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Many of us take great pride in the way that we look. We spend tons and tons of cash on the best skincare products to ensure that when we walk out that door, we’re going to look as fabulous as possible. This means that there is often nothing more horrifying than staring into the mirror and seeing dark spots appear all over your skin. This may spur you to reach for the closest cream to cover up what you have now deemed to be hideousness. You may be clawing for your phone to Google the latest and greatest product for dealing with those dark spots on your skin but, guess what? You don’t have to do any of that. You just need one thing – a retinol serum. Dab some retinol serum onto your skin and you’ll be clearing up those blemishes in next to time.
On this page, we’re going to tell you everything that you need to know about why retinol serum is the best for tackling those dark spots. We’ll even give you a bit of advice on why those dark spots may have appeared on your skin in the first place.
Why Dark Spots Have Appeared on Your Face
Now, before we tell you how finding a retinol serum for face can help you clear up those dark spots on your skin, it is worth discussing a little about why those dark spots are appearing in the first place. This is because we’re pretty sure that you don’t want to forever be stuck in a cycle where you’re pulling out retinol cream, dabbling It all over your face, and then having to do the same process again when the dark spots inevitably reappear. So, it is best to get to the bottom of the issue and eliminate that. Well, if you can. Some issues are impossible to eliminate save the invention of a time machine.
Age
Unfortunately, this is one of the causes of dark spots on your face that will be impossible to tackle yourself. All you can do is use your retinol to clear your skin up. You are going to get older, and this process isn’t something that you can stop. So, use retinol serum and other skincare products to deal with any age-related skin issues the best that you can.
The Sun
Do you go out regularly in the sun with no sun lotion on? Well, there is a strong chance that you’ll end up with dark spots. You could even end up with skin cancer, so don’t do that. If you are heading outside, always have some sort of sun lotion on your skin. The factor (strength) you choose will be dependent on the amount of sun out. Yes. Even during the winter months, you should be wearing some sort of protective lotion on exposed skin.
The Environment
If you live in a larger town or city, then the pollution floating around could end up embedding itself in your skin. This will cause dark spots and, over time, may cause severe discoloration of your skin. If you are dealing with this, you must keep your skin properly clean. If you do suffer from discoloration of the skin, then retinol should help.
Acne
If you regularly deal with bouts of acne or have dealt with them in the past, then you are much more likely to suffer from dark spots on the skin. These issues can be cleared up with a dash of retinol, and other products that you would normally use to tackle acne on the skin. Dealing with acne is hard, but it isn’t impossible.
What Is Retinol?
We’ve got this far without talking about what retinol skin care is, so now is the time for us to discuss what retinol is, and why it may be beneficial to your skin. In the section after, we’ll teach you exactly how to use retinol serum for face treatments.
Retinol is a type of Vitamin A. If you have looked into skincare products before, then you’ll know that Vitamin A is essential for a quality skincare regime.
Retinol comes in a serum form and does a few different jobs when you put it on the skin. For starters, it helps to unclog pores (which can help you deal with acne), but the most important job is the impact that it has on the cells of your skin. When you apply retinol to your face (or any skin on your body, for that matter), the cells are encouraged to turn over at a much faster rate i.e., skin cells are replaced faster. Essentially, you’ll be making new skin, which does sound nice and fancy, but your body does that all the time anyway. You’re just using retinol to speed up this process.
As the skin cells get replaced on the dark marks, you’ll notice that any skin blemishes (including dark spots) will start to fade away rather quickly. Well, it will take around 8 weeks for skin blemishes to disappear fully, but you should notice results quickly. Look at retinol serum before and after pictures and you’ll see that there is a massive difference when people use retinol to improve their skin and reduce the dark spots.
How Do You Get Retinol Serum?
Retinol serum is available in one of two ways – through prescription, or buying over-the-counter (either online, or in a pharmacy).
If you want the most powerful retinol serum, you’ll need to talk to a dermatologist. However, they are only going to prescribe it if you have real skin issues. They probably won’t provide retinol for skin care if you have just a couple of dark marks on your skin. It will be for serious skin complaints e.g. psoriasis, heavy acne, etc.
This is why most people end up buying their retinol serum online. You’ll find retinol included in a ton of different skincare creams, so it shouldn’t be too tricky to find. However, do bear in mind that retinol serum is the best only when you buy a decent product, so make sure that you do your research to ensure that you are using a great product on your skin. It will help you to deal with any skincare complaints far quicker.
