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If you haven’t added the term “looksmaxing” to your personal lexicon, let’s bring you up to speed: It is a lifestyle and a source of online community fixated on the many ways you can optimize your appearance. This could mean anything from a reshaped jaw to a new hairline. GQ reported earlier this month that some young men are paying a 22-year-old looksmaxing guru for access to an online community called Mogwarts; many of these paywalled lessons promise nothing shy of wizardry to help guys eventually “mog” (flex) on less hot people.
It’s a lot. And these communities, including Mogwarts, are often filled with toxicity. We can all probably agree that it’s unhealthy to fixate excessively on your appearance. But GQ can also endorse one common looksmaxing recommendation—a skin care routine that includes retinol.
What’s retinol?
Let’s zoom out: There’s a whole class of products, retinoids, that are vitamin A derivatives. (Retinol is the most common term, but technically it’s just one kind of retinoid.) These are often considered the best anti-aging ingredient in skin care—they can reverse things like fine lines and wrinkles by improving skin’s surface texture. They improve inconsistencies in your complexion (great for hyperpigmentation and post-inflammatory acne), and they also help prevent breakouts in the first place.
Retinoids do all of this by regulating and improving cellular turnover in your skin. They act as an exfoliant in this way, and prevent things like clogged pores, dry skin buildup, lingering dark spots, and so on. There are a lot of terrific active ingredients you can incorporate into a skincare regimen—hyaluronic acid! vitamin C! niacinamide!) But in my opinion, retinoids should be the first “level up” you complete on top of a foundational routine of cleansing, moisturizing, and using daytime SPF.
Which retinoid should I use?
Not all retinoids are the same. They have graduating levels of intensity and efficacy, and it’s wise to start slow and work your way up, since retinoids can increase skin’s sensitivity, especially to UV light. Here’s a very truncated cheat sheet on the most common retinoids we use today:
- Retinol: The over-the-counter variety. Graduating levels of intensity, but generally anything here will be well tolerated by all skin types. Retinol is a gentle introduction to the category and often optimal for sensitive skin.
- Retinal: Note the single letter changes–that’s an ‘a’ in retinal, which is also called retinaldehyde. This is the next level up from retinol with an ‘o’; retinal converts more quickly into retinoic acid when on the skin, so its efficacy tends to be better. Retinal is also available over-the-counter, and is increasingly popular.
- Adapalene: You might know this as “Differin gel,” the brand whose patent on adapalene expired fairly recently. The ingredient is now more broadly available over the counter, and Differin gel still dominates.
- Tretinoin: This is the class of retinoids that is prescription-grade, and users typically start with a 0.025% concentration. All the other retinoids have to convert into retinoic acid, while tretinoin essentially is retinoic acid. You can graduate to 0.05% and 0.1% if your skin adapts well over time. This really is the gold standard; if you want the glowiest, firmest, clearest skin, I suggest chatting with your board-certified dermatologist to inquire about a tret prescription.
- Isotretinoin: You might know of this oral retinoid by the brand name Accutane. It’s prescription only, and needs to be closely monitored. It is a game changer for people with chronic acne, and you only have to use it for a limited time. But the side effects can be gnarly—proceed with caution.
How should I use a retinoid?
The key thing to remember with all retinoids is that they take a few months to really show their results, because you’ve got to shed through a layer or few of skin cells first. You also have to stick with them in perpetuity after the fact if you plan to maintain results. So be patient, and play a long (and indefinite) game. Think of it as a daily multivitamin in the realm of skincare fitness.
Some additional and imperative advice on reitnoid use: You absolutely need to start slow, every second or third night, maybe on lower grades, understanding that some redness could occur in the first couple weeks. (If it doesn’t subside after that, chat with your doc or consider alternate products.) