When to Start Using Retinol: The Magic Age

Retinol. It can be such an enigma! Not just the obvious question of what the heck is this stuff, but if you’ve moved on to understanding a little bit about it you may still have the questions of what product to start with, how to deal with side effects and how does it work within your current skincare routine?

One of the biggest questions is when to start using retinol? Is there a perfect window of opportunity in the lifetime of our skin, or is there a chance we could start it at too young an age? If we’ve only recently stumbled across this product, have we missed the boat agewise?

In this post we’ll have a look at how retinol affects us when our skin is still youthful, and when it’s already showing signs of a life well laughed! We’ll also look if there is such a thing as the perfect time of life to start.

A post that goes hand in hand with this is answering the question of how long it takes to see results with retinol. I recommend you give that a read too if this post is interesting to you.

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HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS WITH RETINOL?

A Brief Overview of Retinols

Retinoids are a form of Vitamin A that works by penetrating the deeper dermis layer of our skin where it converts into retinoic acid and promotes cell turnover that encourages new cell growth. Collagen and elastin production is increased which promotes elasticity, and new blood vessels are produced.

It also inhibits tyrosinase activity, the melanin-producing enzyme, therefore reducing hyperpigmentation. The outer layer of skin (epidermis) is thickened which minimises the effects of free radicals like UV exposure and pollution.

The collagen and elastin that are produced reduce fine lines and wrinkles and the new blood vessels improve the colour of the skin. The reduction in the melanin-producing enzyme means uneven skin tone is improved and age spots fade.

The turnover of surface cells results in dead skin cells being removed faster resulting in brighter skin, but it also prevents the dead skin cells from clogging pores thereby reducing spots, blackheads etc and improving the appearance of blemishes.

The outer new thicker layer of skin that minimises the effects of free radicals, limits the signs of sun damage. There is now evidence that it can inhibit some of the processes of damage that happen to our skin when it is exposed to UV.

Sorry, that was the dry, sciency bit – I felt I should add this recap just in case you were wondering…..

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When to Start Using Retinol?

Here’s the thing about wrinkles: once they’re there, it’s hard to get rid of them. We have a better chance of remaining wrinkle-free for longer if we don’t allow them to form in the first place. 

So what does that mean? PREVENTION!! Yes, in all things prevention is better than the cure, and never has this been truer than with skin ageing, however, there is always this belief that anti-ageing skincare is not required until we need to actively de-age our skin! 

Not so anymore, especially with retinol. The belief now is just because wrinkles are not visible doesn’t mean you are too young for it, but what is the best age?

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Is there such a thing as the best age to start retinol?

The generally accepted age for starting retinol for anti-ageing is 25-30 years old. That may come as a bit of a shock, as many women feel they are ahead of the game when they start retinol in their early to mid-30s, generally when they spot the first terrifying sign of age (quite often a crow’s foot or two).

So why the age 25-30?:

• I’m so sorry to say this, but by this age, we’ve already passed our collagen peak and from then on our natural collagen and elastin production slows down.
  
  Yes, it truly is tragic, and I’m afraid it gets worse: we lose 1% of collagen per year once we reach the young and tender age of 20. This process can be also sped up by factors such as chronic stress, poor diet, and smoking (not to mention the fact that it speeds up further once perimenopause joins in!). 
  
  
• When you look at it, knowing these facts, it makes perfect sense to start adding a skincare product that increases what we naturally are losing. I suppose you could argue starting at the age of 25-30 isn’t even prevention, seeing as ageing is actually occurring!
  
  
• Bear in mind that even though we’re over the collagen peak by this age, we are only just over the peak so still have a good amount of collagen in our skin. This is why it’s a great time to start retinol as it will boost the regenerative potential while the collagen is still high.
  
  
• At this age, not long after being out of the hormonal teenage years, there may still be some blemishes from previous breakouts, or indeed still have breakouts. A good dose of retinol would also sort this out too – win-win!
  
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Can you start retinol too early?

