Vitamin C protects your skin from the sun among many other benefits...it is not just for treating "skin problems" such as you suggest. The unfortunate side of skincare is that there are going to be some things that cause issues to a few people, or certain people cannot tolerate...that's just the name of the game and the chances we all take.

Her point is to be pro-active and use products that will help her skin age gracefully. Both of those products will do just that.

free skin care · Tue Nov 29, 2011 5:56 pm

Haidehh wrote:

Hi.
First time writing here.I just turned 30 and I have good skin.my skin is dry but no breakout, no sensitivity, no wrinkles etc.I use sunscreen every morning and moisturizer etc.

I just bought Retin-A and Vitamin C serum. Just don't know which one to start with and how. Afraid to ruin my skin.
Also confused about what moisturizer to use.Should i use one with AHA?Any recommendations? Want to start preventing wrinkles in time...

Grateful for ALL tips

What did your dermatologist advise about combining products and scaling up your use? Dry skin is always more prone to irritation because the barrier is imperfect, an intensive hydrating routine will make your skin healthier and more aethetically pleasing. In a moisturiser look for proven humectants/ emollients such as urea, lactic acid, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, lanolin, rosehip seed oil, calendula with allantoin. Lactic acid and urea will hydrate and gently exfoliate simultaneously; HA, aloe, calendula, rosehip and allantoin all have healing and anti-ageing properties.

Most AHAs (except lactic acid), some vitamin C serums (L-ascorbic acid) and Retin-A are all exfoliants, so can easily break down the protective acid mantle/ stratus corneum and increase sun sensitivity. Many dermatologists around the world do not routinely recommend Retin-A to the over 30s, they are focused on respecting the skin's health and barrier function. With vitamin C you might consider a form that does not exfoliate such as magnesium ascorbyl phosphate or ascorbyl palmitate. Instead of Retin-A you might consider gentler forms of vitamin A such as the retinol found in rosehip seed oil.

free skin care · Tue Nov 29, 2011 8:29 pm

Haidehh, I assume that you've already read up on the potential benefits of vitamin c and retin-a. As you can see, there are 2 schools of thought here on whether these will help or hinder skin. Those against have been waaay more vocal lately, probably because no one really said boo about the use of products on here for a long time! And that's all definitely worth considering.

My thoughts are that both of these can be very harsh on the surface of the skin, if you're not careful. To some of us who don't have great skin to begin with, or who've already indulged in harsh products, its worth the risk of going in whole hog to see just what these products can do. That's because our skin has been more accustomed to being shit-kicked by everything we've already been applying in the past! Its not a good cycle to get into, so PLEASE bear that in mind. Skincare is NOT a case of no pain, no gain.

If your skin is healthy, and relatively benign, i.e. hasn't already been poisoned by all the nasty ingredients out there, and you don't want to risk missing out on the potential benefits of vitamin c & retin A, I would do what has been suggested: First I'd definitely see if rosehip oil works for you. I didn't know all that about the oil before these guys started posting about it - sounds like it may be something ideal for you.
And if you want to use vit c or retin-a later, use one OR the other, at least to start, and use it in dilated concentrations, every 3 or 4 nights. And DON'T try to increase the strength - from everything I've read, that isn't necessary and there are no benefits to doing so, at least with Retin-A. (Not sure about vit c, but I wouldn't risk it if you have nice skin! I mean, its an ACID.)
If/when you decide to incorporate the 2nd product, do it on the off nights, not at the same time.

That's all just my gut feeling, from my own experience & all the reading I've done on here, and what I'd be telling my kid with beautiful, pink, skin, if I had one. Smile

Anyway, what your objective should be is NOT to upset the surface of your skin AT ALL, but still be able to absorb the product/s so that they do their work UNDER the surface, for longterm benefits.

(Btw, both ingredients have been amazing for my skin - nothing to do with wrinkles, as I don't really have any. More to do with texture, firming, oil balancing, vibrancy, etc.)

free skin care · Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:07 am

From my perspective going from using moisturiser to using one of the strongest prescription topicals seems a little extreme. Why not reach for one of the very many gentle products available for anti-aging purposes? Rosehip oil does contain both topicals the OP is wanting to try and at no risk to her skin.

I always read the Retinoid threads and the most powerful piece of advice out of them, coming from long term users of the product is this. Its not an anti-aging panacea. What you put in your body, lifestyle and sunscreen are still the most effective anti-aging actions one can take.

Yes we do all take a risk in trying any skin care product. But if there are significant risks which are known, then its wise to be aware of them from the outset and not step into things blindly. I know from personal experience that its not easy to live with a facial mistake your own hand put there. Its much easier to err on the side of caution and live the the natural evolution of your skin.

free skin care · Wed Nov 30, 2011 4:27 am

I'm 23 and these are the steps I'm taking to prevent aging (I'm slightly terrified of it so I've researched quite abit! Laughing

)

AM

PSF Berry Beneficial Serum (pomegranate, acai, grapseed, spintrap etc)

Revale Intense Serum (Coffeberry is one of the most potent antioxidant available).

Sunscreen.

PM

Avene Eulage Gel (non irritating retionid)

Vitamin C E Ferulic (for collagen building)

Nia 24 Cream (Niacin strengthens skin barrier and is one of the most effective ingredients in preventing moisture lost from the skin, apparently).

I then put a light layer of squalane oil over the cream.

Those are the main products I stock for anti-aging. The rest is down to healthy diet (Perricone book is a good start for tips there).

HTH!

Oh and SMILE! Smile

I always think people who smile and look happy look young Mad

free skin care · Wed Nov 30, 2011 5:23 am

That's what I like about EDS, you are able to weigh both sides of the coin and when info can be presented from both sides in a adult, non-aggressive manner, you are able to make your own informed decision. (But I forewarn you, some threads can get a bit hairy.... Laughing

)

All of the information presented to you is sound advice coming from the experience of each of us. It is up to you to go beyond what advice we give you here and do your own research as to the pros and cons of each.

I will agree 1000% with NMNY that diet, what we put in ourselves, is a big one...a VERY big one in determining your outer shell. If you don't take care of your insides, your outside will most certainly show it. I abused my body while in college, lack of sleep, lots of caffeine, hardly ate...or when I did eat it was on the run and pretty much crap. At the end of my 4 years (and being in my 30's) it left me a mighty fine mess to reconstruct. But I eventually was able to turn it around with a healthy diet and great skincare.

free skin care · Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:48 pm

It is great that you are taking care of your skin at your age now. You will be grateful over time that you started with your beauty regimen.

Haidehh wrote:

Hi.
First time writing here.I just turned 30 and I have good skin.my skin is dry but no breakout, no sensitivity, no wrinkles etc.I use sunscreen every morning and moisturizer etc.

I just bought Retin-A and Vitamin C serum. Just don't know which one to start with and how. Afraid to ruin my skin.
Also confused about what moisturizer to use.Should i use one with AHA?Any recommendations? Want to start preventing wrinkles in time...

Grateful for ALL tips

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