Sephora

ashgiardier · ‎07-15-2019

Ideas for incorporating AHA and retinol into skincare routine?

newcarlee · ‎07-16-2019

Hi @ashgiardier, people have given great tips here. Just make sure to use sunscreen. I echo starting the two separately- and with lower strength to build up. For AHA, something like FIRST AID BEAUTY - Facial Radiance Pads or REN Clean Skincare Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic 8.5 oz / 250 mL

WinglessOne · ‎07-16-2019

I’ll tell you how I incorporated both into my routine. Your mileage may vary, of course. I did this after lots of my own research (including tracking down clinical studies and reports) and consulting 2 dermatologists. Oh, and I should mention my skin type: combo. Oily nose area, kinda normal forehead, dry everywhere else. My skin likes to react badly to various things.

AHA happened first:

Spoiler

I started with AHA last year. My first chemical exfoliation product was FIRST AID BEAUTY - Facial Radiance Pads which are extremely gentle. They eased my finicky skin into AHA and I had no problem using them nightly.

A couple months later, I moved up to Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads 30 Treatments + 5 Bonus and really liked that product. I sometimes used the extra strength version instead. These are 2-step peels: step 1 is the acid exfoliation, step 2 is the neutralizing step. You don’t really need step 2 though. 😄 I asked my dermatologist about it because I wondered how alkaline step 2 was; he advised me to just rinse my face with water to neutralize step 1 and ditch the step 2 wipes. He also warned me about these peels’ high alcohol content, noting that some folks have no trouble with it but my particular skin might. He was right: both versions of the DDG peel caused me too much alcohol burn after a while.

I switched to FIRST AID BEAUTY - FAB Skin Lab Resurfacing Liquid 10% AHA. This is the AHA product I still use regularly. It’s a leave-on product, not a peel that must be neutralized or rinsed off. My skin loves it. I started using it 2 nights a week because I wasn’t sure how much more potent it was than the DDG peels (since DDG doesn’t list the % AHA). Didn’t take long for me to ramp up to 3-4 nights a week.

<DIV class="lia-spoiler-noscript-content">I started with AHA last year. My first chemical exfoliation product was FIRST AID BEAUTY - Facial Radiance Pads which are extremely gentle. They eased my finicky skin into AHA and I had no problem using them nightly.A couple months later, I moved up to DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE - Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel and really liked that product. I sometimes used the extra strength version instead. These are 2-step peels: step 1 is the acid exfoliation, step 2 is the neutralizing step. You don’t really need step 2 though. <SPAN class="lia-unicode-emoji" title=":grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:"><span class="lia-unicode-emoji" title=":grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:">😄</span></SPAN> I asked my dermatologist about it because I wondered how alkaline step 2 was; he advised me to just rinse my face with water to neutralize step 1 and ditch the step 2 wipes. He also warned me about these peels’ high alcohol content, noting that some folks have no trouble with it but my particular skin might. He was right: both versions of the DDG peel caused me too much alcohol burn after a while. I switched to FIRST AID BEAUTY - FAB Skin Lab Resurfacing Liquid 10% AHA. This is the AHA product I still use regularly. It’s a leave-on product, not a peel that must be neutralized or rinsed off. My skin loves it. I started using it 2 nights a week because I wasn’t sure how much more potent it was than the DDG peels (since DDG doesn’t list the % AHA). Didn’t take long for me to ramp up to 3-4 nights a week.  </DIV>

Retinol happened later:

Spoiler

I started retinol this year. I began with the gentlest and lowest % I could easily find, just to see how my skin would react to retinol: FIRST AID BEAUTY - FAB Skin Lab Retinol Serum 0.25% Pure Concentrate I used it for maybe 2 months (don’t recall exactly how long) with no irritation.

5 weeks ago, I switched to The INKEY List Retinol Fine Lines and Wrinkles Serum 1 oz/ 30 mL . I started using it just one night a week. 3 weeks later, I ramped up to 2 nights a week. While using this retinol, I cut back on my AHA usage to give my skin time to adjust: I used my FAB AHA just 1-2 nights a week, and not on retinol nights. I’ve since increased my AHA to 2-3 nights a week, and one of those nights is now a retinol night. Basically I’m ramping up my use of both AHA and retinol, til I get to the point where I can use both 4 nights a week with no skin irritation or bad reaction. (Might actually use retinol 5 nights a week at some point.)

Oh, and I use a different retinol product under my eyes: DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE - Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum I started using it earlier this year and it’s seriously the best thing I’ve ever used under my eyes. This product contains retinol, AHA, and BHA, but it doesn’t have quite the right pH for the 2 acids to effectively exfoliate. I’m okay with that because I don’t use this serum for exfoliation. I use it to remove some of my undereye darkness (caused by sun damage)—which it’s done fantastically—and tighten my crepey skin, plus give that skin a high antioxidant boost.

