Skin, Hair & Nails

A drop in #estrogen levels can cause a sudden increase in fine lines at perimenopause and menopause. Retinol is a popular compound that is found in many over-the-counter anti-aging creams. But is it useful and safe for everyone? Find out more from this video (or read the transcript below) as I discuss this with The Melanin Docs, Dr. Gauri, and Dr. Abhijit Desai.

Question MenopauseWize:

Let's jump to the other hot products in the market, retinol and anti-aging. I guess none of us want to age so. With all the anti-aging products available in the market, is retinol for everyone? Should I be just going and picking it up and start using it as an over-the-counter anti-aging product? 

Answer TheMelaninDocs:

So I can put it this way, Retinol is a derivative of the original molecule called retinoic acid. Retinoic acid has been there for generations. It's been there for many, many years. If you remember, you know when we were studying medicine and things like that, that time it used to be only prescription-based retinoic acid, OK Retin-A used to be known as. Now what happened at that time was that it was very strong. Molecule, it has grown benefits. But it's not an easy molecule to handle. So that's why it used to be a prescription-based molecule. So that the prescribing Dr. monitors it, tells you how to use it, and makes you aware of what reactions or side effects or what little adverse effects you are expected to see. So it needed a little bit of hand-holding and making you properly use that. But because it used to always give redness, it is not an easy molecule for everybody. To handle So then what happened was as people saw the benefits, so benefits were the attractive thing of retinoic acid. Then as science advanced, as manufacturing new products became more and more big, they became better. Then the newer derivatives came out in the form of retinols, which were not as potent as retinoic acid but did give the benefits. And that's why because they were not as potent, they could be handled at home use. So they became over-the-counter preparations. They started becoming available just on the on the on any pharmacy store or online. But what has happened is that even though it's less potent, but it still has to a certain extent. It's not so easy to handle especially when it comes to dark-skinned patients. OK. It gives rise to a lot of, you know, redness or a little burning sensation. The other more important thing to look for in any retinol is that when it gets absorbed and the next day when you go out in the sun, it's got to a good extent photosensitivity. So the sun can make things the next day even worse in terms of redness and all that now. The reason to use this, yes we all as I said will not say we don't want to age because I've always believed that aging gracefully is better than saying anti-aging because the only time you need to stop aging is when you die. So to lead a good life you need to age gracefully and to do that now to do that you can use these products but then again it's very important to understand how to use them. Secondly, if it's not suiting you, you don't have to push it and continue using it. You need to check with your doctor that this is giving me redness. Is this OK? Then he or she may tell you the effect something something the concept of retinization. 

That's about how to use it. You can start with alternate-day use first. OK, you can start using it for a smaller time, for less number of hours. First, see how you suit the product And then slowly, slowly as you get used to it, you can increase it. Everybody generally is in a hurry so OK, let me take this. This is like a wonder drug. Once I start applying it, things will be like an instant. Nothing of that sort is going to happen because everything takes time. Even aging takes time. So when you use screens to delay your signs of aging, that's also going to take time. So you have to use products that are for long-term use and for long-term use you need to get used to the product. So I think that's what you need to look for in retinol also. And of course, don't go under the. Under What is Trending? Because, you know, trends can change. But good skin care and long-lasting skin care will remain good for you. So trends today include retinol, tomorrow there may be another molecule that comes up and people will start trending on that. No, it's not that way. You need to understand it. 

The thing with retinol is that it helps with cell renewal, correct? OK, Because the cell renewal rate actually goes down remarkably with age, but especially with the onset of menopause. That is when retinol starts helping because it helps to build up or hasten your cell renewal, you know. But The thing is, like Abhijeet was saying, it's not going to be something that you use for a few weeks or a few months, Its going to be something that is going to stay with you forever because cell renewal in itself is not a cycle that just happens once or twice in the skin's life, you know, it's something that happens every day as you age because the duration increases. So you need the cell renewal thing to happen all. The time then. So it's something that you have to kind of, you know, make sure that you are attuned to the fact that you don't need to be in a hurry. You can start with not even alternate. Sometimes you have to start with using it twice a week. You start with using it twice a week, keep it on for three hours, and wash it off before you sleep. You know you start that minimal because you cannot be in a hurry with retinol. Retinol is going to be your friend for your life eventually if you're going to use it. 

The problem with hastening it is that there could be more chances of sensitivity of redness and if you're a brown-skinned person the redness is that much more difficult to identify because your skin tone is like that. And then you notice the redness after it sets in and becomes a problem. And reversing problems is very difficult. And for brown skin, any irritation is going to heal with pigmentation. So you're going to get reverse pigmentation. That is the reason why we asked brown-skinned people to be very careful about it with retinol. We don't really ask people to use retinol very easily simply because they need to be guided about this that you know, it's a commitment that you're making and if you're in a big hurry, you might end up getting reverse pigment. 

So there's a lot of peer pressure, to be very honest. So this is where people need to understand that no, this, these are the things which you need to really watch out for. So that's why we are always cautioning our patients, our grounds, and patients that know. You don't have to be on that bandwagon that I also need to write it down. No, There are many things other than retinol you can do to have better skin as well and they can work equally well without. No, I said there's no hurry. Yeah, you can always start a little later and start slow because it is a very good molecule. There is no doubt about that, you know, unfortunately. People don't realize the drawbacks. So once you do it with you know your eyes wide open, then it's a very good molecule to use long term.

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