Here are the reasons why you should keep retinol in summer

Like other ingredients, retinol also requires consistency in summer. Plus, it protects you from the harmful effects of the sun!

How many times have you heard that you shouldn't use retinol in the summer? Well, you should know that you've been lied to, and it turns out that it's essential to continue using it during these months. Once you've completed the retinol treatment, you must maintain it in your routine, otherwise, you'll lose the progress you've made , explains Daniel Jiménez, cosmetologist and technical director of Skin Generics and CEO of BeLab Services. Furthermore, it seems that retinol also enhances skin protection against radiation, something many of us were unaware of.

 

WHY NOT LEAVE IT IN SUMMER?

If you stop using retinol, you'll have to start over and lose the progress you've made. Skin renewal cycles last 1-2 months, which is usually the standard time to see if a product is effective in the medium or long term. Without retinol, the signs of aging will reappear more markedly after about 45-60 days. Furthermore, when you reintroduce retinol after a break, you'll have to go through the adaptation period again, called retinization, which lasts about a month.

 

RETINOL BOOSTS YOUR PROTECTION

Since retinol is often recommended as a nighttime product, many people believe it's because it sensitizes the skin and sunburn can cause more spots to appear, but this couldn't be further from the truth. "The recommendation to use retinol at night is because this active ingredient is highly photosensitive. That is, when exposed to the sun, it is deactivated and loses its effect. We recommend using it at night to avoid wasting the product ," says the expert, who adds that "it's not photosensitizing; it doesn't make the skin more reactive or sensitive to radiation. Retinol doesn't stain or age; it's the sun that ages."

And speaking of the sun, no one forgets to use a good sunscreen during the summer months, but did you know that retinol can enhance its effects? “Retinol is a great antioxidant, like vitamin C and niacinamide. It prevents the free radical chains that arise when radiation affects the cellular DNA of our skin ,” she comments. Therefore, it's not only a regenerative active ingredient, but also a preventative one that enhances the protective effects of SPF.