How damaging is retinol to young people’s skin?

 

Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-pouring-aromatic-soap-on-water-4672476/

Healthline states that “retinol is derived from vitamin A and can help prevent or reverse early signs of aging.” The product can help acne in its extreme cases. These products can be either sold over the counter or given via a prescription. Over-the-counter forms of Retinol only have a small amount of it making it easier on the skin. Healthline suggested that it was better for people 30 and over to use retinol-based products to help with anti-ageing. Age may not be the most damageing factor, but many people pick it up without thinking of the side effects that these products can cause, such as dryness and redness.

There has been pressure for people to look pretty and younger than they actually are, no matter what gender; however, this pressure is mainly placed on women who are advertised anti-ageing creams to look younger and younger. This has now been passed down to Gen Alpha, with the oldest of Gen Alpha now being 14. This has made marketing pivet to Gen Alpha, who are now buying products such as Drunk Eliphant that contain retinol within them. This has led to young people rushing shops such as Boots and Superdrug, and the American version being Sephora, to buy these products.

The pressure on women to look a certain way kicked in more when social media started gaining more popularity. This meant that many people had an influence on what was popular, and you had more people to compare yourself to. This has led to many young people looking for products that fit the current standard. The issue with following beauty standards is that they constantly change, with the recent change of the clean girl aesthetic being out and a mob wife aesthetic being more popular, with bolder looks becoming more and more popular. Following trends stagnates young people from finding their own style and feeling unseasy about how they look.

Women have been trying to fight the signs of ageing ever since the dawn of time; however, the biggest known breakthrough was stated by Harpers Bazaar, which is how Cleopatra bathed in milk to help herself look young, even though she used 700 goats to even set this up. This has all been cullminated to today, where it has been found that the mix of the membrane of egg shells mixed with retinol can help in some way reverse the signs of anti-ageing, making retinol a big and strong part of many anti-ageing products today, with the link also going back to milk with milk-based expholiants.

There are now many different types of products that are not only anti-aging but also help make a person’s skin look less dry and more moisturized. Examples of these are facemasks, cleansers, exfoliants, et cetera. There are even sets that place all these products in one place. There are many routines out there that promise to make people’s skin “glow,” with examples such as the 10-step skincare routine, which not only adds an emphasis on the beauty standard but also forces your skin to take in many different products when you may only need a small amount to make your skin healthy.

Retinol has been used in many of these products because it has a very significant anti-aging effect and can make the skin feel smoother, creating the effect of looking youthful. ABC News states “While retinol is probably the most recognizable ingredient on the shelf, it belongs to a wider family of vitamin A-based ingredients.” Retinol may be a miracle for some people, but it can either not work as well for others or sometimes even damage their skin. Before purchasing these products it’s important to read the ingredients and consult with a dermatologist.

Retinol makes the most sense when you are older. Even though aging can be a beautiful process, some people feel more comfortable using anti-aging products. The only way it could make sense to be used for younger people is for curing acne. Using anti-aging products when your skin is still young helps push this notion that looking constantly young is the most important thing, which is already a toxic thought that, as a society, has been developed, and now anti-aging products are being seen as a miracle cure when this is not the case.

There are different types of retinol called retinoids that have different strengths, with some of them being over the counter and some requiring a prescription. The thing that makes it go over the counter or through a prescription is the strength of the retinoid. Dermstore states, “It is prudent to start using them once or twice per week and slowly increase to nightly as tolerated.” This makes it more important to research the product than just buy it to avoid the risks that may come with not using it correctly.

The scary thing is that even adults have fallen for faulty products that have been promoted and used by influencers. Children and teens are more susceptible to taking in these tactics and wanting these products promoted to them, no matter the cost. This is more important when it comes to skincare and makeup. CBC News says, “Those products often come in fun packaging but contain ingredients that are too intense for young skin.” These products looking kid-friendly are a worry for parents, especially when the anti-aging-based products could potentially cause more damage to their skin.

So how can young people responsibly use skincare? Firstly, it is important to understand that price only sometimes equals quality. There are probably many products that are in the lower price range that are similar to or even better than Drunk Elephant. Parents need to teach their children about budgeting, which can help children know that they can sometimes have what they want but that it may be a different brand that has similar qualities to what they want. Secondly, research what products best suit your child’s skin and read the labels. Being a smart consumer can be very important when teaching your child these key skills.