Retinol Forever

What age should I start using retinol? How can Opulus Beauty Labs™ stabilized retinol help transform my skin?   Can I use retinol all year round including the summer? What are the sunscreen rules for retinol?

There are only a few star topical skincare ingredients that you can use from here to eternity - and retinol sits right there at the top.

“Retinol is the gold standard skincare ingredient.” says Board certified dermatologist and Opulus Beauty Lab' brand ambassador Marnie Nussbaum, MD, FAAD. “I had a patient who was well into her 70s with flawless skin and who had never had surgery. She’d been using retinols for some 30+ years. Her complexion was amazing."

Dr. Nussbaum says that retinol endures because it can offer everyone at every stage of life a smoother texture, more even tone, increased elasticity and brightened clarity.

“Also, we know a lot more about it today than we did when we first started formulating with it. It's important to understand that not all retinol products are alike by any means" she adds. "You need to do your research.”

Opulus Retinol+ Treatment Teamwork

The Opulus mission is to take the best and make it better. That's why Opulus Beauty Labs chose to launch their genius new chemistry with retinol.

Retinol is a notoriously unstable ingredient that requires careful handling to keep it potent. OPULUS Beauty Labs’ genius lies in their Opoule Treatment and Opulus Activator—two breakthrough innovations which together, deliver retinol at a new peak potency. Unlike most products, the Opoule Treatment liquid Core of retinol is anhydrous (or water-less), which may increase stability and longevity. This is further protected by an outer Coat which reduces exposure to air and a loss of potency. The Coat is made of a cocktail of skin-loving triglycerides, botanicals and a high concentration of moisturizing ceramides.

When the Opoule Treatment is thermally blended in the Opulus™ Activator, the Core and the Coat become one fresh formula, delivering retinol at a novel peak potency.

Retinol and Your Age

In Your 20's.

This is a great age to start life-long habits that will pay off hugely later in life. Depending on your skin and history of sun exposure, the first signs of aging start to appear in your 20's because that's when your collagen production starts to slow down. Collagen is the protein in your skin that keeps it firm and plump - and fine lines start to form when it decreases. It's important to choose a lower concentration of retinol when you first start, until your skin has become accustomed to the retinol process - or retinization.

In Your 30's

If you haven’t started using a treatment at night, now is the time to start the life-long habit with retinol. Your 30's are when environmental and genetic aging, along with stress, lead to a sallow, fatigued-looking complexion. It's also when your body stops naturally producing collagen, leading to thinner skin and accelerated fine line formation. Retinol boosts collagen production and thickens skin, to help plump up lines, prevent deeper ones from forming.

In Your 40's

Now is when the difference between those who have taken care of their skin and those who haven’t becomes increasingly evident. Major changes in firmness and elasticity start to appear in your 40's, as well as more pronounced wrinkles and accumulated discoloration from sun damage. Prevention looms large here with retinol helping fortify elasticity, smooth out texture and keep skin pigment even and spot-free.

In Your 50's and beyond

Ideally, by now you will have a well-established retinol routine, but if you don’t, it’s not too late to start now. Skin in your 50’s will show more irregular pigmentation, age spots and will be thinner and maybe a little drier and more sensitive due to changes in hormones. Starting with a low concentration of retinol and building up retinization is always the best approach at any age – but especially important now. Perseverance pays - stick with it! Daily sunscreen and a nighttime Opulus Retinol+ program will be your best friends here, along with healthy living.

Forever and a Day

There are some exceptions to using retinol non-stop, of course, such as pregnancy or nursing where you’ll need to take a break and check in with your Physician before restarting, once you do start up again, resume with a lower concentration and gradually work your way up to the higher concentration again.

Either way, should you feel a bit of sensitivity coming on, there’s always the ultra-hydrating allantoin and peptide-intense RHR Overnight Mask Opoule Treatments that can be purchased on their own or are automatically included with Retinol+ Ramp-Up Regimens to calm things down.

Sun Story

A significant portion of the skin damage that retinol is so good at helping reverse is caused by ultraviolet light from the sun. You don’t need a better excuse than that to be diligent about your daily sunscreen application. You can, and should, be using it all year around.

But Dr. Nussbaum says retinol is not the culprit, “It’s controversial and something of a myth that retinol makes the skin more photosensitive and more likely to burn. It doesn’t. What you’re likely experiencing is some retinol’s tendency to initially leave the skin red, dry or flaky. (For the record, Opulus Retinol+ Ramp-Up Regimens keep this sensitivity to a bare minimum.)

“That said, since retinols are reparative, you should save them to use at night anyway. And during the day, you should be wearing a strong physical sunscreen to prevent the UV damage, the rough texture, fine lines, dark spots, uneven pigment, and laxity that your retinol program is working so hard to mitigate.”