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How to Incorporate Retinol and AHAs Into Your Skincare Routine
Dr Mark Lister
If you are struggling with dry, flaky skin, you are not alone, but this can be extremely itchy, uncomfortable, and just frustrating. It’s important to maintain a complexion. If you are for a solution, AHAs or retinol might be the answer.
What Is Retinol?
Retinol is a wonderfully effective ingredient that can function as an accessible fountain of youth as you age: It can treat sun-damaged skin, improve your complexion, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
What Is Retinol Used For?
Retinol can aid individuals suffering from sunburns and sun damage. It can also decrease the size of unpleasantly large pores and minimise redness. Cells turn over to reveal fresh ones underneath, but this When Should You Use Retinol?RetinolRetinol is a form of vitamin A. Some people refer to it as vitamin A1. In recent years, retinol has gained popularity in the skin care market, due to its support of graceful ageing and its beneficial effects on acne and skin tone.
—Sasha Santhakumar (a writer for Medical News Today whose work was medically reviewed by )
You should use retinol if you are struggling with . That said, it’s best to speak with a dermatologist before incorporating this into your skincare routine: Everyone has different needs, and some people are more sensitive than others.
If you do decide to use retinol in your skincare routine, you’ll want to consider the following side effects:
While these are relatively rare and will usually disappear in a few weeks, they do sometimes occur.
How Do You Maximise Retinol’s Effectiveness?
When adding retinol to your skincare routine, it’s important to remember that a little goes a long way: You’ll likely only want to use one product containing the ingredient. Additionally, it’s essential to use skincare items that are low-strength—meaning that they only 0.01% to 0.03% retinol. Stronger strengths can be considered following a consultation.
How Long Will It Take for You to See Your Desired Results?
It will likely take anywhere from six weeks to three months to see any noticeable results. However, many individuals consider the difference this ingredient makes well worth the wait.
How Can You Minimise Irritation?
You’ll probably want to minimise any discomfort you could potentially experience. You can decrease the irritation to your skin by implementing the How Often Should You Use Retinol on Your Skin?
The short answer is that it dependsdepends on a myriad of factors. That being saidWhat Is Alpha-Hydroxy OnabotulinumtoxinAAbobotulinumtoxinAIncobotulinumtoxinAPrabotulinumtoxinALetibotulinumtoxinARimabotulinumtoxinBHyaluronic Acid FillersCalcium Hydroxylapatite FillersPoly-L-lactic Acid FillersPolymethylmethacrylate FillersAutologous Fat GraftingForehead Lines TreatmentGlabellar Frown Lines TreatmentCrow’s Feet TreatmentBunny Lines TreatmentChemical Brow LiftLip FlipGummy Smile CorrectionMasseter ReductionJaw SlimmingDimpled Chin SmoothingCobblestone Chin SmoothingNefertiti Neck LiftMicro-BotoxMesotoxHyperhidrosis TreatmentChronic Migraine ReliefBruxism TreatmentTMJ TreatmentCervical Dystonia TreatmentNeck Spasm TreatmentBlepharospasm TreatmentLip AugmentationLip ContouringCheekbone EnhancementTear Trough FillersNasolabial Fold SofteningMarionette Line FillersLiquid RhinoplastyNon-Surgical Nose JobJawline ContouringJawline DefinitionChin AugmentationTemple VolumisingHand RejuvenationAcne Scar Subcision FillingOnabotulinumtoxinAAbobotulinumtoxinAIncobotulinumtoxinAPrabotulinumtoxinALetibotulinumtoxinARimabotulinumtoxinBHyaluronic Acid FillersCalcium Hydroxylapatite FillersPoly-L-lactic Acid FillersPolymethylmethacrylate FillersAutologous Fat GraftingForehead Lines TreatmentGlabellar Frown Lines TreatmentCrow’s Feet TreatmentBunny Lines TreatmentChemical Brow LiftLip FlipGummy Smile CorrectionMasseter ReductionJaw SlimmingDimpled Chin SmoothingCobblestone Chin SmoothingNefertiti Neck LiftMicro-BotoxMesotoxHyperhidrosis TreatmentChronic Migraine ReliefBruxism TreatmentTMJ TreatmentCervical Dystonia TreatmentNeck Spasm TreatmentBlepharospasm TreatmentLip AugmentationLip ContouringCheekbone EnhancementTear Trough FillersNasolabial Fold SofteningMarionette Line FillersLiquid RhinoplastyNon-Surgical Nose JobJawline ContouringJawline DefinitionChin AugmentationTemple VolumisingHand RejuvenationAcne Scar Subcision Filling?
