{"id":963,"date":"2021-06-22T11:33:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T18:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/?p=963"},"modified":"2025-06-25T16:32:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T23:32:36","slug":"spoiler-alert-the-best-forms-of-retinol-for-your-skin-doesnt-require-a-prescription","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/spoiler-alert-the-best-forms-of-retinol-for-your-skin-doesnt-require-a-prescription\/","title":{"rendered":"Spoiler alert! The best forms of retinol for your skin don’t require a prescription"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Retinol<\/a> is a skincare all-star: breakouts bow out, lines melt away and firmness makes a comeback. Just like any icon, it’s shrouded in questions, truths and myths. We rounded up our top 6 retinol questions and asked award-winning dermatologist and Director of the Skin Institute of New York, Dr. Emmanuel Loucas to help us uncover answers about retinol for your skin.<\/p>\n\n\n

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01<\/div>\n
Are retinol and retinoids the same?<\/div>\n

Think cousins, not twins. Retinoid is an umbrella term for retinol<\/a>, retinol esters and retinyl palmitate. They all convert to retinoic acid: the active that binds to receptors in our skin to elicit positive changes. \u201cThe main difference is strength,\u201d Loucas says. This strength starts with how retinoids convert in our skin.<\/p>\n

Prescription strength retinoids like Retin-A\u00ae are retinoic acid, which goes right to work on our skin\u2019s receptors. Retinol and retinol esters must convert to retinoic acid before they can bind to receptors and activate change. Retinol converts twice, and retinyl palmitate (an ester) converts 3 times to become retinoic acid. \u201cA simple way to think about the difference between the two is, the less steps it takes to break down into retinoic acid, the stronger the product.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because they don\u2019t have to convert, retinoids are stronger and deliver visible results faster. But products with retinol and\/or retinoids<\/a> are typically available at your favorite beauty retailer (that is, no derm visit necessary).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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02<\/div>\n
Does stronger mean better?<\/div>\n

If you can handle the strength of a retinoid, then they might be your best choice. But Loucas points out, \u201cstronger doesn\u2019t always mean better,\u201d and a retinol might be better tolerated by any skin type\u2014especially those who are drier or more prone to sensitivity. \u201cRetinoids work better for people who have thicker, less sensitive, oilier and more mature skin types,\u201d Loucas says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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03<\/div>\n
Is a retinol better than a retinoid? <\/div>\n

Both retinoid and retinol<\/a> \u201cincrease cell turnover at the skin surface, resulting in the production of new cells at a quicker rate (that) are more compact, resulting in a more protective and healthier epidermis.\u201d Choosing one over another is determined by your desired result. \u201cBoth retinols and retinoids can be used for acne, but in general, retinoids are used more often to treat active acne patients, and retinols are often used for cosmetic conditions like photodamage that includes wrinkles, pigmentation and rough texture,\u201d Loucas advises.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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04<\/div>\n
Are retinol alternatives better for my skin? <\/div>\n

According to Dr. Loucas, \u201cAn exciting new product that has shown similar effects to retinol is bakuchiol. You can think of it as a completely different product that has similar effects to retinoids.\u201d Bakuchiol is rising in popularity because it\u2019s well tolerated by the skin, but \u201cthe big drawback is that it tends to be very expensive,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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05<\/div>\n
Do I have to use retinol every day to see results?<\/div>\n

Compliance and consistency matter more than the quality or proven efficacy of retinol, especially when targeting photodamage. \u201cA patient comes in asking for the strongest and best treatment for wrinkles, only to find upon their return, that they stopped using the products because they were too drying or irritating.\u201d Consistency doesn\u2019t equal daily. \u201cIt’s better to use something every other day or\u00a0even 2x a week than not at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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06<\/div>\n
Is retinol thinning my skin?<\/div>\n

\u201cActually, the opposite occurs,\u201d Loucas says. \u201cThey stimulate collagen, elastic tissue and make your skin more compact and healthier.\u201d The thin-skin myth might stem from the peeling, dryness and sensitivity that retinols can cause\u2014all that can be avoided if you \u2018start low and go slow\u2019: start with a low strength retinol for your skin and slowly build up your tolerance by using 2-3 times a week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Retinol is a skincare all-star: breakouts bow out, lines melt away and firmness makes a comeback. Just like any icon, it’s shrouded in questions, truths and myths. We rounded up our top 6 retinol questions and asked award-winning dermatologist and Director of the Skin Institute of New York, Dr. Emmanuel Loucas to help us uncover […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-skin"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1750894358:21"],"_edit_last":["21"],"adobe_analytics_repeatable":["a:1:{i:0;a:2:{s:4:\"name\";s:0:\"\";s:5:\"value\";s:0:\"\";}}"],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["60"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["1"],"primary_category":["5"],"_primary_category":["field_608c33bdd26d5"],"show_featured_image":["1"],"_show_featured_image":["field_609ee1cf1ce13"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["5"],"_thumbnail_id":["980"],"post_views_count":["3054"],"mobile_image":[""],"_mobile_image":["field_60bf7692abe28"],"_post_views_count":["field_6107dfafd6a27"],"sidebar_products_use_global_default":["0"],"_sidebar_products_use_global_default":["field_63a349a11086a"],"sidebar_products_title":["Related Products"],"_sidebar_products_title":["field_6408d62123449"],"sidebar_products_items":[""],"_sidebar_products_items":["field_63a349a110878"],"sidebar_products":[""],"_sidebar_products":["field_63a349a0dadad"],"_yoast_wpseo_title":["The best retinol forms for anti-aging | Murad Skincare"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["The best retinol for skin doesn't need a prescription. Expert guide to over-the-counter retinol forms for anti-aging results."]},"aioseo_notices":[],"acf":{"primary_category":{"term_id":5,"name":"Skin","slug":"skin","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":238,"filter":"raw"},"show_featured_image":true,"post_views_count":"3054","mobile_image":false,"sidebar_products":{"use_global_default":false,"title":"Related Products","items":""}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=963"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9555,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/963\/revisions\/9555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnected.murad.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}