The first time one spots fine lines, crows feet, brown spots, or eleven lines on their face, one is probably only in their late twenties, but it feels like the start of a slippery slope into looking like a full-fledged card-carrying AARP member on their way to get a free senior coffee. To combat signs of aging, dermatologists recommend a combination of Vitamin C serum and Retinol. Considering starting a Vitamin C/Retinol topical skin care program? Find out exactly what to expect and when from this topical anti-aging power couple, as found in Lordsbury Retinol+C Moisturizer.

AGING IS SNEAKY: WHY RETINOL AND VITAMIN C ARE THE FIRST LINES OF DEFENSE

Aging skin sneaks up on you. Your skin may seem dull, less dewy or vibrant, but not old, just… lackluster. This aging starts in our late twenties when collagen starts to decrease, and by 40, aging typically exhibits in increased uneven pigmentation, dark spots, redness, broken capillaries, along with the usual aging suspects of wrinkles, crinkles and sagging.

It’s easy to focus on the wrinkles and sagging, but the discoloration, dullness and cumulative sun damage effects are far more aging to the overall facial appearance. According to an article in the December 2006 Clinical Interventions in Aging Journal, “solar UV radiation unquestionably is the single major factor responsible for skin aging” (Clin Interv Aging. 2006 Dec; 1(4): 327–348).

Fortunately, both Vitamin C and Retinol excel at both building more collagen and undoing sun damage, its’ resulting discoloration, and skin texture changes, as well as restoring a youthful glow regardless of age. While there is a slew of anti-aging remedies and products out there, this sun damage reversal ability is one of the chief reasons that dermatologists will recommend a Vitamin C and Retinol combination.

CHOOSING YOUR TOPICALS

The temptation in anti-aging skin care is to panic and use too much too soon, attempting peels, scrubs, and topical treatments all at once, leading to dry, irritated skin. But the tried and true combination that addresses the broadest scope of anti-aging issues is Retinol and Vitamin C. We like Lordsbury Retinol+C Cream Moisturizer because it’s an all-in-one product that combines a 2.5% pure Retinol with 20% Vitamin C serum plus Hyaluronic Acid for deeper penetration, plus a host of moisturizers to buffer the powerful active ingredients.

ABOUT VITAMIN C: HOW IT REVERSES SKIN AGING

Vitamin C is needed for collagen production. Collagen is the scaffolding of the skin, keeping it supported and firm. We produce less collagen as we age, and we also lose collagen, which is tantamount to pulling bricks out of a wall – it eventually causes sagging and deterioration. But these missing “bricks” in the skin can be patched with Vitamin C application to produce more collagen. Because the skin makes less collagen as it ages, it’s helpful to apply Vitamin C topically to have it present at the cellular level where skin makes collagen, as Vitamin C is involved in all three collagen production processes. Vitamin C also fights free radicals which age the skin via oxidation and exposure to pollutants. Vitamin C fades away discoloration without bleaching it, just returning the skin to its’ natural tone.

ABOUT RETINOL: HOW IT REVERSES SKIN AGING

Retinol helps retain existing collagen by preventing collagen breakdown and stimulate new collagen production. It is a great pairing with topical Vitamin C that provides the production process tools while Retinol gives the skin “orders” to make more collagen. It also increases skin thickness which makes it less prone to wrinkle and appear more even in tone. It breaks up discoloration and scars, which makes it easier for Vitamin C to fade it away. And it sloughs away dead skin cells and encourages new, younger skin to take its’ place. It shrinks pores, which tend to enlarge with age, and purges blackheads.

Retinol also uniquely retains the healthy glow or luminosity of youth that no other product or active ingredient can truly emulate or effect. If you have ever seen an older person without wrinkles or sagging, but their skin does not glow, you know they are maintaining their skin in some unnatural (surgical, laser or injectable) fashion. That glow is what gives older skin a natural young look.

Vitamin C and Retinol both accomplish different parts of many of the same tasks, making them a great team.

TIMEFRAME: WHEN CAN I EXPECT RESULTS?

