Shereene Idriss explains that a pea-sized amount of retinol or tretinoin is enough to activate all retinoid receptors. Using more causes redness, peeling, and sensitivity without speeding up collagen production. Consistent, gentle application ages skin better than aggressive overuse.
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If you're blowing your face up with the retinol, irritated skin doesn't age better, but calm, consistent skin does. And no, don't worry, you did not mess up your face. Retinol is super tricky. So let me help you by clearing something up. More retinol or tretinoin and higher percentages doesn't mean it's working better for you. With tretinoin, the goal is not to slather. With a tiny thin layer from a pea sized amount, you will activate all your retinoid receptors. Wow. Adding more on top doesn't boost results. You're just wasting product and getting irritated in the process. So think of your skin receptors like seats on a plane. When every seat is filled, it's organized, it's orderly, but if you add more people on the plane, it's just pure chaos. The same thing is happening with your skin. And years ago, doctors would recommend using more products because formulations were not as elegant and as advanced as they are today and they wouldn't spread as evenly. But today's formulations are way more elegant. So your spend is literally going to spread way further across your face. Better for your face, better for your pocket. So. And scientifically, using more product is not going to speed up collagen production. No, you're not going to look like a fetus faster. It's just going to overwhelm your skin barrier, leading through redness, peeling and increased sensitivity with the potential hope that you might get over it. But not everybody does. So irritated skin is bad for your heart and bad for your face. It's about consistent, calm skin care and that applies to tretinoin and redml too.
