A recent high-profile television documentary in the UK has once again demonstrated the effectiveness of using Retinol to treat accumulated skin damage caused by long term sun exposure, lifestyle factors and environmental ageing.
Retinol is a form of Vitamin A—the most famous, most researched, most clinically proven vitamin for topical application to treat a whole range of skin concerns including wrinkles, sun damage, pigmentation and loss of firmness. There are more than 1000 published studies on the skincare benefits of Vitamin A and it’s responsible for regulating the health of DNA in every cell of the human body—so it’s a must-have ingredient for Alpha-H formulators.
Retinol works best when added gradually to an existing night-time routine so at Alpha-H we offer three different ‘strengths’ in our formulations – allowing you to get maximum benefits with less downtime.
Vitamin A Serum
Our Vitamin A Serum contains 0.5% Retinol. The Retinol is time-released whilst you sleep making it ideal for newbies and “Retinol-virgins” or for those with a more delicate or potentially reactive skin.
Beauty Sleep Power Peel
Beauty Sleep Power Peel contains 0.5% Retinol and more proactively “reboots” the skin’s metabolism for smoother, firmer skin and a brighter, more even tone. Use it at night once or twice a week as a sleep-in power facial.
Liquid Gold Intensive Night Repair Serum
Finally, Liquid Gold Intensive Night Repair Serum contains 1% Retinol, the highest allowable percentage for an over the counter product. Use it on an alternate night to the original Liquid Gold formulation and layer it under your night cream for a much firmer, visibly more even skin with vastly increased suppleness and an almost glass-like finish.
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If you’re completely new to Retinol, always bear in mind that it’s important to introduce it gradually as the skin’s metabolism takes time to speed up and can exhibit some initial signs of resistance. These signs can include temporary flaking, mild breakouts and a drying effect. This should disappear about 2-3 weeks after the skin has adjusted, but one option is to reduce the frequency of application of the vitamin so that the skin can adjust at a slower pace. For this reason, we recommend you introduce Vitamin A “low and slow”. Start with the Vitamin 0.5% Serum two nights a week before gradually increasing the frequency of use and the dosage. This gives your skin time to acclimatise and achieve the best results with less downtime.
If you have any questions about Retinol or how best to introduce it into your own routine, please contact our Alpha-H therapist team for more advice via live chat or request a live online skin consultation.