Beautiful skin takes patience, perseverance, a lot of questions, and sometimes trial and error, just like any other health and wellness modality.
This month our focus is on long-term commitment geared towards anti-aging, which sees results for your skin, rather than quick fixes. Retinol is the number one and most transformative anti-aging ingredient for all ages, so if you are committed to looking after your skin then a medical-grade retinol is the best way forward to see visible signs of change.
To help you reap the rewards of this wonder ingredient, we’ve rounded up the very best retinol products for everyone to try, from sensitive newcomers to seasoned users.
What is retinol?
A derivative of vitamin A, retinol is an effective and active skincare ingredient, which can be found in different structures and strengths in your skin care products like creams, serums, oils, and gels.
The benefits of retinol
This ingredient’s main benefit is tackling ageing skin and simply put, retinol works by accelerating the rate of cell turnover in the skin, meaning new, fresh skin cells make their way to your skin surface faster than they normally would.
Retinol helps to unclog pores, while also exfoliating your skin and increasing collagen production, this reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Therefore, its benefits span from ageing and help with pigmentation or acne scarring to overall skin texture and radiance.
Which sk.in product to shop for your skin goals?
sk.in flash comes in three different strengths (flash 1: 0.6%, flash 2: 1% and flash 3: 2%) which are specifically formulated to act as a repairing nighttime antioxidant and for treating and preventing ageing skin concerns such as fine lines and wrinkles or textured skin. sk.in flash also targets and treats oily or acne-prone skin by reducing sebum production and pore size.
How to use sk.in flash
- Apply to cleansed, dry skin at night before any other moisturiser or serum.
- Use one full pump to cover the entire face.
- Wait for sk.in flash to be completely absorbed before applying any other topical products, such as sk.in bounce and sk.in marvel.
- Remember to always apply an SPF of 30 or higher that contains Zinc Oxide and/or Titanium Dioxide the following morning.
What can I expect to see?
This is skin type dependent, but essentially you can expect to see flaking, redness, dry or irritated skin. This can be for the first few weeks of use, but these should gradually go away as your skin normalises to the new ingredient, revealing healthy skin – looking younger and fresher.
Caution, retinol is an active ingredient and can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, so be sure to use sunscreen and to use your retinol products at night only. Dr. Alek Nikolic recommends that you introduce this product slowly into your skincare regime, we suggest sk.in flash 1, sk.in flash 2 and then gradually ramping up to sk.in flash 3.
Can you combine retinol with other actives?
Yes, you can combine or alternate retinol with other active skin ingredients, but you’ll want to do so carefully.
Retinol + glycolic acid = Fight off that acne!
This is a very effective combo that will work well to reduce the appearance of dark spots and scars from acne. If you’d like to use both products, consider alternating days as they can both irritate your skin.
Retinol + hyaluronic acid = Less irritation and more hydration
Hyaluronic acid is a great moisturiser and soothes the skin, this may help to alleviate some of the irritating and drying effects of retinol use.
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Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pagesk.in flash | restore shot
R1,035 – R1,470
Retinol + vitamin C = collagen synthesis
Vitamin C can help brighten dark spots and reduce fine lines and wrinkles, where retinol slows the breakdown of collagen and increases elasticity, giving your skin a firmer and younger appearance. The combination of the two ingredients can help even out the texture and tone of your skin. It would be best to use Vitamin C in the morning and retinol in the evenings.
