Vitamin A is useful when your skin turns over a little faster and does not spend the next week flaking and hot.
We used over-the-counter retinaldehyde and encapsulated retinol through ordinary weeks, watching texture, irritation, and whether people actually kept applying it.
Irritation is the limit
A stronger molecule you stop using is weaker than a gentler one you use four nights a week. Encapsulation slows the release and often makes retinol easier to live with. Retinaldehyde can work in fewer steps and can also announce itself with redness if you rush.
- Start two or three nights a week, not every night.
- A pea for the whole face is enough.
- Moisturizer after, sunscreen in the morning.
- Stop and rest if the skin burns when you splash water on it.
The vitamin A that works is the one still in the routine a month later.
Settling in
Expect a little dryness at the corners of the nose and the mouth. That is common. Raw, shiny skin is not a sign to push through. Drop back a night and keep the moisturizer plain.
Choose the form you will not abandon. Consistency beats the more impressive name on the bottle.
