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Retinol is the ultimate anti-aging beauty product, and retinoic acid is its active form. Retinoic acid is a stronger product than retinol because it contains more of the active ingredient. This means that you’ll see results faster, but you will need a prescription in order to purchase it.
Retinoic acid is used in ointments to treat acne, and it also helps undo sun damage and makes your skin firmer, clearer, and more radiant. It can be used to treat psoriasis, a condition in which skin cells form bumpy patches or scales.
Retinoic acid is harsh and the skin gets used to it, so you need to keep using it in increasingly large doses to get long-term effects. Another, slightly alarming, the downside is that the first few weeks, as your skin gets used to the product, it may get excessively dry and red, and start to peel – which you don’t want happening on your face.
Dark spots on your skin is known as hyperpigmentation, age spots, or liver spots. There are several reasons you might experience hyperpigmentation, but those we are referring to today are those that are caused by acne scarring or sun exposure. Dark spots are most common on the face, the shoulders, and the back. There are some dark spots that might appear as a side effect of certain medications. Dark spots are typically harmless, but we always recommend conferring with your dermatologist if you’re experiencing a larger-than-usual area of dark spots, or if they are changing in color, thickness, or appearance in any way.
Hydroquinone, an exfoliator that increases cell turnover to reveal newer skin such as retinol, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid, a melanogenesis inhibitor that stops melanosomes from transferring newly produced melanin to other skin cells (such as vitamin C), and vitamin E. (Vitamin E is an antioxidant well known for soothing properties, helping protect from damaging sun while moisturizing and healing skin cells).
retinoic acid may be effective for dark spots, but there are many other factors that may affect whether this ingredient would work on your skin or if there are better ingredients that may work for you. Take this skin quiz to find the best ingredients for your skin and build your skincare routine.
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