Cosmetics tips
Q: I am 26 years old and trying to both improve and maintain my
skin. For the most part, I am well-versed in skin care; however, due to
my age, I am not sure how much or how often I should use a glycolic
acid product, retinol products, or other exfoliant-type products.
Currently, I am using the ReSurface (retinol) cream by Lancome in
addition to a Cetaphil moisturizer. Is it okay to use this cream on a
daily basis, or, because of my age, should I limit the use of this
product to a few days a week or not at all? Do I wait until I actually
have wrinkles to use these types of products? I use a protective
sunscreen on a daily basis, thanks to your advice. _Lesley, via e-mail
A: Great questions, and the answers are relatively simple. First,
retinol (the entire vitamin A molecule) is not an exfoliant. Rather,
when retinol is absorbed into the skin it converts to
all-trans-retinoic acid, which is a cell-communicating ingredient that,
via receptor sites, can tell a skin cell to make normal-functioning
cells. Glycolic acid (an alpha hydroxy acid) is indeed a topical
exfoliant that removes built-up sun-damaged, dead skin cells that
cannot be shed in a healthy manner on their own. Combining retinol (or
any cell-communicating ingredient) with a well-formulated glycolic acid
product does not overdo anything, because they actually work
synergistically to help skin look its best.
Cell-communicating ingredients - along with antioxidants,
anti-irritants, and ingredients that mimic the structure of skin - can
and should be present in most of the skin-care products you use, and
you should use such products at least twice a day. Glycolic acid, or
any other topical exfoliant such as beta hydroxy acid exfoliant
(salicylic acid), can be used as often as needed or tolerated, but be
cautious of overdoing it or using multiple exfoliants at any given
time. For most people, once-a-day use of an AHA or BHA product is
sufficient, while for others an application schedule of every other day
or every two or three days works best. You need to judge how your skin
is feeling and looking to determine what works for you.
These are a few of the things you can do, along with the daily use
of a well formulated sunscreen and reducing the amount of sun exposure
you get, to prevent wrinkles to some extent from happening in the first
place and you are almost never to young for that.
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