Note: there is absolutely nothing wrong with purchasing OTC retinol serum. It may not be as powerful as the prescription retinol serums, but it requires a lot less effort to get, and it is still going to do the same job. It just may take a couple of weeks longer. In some countries (i.e. those without social healthcare), it may even be the cheaper option.
Dealing With Dark Spots Using Retinol Serum
So, now you know a little bit more about retinol skin care, should we teach you how to use the product? The following advice should apply to all retinol serums. However, we do suggest that you read through the instructions for any retinol serum that you buy just in case there is a slight deviation. After all, you are putting something that has the potential to be pretty strong on your skin, and you don’t want to use it incorrectly!
When To Use Retinol
Retinol is incredibly potent, and if you use it too often then you run the risk of it causing damage to your skin. Even if you use it correctly, it may cause a small amount of skin irritation for the first few weeks that you use it due to the higher turnover rate of your skin cells. Therefore, you mustn't go overboard.
You should use retinol just once every couple of days. Do not use it every day, at least not until you get into the swing of things with your retinol skin care regime. Most people will use retinol serum at night, although it doesn’t matter when you use it, as long as you are using it just once on the days that you do use the retinol.
Pre-Routine: Patch Test
Once again, retinol is pretty strong stuff. You don’t want to be applying it to your skin without knowing how it is going to impact your skin. So, before you start using your retinol serum at night (or whenever you plan to use it), you must test it out on your skin. So, this means doing a patch test.
For about a week before you start your retinol skincare regime properly, put a small amount of retinol cream somewhere on your body. Make sure you put it somewhere not visible. Apply a very, very thin layer to the skin. Keep an eye on that patch of skin. This is exactly what the retinol will look like when applied to your face, so if you see a lot of blistering or experience irritation, don’t use that retinol. Trust us – it is not going to end well!
If everything seems to be fine, move on to step 1! If it doesn’t, then you may want to try out a different, less powerful retinol serum. Alternatively, you can try out a different skincare cream altogether.
Step 1: Clean Your Skin and Pat Dry
Has your skin passed the patch test? Fantastic! It means you can get to applying your retinol serum! As we said – you can apply that serum whenever you want (as long as it isn’t more often than once every couple of days). We like to include it in our nightly skincare regime.
Start by washing your face with a cleanser and some warm water. Use your favorite cleanser here, just make sure it is a gentle cleaner. You don’t want to be irritating your skin more than you need to.
Once you have washed your skin, pat it dry.
Step 2: Applying the Retinol
Once your skin has been patted dry, squeeze a small amount of retinol serum into your hand. It should be a pea-sized amount. You don’t want to be using too much of it.
Now, apply that retinol serum to your face. That small amount should be enough to cover your whole face. You only need a very, very thin layer. Too much retinol will lead to severe skin irritation.
Step 3: Use a Moisturizer
Once the retinol is applied, you need to lock it in place. So, reach for your favorite light moisturizer and moisturize your skin. You’re now done! See, simple, right?
Step 4: Repeating the Process for Several Weeks
A lot of people seem to believe that retinol will get to work right away. It won’t. Retinol isn’t some miracle cream that will have you waking up in the morning with beautiful skin. It is something that will take a few weeks to work. This means that you will need to repeat steps 1 to 3 for several weeks.
Most people using retinol serum should see some sort of light impact within 2-3 weeks. However, if you want the most drastic retinol serum before and after, then you’re going to be waiting for a few months.
You shouldn’t need to change the retinol application process too much in those weeks. However, some people will use retinol once per day at around the month mark and keep going on until the end of the two months. Your skin should be used to the retinol by then, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
Do bear in mind that during the first week or so of using retinol, you may experience a small amount of irritation on your skin. This isn’t anything to worry about. It is just the retinol getting to work. However, you will still want to keep an eye out for severe inflammation. This could indicate an allergic reaction. If that happens, cease using retinol immediately.
FAQs
What does retinol serum do?
Retinol serum encourages your skin cells to turn over at a far faster rate than normal. This can help to eliminate any blemishes on the skin, including dark spots.
Will retinol fade dark spots?
Retinol can fade most dark spots on the skin. In some cases, it may even remove them completely. It won’t be a fast process, though. Expect the spot removal to take a minimum of eight weeks.
How long does it take for retinol to remove dark spots?
It takes around 8 weeks of using retinol serum every two days to remove dark spots. It may take slightly longer if the spots are darker. You should see some fading within a week or two.
When it comes to dealing with dark spots on your face, retinol serum is one of the best options. A small amount applied to your skin every couple of days for eight weeks can work absolute wonders for removing those dark spots. It can also help to tackle some other skincare issues too. Just make sure that you pick up a decent retinol serum if you want the most impact.
