Beauty

[ItsME]

I've never used retinol.  Have very sensitive skin. However, I've thought about adding this or C.  I have good skin, but am seeing some discoloration, and have some loss of firmness and just a few small lines.  My questions are....

Will this  help with discoloration, or just firmess and lines (which is fine by me!)

and....

How long would a 6 oz bottle last..... both in terms of quantity and expiration date for effectiveness of the ingredients

Thanks!

[JeanLouiseFinch]

---

@ItsME wrote:

I've never used retinol.  Have very sensitive skin. However, I've thought about adding this or C.  I have good skin, but am seeing some discoloration, and have some loss of firmness and just a few small lines.  My questions are....

Will this  help with discoloration, or just firmess and lines (which is fine by me!)

and....

How long would a 6 oz bottle last..... both in terms of quantity and expiration date for effectiveness of the ingredients

Thanks!

---

@ItsME  Both Vitamin C and Retinol should help with your discoloration, but in different ways.  The Vitamin C will help to lighten hyperpigmentation and the Retinol will help in that it encourages skin cell turnover.  Nothing happens overnight though and retinol is far less potent than prescription Retin-A.  The A/D of PTR's product is every 12 months.  How long it lasts would really depend on if you're only using it on your face or if you're using it on other areas too.  Assuming you would use the bottle within the year, you should be fine.  Most of the time, the rule of thumb is that products stay good for 2 yrs. unopened, 1 yr. after opening.  If I were you, I would find a small, dark dropper bottle (or an airless pump bottle would be better yet) and fill that for daily use, keeping the 6 oz. bottle put away as your "source bottle".  

[Rachb]

@JLF needs to write a book with all her advice!

[ItsME]

---

@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:

---

@ItsME wrote:

I've never used retinol.  Have very sensitive skin. However, I've thought about adding this or C.  I have good skin, but am seeing some discoloration, and have some loss of firmness and just a few small lines.  My questions are....

Will this  help with discoloration, or just firmess and lines (which is fine by me!)

and....

How long would a 6 oz bottle last..... both in terms of quantity and expiration date for effectiveness of the ingredients

Thanks!

---

@ItsME  Both Vitamin C and Retinol should help with your discoloration, but in different ways.  The Vitamin C will help to lighten hyperpigmentation and the Retinol will help in that it encourages skin cell turnover.  Nothing happens overnight though and retinol is far less potent than prescription Retin-A.  The A/D of PTR's product is every 12 months.  How long it lasts would really depend on if you're only using it on your face or if you're using it on other areas too.  Assuming you would use the bottle within the year, you should be fine.  Most of the time, the rule of thumb is that products stay good for 2 yrs. unopened, 1 yr. after opening.  If I were you, I would find a small, dark dropper bottle (or an airless pump bottle would be better yet) and fill that for daily use, keeping the 6 oz. bottle put away as your "source bottle".  

---

@JeanLouiseFinch  Thank you so much!  I definately want to try it.  Now I have to decide if I should get the supersized or just get a smaller bottle.  You are so right about transferring some of the product into a smaller bottle!

[skittles2]

Your questions are great ones.

Retin A is the only form scientifically studied with proven effective results. It's the gold standard. It comes as a Rx, different forms; by itself which can be harsh- for many people lots of flaking, peeling, redness, burning;, drying and  a moisturizing form which can still cause the above, etc. I couldn't use it at all, even 1x per week had my skin crying.

Being retinol is a derivative of Retin A, it's not that strong, but still can be for some. it's not as effective, can show some improvement over a longer period of time so it may be a good balance for some.

If I had never tried Retin A micro- the moisturizing form, I would still try Retin A  first. If it gave the above side effects, then I'd do what I did; decrease the amt of times per week until my skin could tolerate it. Mine never could.

 I have friends who've never had a problem with Retin A and a few who did but they got through it and all of them have been using it for years and look great.

Beware though, RetinA isn't necessarily a great thing as it does  quickly turn over  skin cells, even the healthy immature cells, which can send your skin and below the top layers into early aging. Matrixy,l with it's newer form containing peptides, can be a better choice as it doesn't kill the immature cells that benefit your skin as they grow with collagen fibers and elastin without the side effects. Matrixly has worked great for me and I'm plumper less lined and sagging then my retinA or retinol friends

Vit C also helps with collagen formation.