Well, the quick, and frankly stupid answer would be yes……. don’t shove it on your babies and toddlers, however doing some digging around, I discovered that there are quite a few dermatologists who actually recommend starting retinol in our late teens.

Having spent most of my career with consultants, this doesn’t surprise me in the slightest! Here in the UK, NHS staff are advised to choose retinoids as a treatment of choice for acne, but they will obviously know the benefits of using retinoids from an anti-ageing perspective as well.

They know full well, first and foremost, that using retinol in our teens will do no harm, and seeing as retinol can now be bought over the counter in beauty counters up and down the country, I can’t blame them for taking the opportunity to sing their praises whenever they get the opportunity.

Us health promoters love giving extra life hacks whenever we can!

So, with some obvious common sense, I would say no you can’t start retinol too early.

Should Teens Start Using Retinol?

So should we Mums consider encouraging our teens to start retinol? Do teens really need to? If they are struggling with acne, sure, this certainly is a route to go down, however, if that isn’t a problem I’m not sure there is much need to spend those pennies (when let’s face it, how many teens have that sort of money?). 

Remember I said our collagen production starts to decline in our early 20s? Well, obviously when we are in our teens we are still heading upward towards that peak. At this age, our system is doing a perfect enough job by itself. 

Here are a few ideas for the teens in our lives on what they could be doing now if they’re eager and if we want to help them think about their future skin:

• Chat with them about skin anti-ageing, but perhaps think of using a different phrase – at this age, anti-ageing means nothing to them. Explain how one day they will thank you for the advice!
  
  
• Provided it hasn’t gone into the acne category, we all know spots and blemishes are normal for teens, so there are plenty of products out there that would suit them just as much as retinol.
  
  
• Get them into a good, regular skincare routine now, using cleanser, toner and moisturiser. It’s also a great idea to get them into the habit of taking their makeup before bed
  
  
• SPF! Vital at any age, obvs, but a routine to encourage them to get into every morning, come rain or shine, every day of the year. This is, hands down, what will make the BIGGEST difference to our skin and how it ages, and the one thing I would change if I could turn the clock back
  
  

Reasons to Start Retinol Earlier than Your Mid-20s

For the vast majority of here, the consideration of starting retinol in our teens is long gone, but if you are a Mum of teens, there are a few reasons I would advise considering retinol earlier than their mid-20s:

• Those with thin skin – this tends to be the case for those with fair skin, but also if they get sunburnt easily. There is less of a cushion to plump out fair skin so fine lines and wrinkles tend to be more prominent.
  
  Those with thin skin tend to notice fine lines can be an issue when the skin is dehydrated
  
  
•  Those who’ve had multiple bouts of sunburn – being a mum of teenage boys leaves me believing that is every teen, however, I have recently found that teen girls I know are quite savvy with their skin, which is fantastic!
  
  This is certainly something to consider if they have outdoor hobbies or jobs, where they spend a lot in the sun.
  
  
•  Those with textural issues – if they have struggled on and off with hormonal acne and have not been prescribed a retinoid, they may well have some remaining indents in their skin. Retinol would work wonders for this as the stimulated collagen will eventually plump out those indents.
  
  

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Can You Start Retinol Too Late?

Here’s the awesome thing about retinol: as we’ve established it works wonders to prevent signs of ageing when you’re young, but if you already have the signs of ageing, it actually works to reverse them.

This is why the vast majority of us start using them when we see the signs of ageing – in our late 30s or our 40s. But what if older than that? What if we’re into our 50s, 60s or even 70s? How would retinol work for these ages?

Is It Ever Too Late to Start Retinol?

Apart from the aforementioned teenage years, the phrase “the best time to start retinol products is now” is so true. No, it is never too late!

From the age of 40, our oestrogen levels start to dip, before we even realise we’re experiencing perimenopause symptoms. Collagen takes a tumble at this point with 30% of it being lost in the first 5 years.

Here is an article on my experience of starting Tretinoin in my mid-40s.

While sun protection and hydration are more important than ever, retinol is simply the best way to replace this lost collagen, so thinking we’re too late to start couldn’t be further from the truth. 

