if there is one skincare product you should add to your anti-aging skincare routine besides sunscreen it's a retinoid so today I'm sharing my Holy Grail [Music] retinoids I'm DrSam Ellis and I'm a board certified dermatologist in Northern California and I'm here to help you understand your skin and find products that work for you so if that sounds good give this video a thumbs up and don't forget to subscribe to the channel you hear it all the time that retinoids are good for your skin but why are they good for your skin and what are they retinoids refer to a category of ingredients that are all vitamin A derived molecules and under that umbrella term of retinoids there are multiple different retinoid ingredients that you may have heard of and are used in anti-aging skincare and those include things like retinol retinal also known as retinal dhide adapalene troin and Tartine and that's just a few of the retinoids that are out there there are many more that are used in cosmetic formulations but those are the main ones and the Heavy Hitters within the field of Dermatology retinoids can actually be used for a variety of things so they are quite well known for their anti-aging benefits which I will get to in a second but we also use them as medications for people who struggle with things like acne and psoriasis retinoids work by increasing cellular turnover they also decrease inflammation and they can help you build collagen and protect the collagen you already have so when we look at retinoids through an anti-aging lens which is the focus of this video they help with all sorts of things things like fine lines and wrinkles saggy skin textural problems dullness as well as discoloration and as a dermatologist as well as a little bit of a skincare junkie I have tried so many different retinoids over the years and I'm going to share my top picks with you the gold standard renoid when it comes to anti-aging is prescription troin now you can get this over the- counter in some countries but in the United States you do need a prescription and the reason Tran is the gold standard is because it is the most well studied and in a vast number of clinical trials it has shown to help with things like Fine Lines wrinkles irregular pigmentation Etc but I want to be very clear that does not mean that retinoids that you have access to over the counter whether that's adapalene retinol or retin aldhy are ineffective and there are studies to support that retinoids available over the counter have anti-aging benefits as well sometimes you'll hear dermatologists say like if you're not using tro and don't even bother but the reality is as a practicing dermatologist you see that lots of patients actually cannot and will will not ever be able to tolerate tanoan due to side effects like dryness and irritation so it's great to have these over-the-counter options that offer accessibility and convenience and also are a lot less irritating let's get into the products and I'm going to start with one of my absolute favorites you've heard me talk about it before the medicate Crystal retinal 20 so retinal also known as retinal dhide which is what is in this is just one step away from tretinoin or retinoic acid in your skin So within your skin it goes retinol converted to retin aldhy converted to retinoic acid which exerts the positive effect now things like retinol and retin alide can be a little bit unstable in skincare and one reason why I am such a big fan of medicate is because they have a lot of Technology surrounding how they are stabilizing their retin aldhy within their formulation and this is really important because you want to make sure that the concentration of retin aldhy that it says you're getting on the package is actually reflected in what's going on your skin medicate also does this really neat thing when it comes to formulating their retinoids which don't just formulate it at one potency so for example this Crystal retinal product exists at multiple strengths or concentrations of retin alide my Holy Grail is the retin alide 20 which is the strongest form of retin aldhy that I have ever seen available over the counter so for someone who maybe can't tolerate Tran or doesn't have access to Tran but is looking for something that is potent and is going to get the job done when it comes to helping with fine lines and wrinkles textural problems Etc this is my go-to also you'll hear me all the time talking about how you should bring your retinoid products not just onto your face but down onto your neck and your chest and your hands but a lot of people myself included cannot tolerate prescription tretinoin on the neck and chest it causes too much irritation so reaching for a good retin aldhy product in that case to use off of the face can be really nice this is one of the pricier retinoids out there but I truly feel like this formula is unique and special and worth that investment this product is also quite creamy so I find it's really good if you have dry skin another retin aldhy product that I absolutely absolutely love is by narum it's the retin aldhy cream serum and it actually comes in two different strengths 0. 05% and 0. 1% you can tell I'm a fan of those graduating concentrations because retinoids can be irritating when you start them being able to start at a slightly lower concentration and then working your way up as your skin tolerates it gives you a goal to reach towards I love how beautifully this Glides over the skin and how wonderfully it layers under my moisturizer so I'm always applying a retinoid at night and then a moisturizer on on top of that but this is just such a gorgeous formula they did so well with this now I don't think I could do a Holy Grail retinoids video without giving a shout out to adapalene also known as differen adapalene 0.
1 gel actually used to be a prescription renoid you could only get it from your doctor but it's now available over the counter and that is so wonderful if you're looking for a retinoid that's available over the counter to help you with your acne this is absolutely my number one choice do not bother with retinols or retin alahh adapalene is known as a third generation retinoid so it's going to work on those retinoic acid receptors within your skin but it's considered to be a lot more gentle and people tend to have less irritation when using something like adapalene compared to troan and there are studies showing that 0. 1% adapalene is just as effective as 0. 025% troin within the US this is the most potent retinoid that you can get over the counter without a prescription so I love my retin aldhy products and my adapalene when I'm looking for something super potent to use as my retinoid however I recognize that not everyone is going to be able to tolerate those or enjoy those particular formulas so I do have some awesome retinol options for you as well one of the best retinol products that I have ever tried is the Shaunie Darden retinol reform now this product doesn't just have retinol in it but it also has lactic acid so an alpha hydroxy acid that's used in exfoliation and you might be thinking H like putting together a retinoid plus an acid is this going to be too irritating but whatever they've done with this formula it is not irritating at all and it makes your skin looks so beautiful and glowy lactic acid is also a humectant that helps bind water in the skin so I find that you get more immediate results with using a product like this because you're getting that skin Plumping effect you're also getting that more immediate exfoliation with the lactic acid and then that gives the retinol some time to kick in if you're not just trying to get rid of fine lines and wrinkles but you're also using your retinoid to help with things like texture and discoloration having it combined in a strategic way in a good formula with some type of exfoliant like shie Darden has done here is the way to go of course you can always add an extra exfoliation step into your routine but if you're someone who has more sensitive skin or you want a more streamlined skincare routine this is the Retinol for you and my final Holy Grail retinol is the stradia night shift at this point I have talked about this retinol product so many times on this channel but I'm consistent in what I like this is such an incredibly beautiful creamy retinol product so for people who have really dry or sensitive skin it's a beautiful moisturizer plus a retinol allinone I also really like that stradia is very transparent with how much retinol is in this product so if you're someone who's trying to work up to being able to tolerate higher strengths of retinol or even move on to retin alahh you know with this you're starting with 0.
