Is retinol OK to use with electrolysis? I am looking for a night cream to stop the first signs of aging soon to be 31 in Sept and have fine lines on forehead and would also like to balance out skin tone.
Currently use Olay number 7 BB cream in day any recommendations obviously that would be available in UK and OK to use with electrolysis.
Boots do indeed retinol £19 and philosophy help me £38 was going to give the indeed a try first being cheaper for night cream and my daytime BB cream has a factor 15 or 20 sun screen along with foundation listed as factor 15
Hi Helen1983,
Firstly, it is important to make a difference between over-the-counter cosmetic products and specialist prescription products. Anything over-the-counter has such tiny amount of active ingredient that it won’t make much of a difference to your skin. This is due to safety rules and regulations. These are ok to use with electrolysis.
Specialist prescription products have higher content of retinol (0.025 to 0.1%) and sometimes “purer” formulation of retinol that is quite potent and often combined with man-made retinol mimicing ingredients. These are not ok to use in the same area as electrolysis as they thin and sensitize the skin similarly to physician prescription tretinoin. If you are using such product, you need to make sure you are wearing 5 star rated UVA block with SPF100 OR SPF50 every day and are reapplying it every 2 hours.
Specialist prescription brands available in the UK (that I know of) are Cosmedix, Agera, Image, Dermaquest, SkinCeuticals, Glo. I am sure there are more out there. You shouldn’t be able to buy such product without being prescribed it by a specialist as part of a safe cosmetic routine to help minimise the risks of negative side effects of retinol.
You can easily figure out stronger retinol products by the redness and peeling they cause in a short time after their initial use. Such products are usually introduced gently into the skin routine by using them 1-2 a week at night time and building slowly to every night use as the skin builds its tolerance and the peeling and redness reduce.
Our medical protocols state that you have to wait 4 weeks after the application of retinol before you can have electrolysis.
I hope this helps.
Le Roche is 0.3% in store? I think I read Indeed was 0.25 I don’t think a Dr would prescribe me Retinol I don’t really have a problem other than starting to look my age 30 bracket instead of 20 lol. My problem area is hair so don’t want to take it and effect the area, its forehead and eye area that I want something for really would be nice to use around lips but guess I’ll avoid that area.
Often the labeling of ingredients is slightly misleading. 0.3% in over the counter product is probably Retinyl palmitate or Retinyl aldehyde which is much weaker form then what you have in tretinoin, for example.
Looking at your concerns, may I suggest Botox. Make sure you find an experienced and licensed practitioner that uses Botox supplied by Allergan and nothing else. The best preventative treatment there is. And yes, I know all the bad press, but unfortunately you only hear the bad press when someone used practitioner/product that are not experienced and licensed. You never hear the good press, because everyone who’s having it done pretends they age that gracefully.
It is also used in healthcare in much higher doses in children with cerebral palsy and sufferers with MS to relax spastic muscles.
Obviously, it comes with a higher price tag, but it will do a better job than retinol.
Good luck!
I really don’t think my issue is bad enough to warrant botox and I don’t think my husband would allow me to spend that much money on the area. Where I go for waxing does fillers costing £300 upwards lasting for around 3-6 months was just looking to upgrade my night cream and reading retinol was the best for anti wrinkle creams, however I’d also read on here that it should be avoided with electrolysis so was looking for clarification.
I also read retinol was good for closing pores and evening out skin tone which I can’t get from botox. I am also a little paranoid going in for facial etc… with my hair issue, I tend to put off hair dresser trips until I’ve had had my electrolysis session.