Dry, flaky skin is unpleasant and can become itchy if left untreated, but the term “acid” might be intimidating.
“Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are a group of acids that occur naturally in fruits, sugar cane, and milk. In skin care, people use them as exfoliants to remove dead skin cells, as well as to treat specific concerns.”
—Beth Sissons (a writer for Medical News Today whose work was medically reviewed by )
Fortunately, AHA is simply an excellent in the world of skincare. There are three common types of exfoliating acids: alpha-hydroxy acids, (AHAs), beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), and polyhydroxy acids (PHAs).
AHAs are more water-soluble than the others and work beautifully on the skin’s surface, leaving you glowing.
When Should You Use AHAs?
If you have dry, flaky skin and need a potent exfoliator, alpha-hydroxy acids are likely the answer: They remove layers of dead skin, giving you a smoother complexion.
AHAs often the following benefits:
Additionally, AHAs may be helpful if you suffer from melasma or Can You Use AHAs?The vast majoritymajority of people can use this ingredient with no issues, even if they have sensitive skin. That being said, you do have to take certain precautions for the best results: There are potential side effects:
TheHow Do You Incorporate AHAs Into Your Skincare Routine?You’ll want to practicepractice caution when incorporating AHAs into your skincare routine: It’s probably ideal to give it a month before using them daily. Before that, it’s best to use items containing this ingredient every other day.
Some types of AHA products are wash-off, while others require a person to leave them on the skin. This and the AHA concentration can affect their potency.
Before choosing an AHA product or exfoliation method, the recommends that people consider their skin type and the other products they use.
If AHAs are already present in other products, or a person uses manual exfoliation, adding another exfoliant may be too much.
If people are unsure of which type of product to choose, they can consult a dermatologist for advice.
—Beth Sissons (A writer for News Today whose work was medically reviewed by )
While incorporating products containing AHAs into your regimen is often helpful, it’s important to do so carefully and your dermatologist if you have any Our Treatments Outside of Retinol and AHAsPerhapsPerhaps you want more transformative than AHAs or retinol. We offer some here at Face Clinic London. Our clients leave feeling extremely satisfied with the results. Our primary goal is to help people look and feel their best while minimising discomfort.
This procedure is designed to repair the scaffolding that supports the skin and remodel its structure. On top of this, you will likely leave feeling rejuvenated—Your skin will almost always be more hydrated after our !
By stimulating collagen and elastin, the building blocks of the skin, it helps to restore your skin’s elasticity and firmness. We can perform this procedure on the face, the neck, the hands, the abdomen, and the knees.
If you’re looking for an alternative treatment to AHAs or retinol, our your skin and delivers deep hydration, improving your complexion for a smoother, more refined appearance. It also evens out the texture around your mouth, chin, and lower cheeks.
uses the body’s own healing powers to stimulate new tissue growth and gives your skin a healthy glow. It’s probably the thing to an actual fountain of youth you can find! We frequently treat areas around the eyes, jawline, cheeks, neck, and forehead.
This procedure can decrease marionette and nasolabial lines as well.
Our Botox Wrinkle Treatment: An Alternative to Retinol and AHAs
Fine lines and wrinkles are often an inevitable part of the ageing process, but they no longer have to be: Our can make your complexion smoother so that you look 25 even if you’re 35. What they don’t know won’t hurt them!
The procedure itself is performed with intense precision, yet it only takes minutes to complete, so you can almost always get back to doing whatever you love in life sooner than later. That said, there are some side that can occur, which include mild redness and slight swelling, as well as mild bruising. These usually themselves thirty minutes or so after you have undergone the treatment.
You can expect to see results in three to fourteen days, and we are happy to make any desired adjustments—if necessary— at that point! No additional fee is required for this service.
We take great care to speak with each and every client about their individual needs and will always be extremely honest with you about what the best option is for your desired results: We start with a consultation to determine your specific goals. Then, we perform the with ultra-fine, disposable needles to minimise discomIncorporate Retinol and AHAs Into Your Skincare RoutineWhile there is a myriad of ways to improveimprove your looks, it may be helpful to accentuate your appearance with a little extra help from our team. We’re happy to help you look and feel your best! You can book a consultation with us or learn more about.
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All treatments are carried out by our team of doctors at our . Appointments can be , or by calling our Soho clinic on during . We are located a few minutes walk away from Carnaby Street.
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- Anon, August 2025
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We are a friendly London based facial aesthetics clinic offering , and in Soho, Central London.
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