There are a few caveats with starting retinol in our later years, more of that to come, but many dermatologists involved in the beauty industry have started women in their 60s and 70s on retinol – the good news is they did experience noticeable results as well.

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Will Retinol Work on Older Skin?

As already mentioned the short answer is yes, it does work, but how you start it is important to its success. 

If you are in your 60s or 70s, starting retinol is a bit more tricky – head on down to the next section where I explain how to do this for this age group.

If you’re a retinol newbie in your 40s and 50s, with perimenopause slash menopause your new unwelcome constant companion, your dwindled collagen supplies are more noticeable and you may want to work quicker with this product to get faster results. 

What does that mean? Well, retinol comes in different strengths. The higher the strength, the more of an effect it has on our skin, however, the downside with starting the higher strength is more side effects. Over The Counter (OTC) retinol come in the following strengths:

• Retinol 0.01% – 0.03% is low strength
• Retinol 0.04% – 0.1% is moderate strength
• Retinol 0.5% – 2% is high strength

We can even go stronger than this with Retinoids, but this is prescription strength and somewhat more tricky to get hold of and use.

My How to Apply Retinol For Beginners – The Ultimate Guide Part 1 goes into a lot more detail about the difference between OTC retinol and retinoids and how the strengths work, so I recommend giving that a read here.

When in our 20s or 30s we can afford to take it slower, especially so if we are starting retinol for prevention – a low-strength OTC retinol is perfect here, but if we want to get cracking with the wrinkle busting you need to go for at least a medium strength product and work up quickly to a high strength one.

If you have zero issues with sensitive skin, you could even try starting with a high-strength product. 

However you choose to play it, I would recommend that you do what you can to minimise the side effects. They are perfectly normal with retinol and nothing to worry about, but if you can avoid them, you’re more likely to stick with this wonder product.

You can read my posts all about side effects here and some tips on how to avoid them here.

If you’re in your 40s or 50s, you’re the perfect age to eventually increase up to prescription-strength retinoids like Tretinoin, which are much stronger than OTC retinol.

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Is It Safe to Start Retinol on Older Skin?

Once in our 60s and 70s, our skin is drier, thinner and more sensitive than it is when we are in our 20s and 30s. Certain medications, such as steroids, can also cause our skin to be a lot thinner than it normally would be. 

For this reason, even though there is a temptation to follow the advice for those in their 40s and 50s, the advice is to take it gently. Start off with the lower-strength OTC retinol and once your skin is accustomed to it, you can increase the strength as your skin allows. 

Hydration is vital to our skin at any age, but particularly so when we age as hydrated skin is more resilient. One of the side effects of retinol is to dry the skin out so look for products that have extra hydration as an extra ingredient, like squalene for example.

Up your hydration game further with your moisturiser and never forget your SPF!

Just a final mention about other medications that could impact the side effects of retinol: diuretics, statins and some common antibiotics (eg doxycycline, ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim) can cause our skin to get more light-sensitive, which means it is easier to burn in the sun.

Retinols also make us more sensitive to the sun so you really should bear this in mind. Perhaps consider not using retinol at all during the summer months.

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HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS WITH RETINOL?

In the end, whether you’re a teen battling acne, a thirty-something hoping to prevent wrinkles, a fabulous fortysomething-defying age, or a seasoned beauty veteran in your golden years, retinol is your trusty sidekick.

So go forth, conquer the skincare world, and let retinol be your secret weapon. Remember, laughter and retinol are the best remedies for any age-related dilemma. Let’s face it—retinol makes ageing a laughable adventure!

I hope this post has helped you to see that, yes while there is a “best age” to start retinol, if we’ve passed that age, it certainly is worth starting it. It really is suitable for all ages! 

Don’t forget to visit my post that answers the question of how long it takes to see results with retinol. I recommend you give that a read too if this post is interesting to you.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. If you’ve started retinol, what age did you start? Oh, and don’t forget to sign up for my monthly newsletter.

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HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS WITH RETINOL?