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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.
Dry skin, also called xerosis, is when the outer most layer of skin, or epidermis, isn’t retaining sufficient moisture. The epidermis is partially made up of epidermal proteins and fats, or lipids, which help to retain moisture. If the proper amount of these proteins or lipids are lacking, moisture will evaporate more quickly and dry skin will ensue.
Also, external and environmental factors, such as weather, cold air, hot and excessive showers and harsh soaps, are notorious for either causing or exacerbating dry skin.
Rosehip oil enhances the appearance of dry or damaged skin by reducing flaking and restoring the overall vitality of the skin. Jojoba oil is also good for keeping in moisture for healthier skin. Hyaluronic acid is another great ingredient for retaining moisture in dry skin.
Acne-prone dry skin is the hardest to treat because anti-acne ingredients like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, retinoid, etc tend to be drying. Instead of avoiding these effective ingredients, you can combine these ingredients with moisturizing ingredients to counter effect the dryness of these ingredients.
retinoic acid may be effective for dry skin, 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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