Shereene Idriss explains HPR, a newer retinoid that may bind directly to retinoic acid receptors and diffuse slowly through skin like drip irrigation, causing less irritation than retinol or tretinoin. Start with two nights a week, use a pea-sized amount, and always wear sunscreen the next day.
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newer generation of retinoid on the market known as HPR, hydroxyphenylpyrrolen retinoate. It appears to play by slightly different rules, and I love a little rebel. It can maybe interact with those same receptors, the same retinoic acid receptor, without creating retinoic acid like the other two have to create in order to activate it. And researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how it does this, but it does potentially explain why HPR appears to produce less irritation. And also, there is another clue which I also think is interesting. HPR loves fat and loves oil. Guess what else has a lot of fat and oil? Your skin. So the fat and the oil sit between your skin cells. So if your skin cells are the bricks, the fat and the oil is the mortar in between. And an oil-loving molecule like HPR can move through that environment very differently, distributing itself much more gradually instead of arriving all at once. So it's less like opening a fire hydrant hose like retinoic acid or tretinoin and more like turning on a drip irrigation system, which plays into my philosophy of consistency over intensity perfectly. But to be clear, because we have to always be clear, we do not yet know definitively if either one of these mechanisms explains for sure why HPR has improved tolerability. But together, I do think it offers a very compelling scientific explanation as to why HPR can do something that most retinoids that are available over the counter and even prescription-wise can't really manage, which is to deliver the benefits without causing the drama, because we want that consistency and we don't care for the intensity. Regardless whether it is HPR or retinol or retinal or a prescription, you have to start slow just to make sure that you can tolerate it. I think 2 nights a week for a few weeks and add a night every other week is key. Less is more in terms of amount. A pea-sized amount is all you need for your whole face. And the next day, no matter who you are, you must wear sunscreen to protect your investment in the first place, because ultimately the best retinoid It's the one that your skin can actually live with. And HPR, at least what I've seen in my clinic and what I've noticed with my patients, is a genuinely clever new way to get into the room to offer you the results without the drama.