Results can be seen between a week to three months, depending on the type of aging concerned. The return of skin radiance happens fairly quickly, whereas reversing deep wrinkles and sagging requires collagen production which can take a few months of daily Retinol and Vitamin C use to start to visibly show.

A key factor in how long it takes for Retinol and Vitamin C to improve skin is how well you tolerate the flaking, redness, and dryness that occurs with many retinol and even some Vitamin C products. Many people can only tolerate every other day Retinol use. This will delay results. A Retinol we like is Lordsbury Retinol+C Cream Moisturizer because it contains 2.5% pure retinol, 20% Vitamin C serum and a host of natural moisturizers that serve as a gentle buffer so effective that it can be used twice a day with zero skin irritation, even around the delicate eye area, and even for those with very sensitive skin, like myself.

LUMINOSITY: ONE TO TWO WEEKS

This famous elusive Retinol glow appears just after a major skin sloughing. And it is fabulous.

SMOOTH AND EVEN SKIN: TWO WEEKS TO TWO MONTHS

Within the first week or two, the combination of Vitamin C and Retinol leads to rapid dead skin turnover, which makes skin look and feels soft and smooth, like after exfoliating. Wrinkles appear smaller and less deep because the light reflects better off of smooth skin than dead skin cells, but wrinkles are not actually improved at this stage, they are just attractively “buffed”. Prescription retinol is highly effective in dead skin sloughing but tends to have several weeks of itchy peeling to suffer through. Lordsbury Retinol+C Cream Moisturizer also has rapid dead skin turnover, but without tell-tale peeling or redness often seen in prescription retinol.

REDUCED PORES AND REDUCED BLACKHEADS: ONE TO THREE WEEKS

A particularly satisfying part of Vitamin C/Retinol use is watching pores shrink down to nothing and blackheads mass exit your face, even the stubborn ones around your nose. This pore-shrinking is surprisingly youthifying, as it’s something that unknowingly makes one look older.

ACNE: WEEKS THREE AND FOUR

Vitamin C tackles acne quickly. Retinol removes the dead skin cells and sebum congesting pores. There is a brief period a few weeks into retinol use that the pores purge with a temporary major breakout, then skin remains largely clear after that period. Cystic acne takes longer to clear but daily Vitamin C use is excellent for shrinking the inflammation out of cystic acne.

DISCOLORATION FROM PHOTOAGING (SUN DAMAGE): 2 to 6 MONTHS

This is one of Retinols and Vitamin C’s best tricks, reversing years of sun damage. How fast you see results depend on how much damage you have, but even severe sun damage can be vastly improved within three to six months. Vitamin C builds collagen and fades discoloration, improving sun damaged skin’s texture and even tone. According to the same article cited above, Retinol is the most effective treatment reversing skin damage, generally within three to six months, but most users won’t tolerate the burning, scaling, itching, peeling and general dermatitis issues associated with retinoid therapy. This is where buffering your retinol with moisturizers, such as those found in the all-in-one Lordsbury Retinol+C Cream Moisturizer, becomes crucial to assure regular, consistent use.

CONCLUSION

Few treatments can hold a candle to what daily use of Retinol and Vitamin C can do for the skin in terms of reversing sun damage and restoring the skin. The key to making this program work for you is finding a Retinol and Vitamin C that you can use consistently each day without excess irritation or redness. Lordsbury Retinol+C Cream Moisturizer provides 2.5% pure Retinol with 20% Vitamin C serum in a high moisturizing cream base that contains many natural moisturizing agents so that you can tolerate daily use. In fact, you can use it twice a day without irritation. Once you see the wonderful youthful luminosity that Retinol can give your skin, you won’t want to stop, so Lordsbury gives the ability for daily use without any irritation, just soft, smooth, increasingly younger and better skin.

WHERE TO BUY IT

Find Lordsbury Retinol+C Cream Moisturizer on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M3PSEQX/

Style Chicks received compensation for our time and effort as Brand Ambassadors of Lordsbury. However, our experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% ours.