<DIV class="lia-spoiler-noscript-content">I started retinol this year. I began with the gentlest and lowest % I could easily find, just to see how my skin would react to retinol:  FIRST AID BEAUTY - FAB Skin Lab Retinol Serum 0.25% Pure Concentrate  I used it for maybe 2 months (don’t recall exactly how long) with no irritation. 5 weeks ago, I switched to  THE INKEY LIST - Retinol Serum . I started using it just one night a week. 3 weeks later, I ramped up to 2 nights a week. While using this retinol, I cut back on my AHA usage to give my skin time to adjust: I used my FAB AHA just 1-2 nights a week, and not on retinol nights. I’ve since increased my AHA to 2-3 nights a week, and one of those nights is now a retinol night. Basically I’m ramping up my use of both AHA and retinol, til I get to the point where I can use both 4 nights a week with no skin irritation or bad reaction. (Might actually use retinol 5 nights a week at some point.) Oh, and I use a different retinol product under my eyes:  DR. DENNIS GROSS SKINCARE - Ferulic + Retinol Triple Correction Eye Serum I started using it earlier this year and it’s seriously the best thing I’ve ever used under my eyes. This product contains retinol, AHA, and BHA, but it doesn’t have quite the right pH for the 2 acids to effectively exfoliate. I’m okay with that because I don’t use this serum for exfoliation. I use it to remove some of my undereye darkness (caused by sun damage)—which it’s done fantastically—and tighten my crepey skin, plus give that skin a high antioxidant boost. </DIV>

A few helpful things I learned from my derm:

1. You can layer AHA and retinol atop each other, depending on your skin’s tolerance of both ingredients. You may want to wait til your skin’s used to both of them used separately before using them together. That’s what I did. 🙂 Now I can apply my Inkey List retinol, then apply my FAB AHA serum over it, and my skin doesn’t launch an angry red rebellion.

2. You can also layer BHA (salicylic acid) and retinol. I’ve been doing this since I first began any retinol product all over my face. I use a Paula’s Choice 2% BHA gel to spot treat acne. Sometimes I also use it (instead of AHA) on my oily zone as an exfoliant. I’ve been applying it directly over retinol with no problems.

3. You can use OTC retinol products during the day, as long as you also apply sunscreen over it. You should use sunscreen daily anyway, but especially if your doing AHA/BHA exfoliation and/or retinol. My derm says prescription retinoid is best used at night, since it increases sun sensitivity more than OTC retinol does. But if you wanna be on the safer side, just use your OTC retinol at night. (But still use sunscreen during the day, every day!)

Hope some of that helps you! If in doubt, consult a dermatologist to get a much more personalized recommendation. 🙂

kelllllyyyyy · ‎07-16-2019

The way I see it, there are two equally good options, depending on your goals.

One, daily AHA and retinol (at night)

First apply a light concentration of AHA, probably in the form of a toner, could be in a serum. Lots of toners have AHAs in them, you might not even realize you are using one. If you are not over-doing it, there's an advantage to this -- a light exfoliation followed by retinol application allows the retinol to hit fresh skin and penetrate deeper. This is low risk, and you are 'maximizing' your retinol.

Two, daily-ish retinol, weekly-ish peel (both at night)

Peels are growing in popularity. It's not just the old-school paint-on acid peels, there are Farmacy's honeymoon glow and glow recipe's watermelon sleeping mask, both of which are overnight peels. Then there are mask-peels, like Peter Thomas Roth's pumpkin enzyme mask, and The Ordinary's BHA vampire juice. All of these are once a week affairs. I don't think you should ever leave an overnight AHA on with a retinol. So, you can just skip retinol for a night, no biggie. If you are doing one of the rinse-off peels, it is really up to your skin whether applying retinol afterwards is a good idea. Probably something soothing will feel better for you. I think this approach maximizes the AHAs.

and now you're like, what do you even mean by that?

I think if you've got normal skin and are just working on preventative and nourishing care, the daily gentle exfoliant followed by your actives (including retinol) is a great way to go.

If your biggest concern is old scarring, or uneven texture, or dry flakiness that isn't going away, then some big-gun exfoliations might be more up your alley.

I kind of think that, over time, a daily exfoliation gives you the same results as a more intense treatment. And from experience, when you are exfoliating regularly, one of those overnight treatments doesn't do a thing. So, I'd just pick what works for you, obviously keeping a careful eye on your skin health. It's way easier to damage your skin than it is to fix it, so.. 🙂

Cheers, gorgeous

greeneyedgirl107 · ‎07-15-2019

@ashgiardier One thing I would look into would be the concentration of each. You also might want to start with AHA, and once you've integrated that successfully then you can start with retinol. I would begin the retinol conservatively and follow with moisturizer. Good luck! 🙂

treestar86 · ‎07-15-2019

I agree. I like dermae's overnight peel and radiance toner. I believe acids also have the same sensitivity warning and should be used at night also.

GG84 · ‎07-15-2019

@ashgiardier

Retinol is best used at night since it causes sensitivity to the sun; all my Retinol based products I use at night. You can start by using a plant based Retinol instead of a traditional Retinol since they are more gentle. You do need to build tolerance to a traditional Retinol if going that route so keep that in mind.

Retinol Alternative HERBIVORE - Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative Smoothing Serum

Traditional Retinol Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum 1 oz

AHA’s are great. You can incorporate them many ways. Through masks REN Clean Skincare Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask 1.7 oz/ 50 mL

Through toners tarte Knockout Tingle Treatment Toner 5 oz/ 150 mL

or through moisturizers Origins High-Potency Night-a-Mins™ Resurfacing Cream with Fruit-Derived AHAs 1.7 oz/ 50 mL