Both Retinol and Vit C, as well as most ingredients, degrade when light and air hit them. It's upsetting to know that from the 1st time a jar, tube, bottle is opened the ingredients efficacy has decreased, also if the components aren't idark glass containers. We end just applying partially effective products whether they cost $1 or $1000, all of which would do better in our pockets.

We end just applying partially effective products whether they cost $1 or $1000, all of which would do better in our pockets.

I really try to find products in an airless, dark component, with truly effective( in non-brand promoting studies-through unbiased 3rd party)  ingredients as helping my own skin's collagen fiber production. 

speaking of studies, these "clinical" studies every line now shows, aren't scientific. They can now use the "clinical" which onlt means they can do these in their office, use a pedestrian tool, some don't even do that, can go be visual inspection, can have the usually paid participant just fill out a form, etc., and usually have a handful of participants.

Clinical used to mean it was studied in a 3rd party setting in a clinic, hospital, medical lab with medical exams under equipement, or in vivo with live tissue not in vitro. those results were factual and thats what the big guys like sederma, etc., do.

Whew! sorry for the novel.

[ItsME]

@skittles2  Thanks so much for that great informaton!  You're making me think that I'd be better off going with vitamin C.  I have a lot to think about, and appreciate your input!

[skittles2]

---

@ItsME wrote:

@skittles2  Thanks so much for that great informaton!  You're making me think that I'd be better off going with vitamin C.  I have a lot to think about, and appreciate your input!

---

Your very welcome!  I love Vit C. It hydrates skin, plumps, gives a glow/radiance and builds collagen fibers (our own- be careful of products touting they have collagen because collagen molecules are too large to absorb into skin, they lay on top and that may initially make your skin feel good or smooth- kind of like silicones, they don't help long term and do not build or support your own collagen which is what you want) I love Ole Henriksen( my favorite),  Dr. Dennis Gross and Perricone, but there are other brands which are great too. 

Good luck with your finds

[suzyQ3]

---

@skittles2 wrote:

Your questions are great ones.

Retin A is the only form scientifically studied with proven effective results. It's the gold standard. It comes as a Rx, different forms; by itself which can be harsh- for many people lots of flaking, peeling, redness, burning;, drying and  a moisturizing form which can still cause the above, etc. I couldn't use it at all, even 1x per week had my skin crying.

Being retinol is a derivative of Retin A, it's not that strong, but still can be for some. it's not as effective, can show some improvement over a longer period of time so it may be a good balance for some.

If I had never tried Retin A micro- the moisturizing form, I would still try Retin A  first. If it gave the above side effects, then I'd do what I did; decrease the amt of times per week until my skin could tolerate it. Mine never could.

 I have friends who've never had a problem with Retin A and a few who did but they got through it and all of them have been using it for years and look great.

Beware though, RetinA isn't necessarily a great thing as it does  quickly turn over  skin cells, even the healthy immature cells, which can send your skin and below the top layers into early aging. Matrixy,l with it's newer form containing peptides, can be a better choice as it doesn't kill the immature cells that benefit your skin as they grow with collagen fibers and elastin without the side effects. Matrixly has worked great for me and I'm plumper less lined and sagging then my retinA or retinol friends

Vit C also helps with collagen formation.

Both Retinol and Vit C, as well as most ingredients, degrade when light and air hit them. It's upsetting to know that from the 1st time a jar, tube, bottle is opened the ingredients efficacy has decreased, also if the components aren't idark glass containers. We end just applying partially effective products whether they cost $1 or $1000, all of which would do better in our pockets.

We end just applying partially effective products whether they cost $1 or $1000, all of which would do better in our pockets.

I really try to find products in an airless, dark component, with truly effective( in non-brand promoting studies-through unbiased 3rd party)  ingredients as helping my own skin's collagen fiber production. 

speaking of studies, these "clinical" studies every line now shows, aren't scientific. They can now use the "clinical" which onlt means they can do these in their office, use a pedestrian tool, some don't even do that, can go be visual inspection, can have the usually paid participant just fill out a form, etc., and usually have a handful of participants.

Clinical used to mean it was studied in a 3rd party setting in a clinic, hospital, medical lab with medical exams under equipement, or in vivo with live tissue not in vitro. those results were factual and thats what the big guys like sederma, etc., do.

Whew! sorry for the novel.

---

@skittles2, excellent post! One note, though, about Vit C and collagen: From what I've read on credible sites, L-Ascorbic acid has been shown to be effective in collagen production, but there is no consensus as to whether the other forms of Vit C have that effect.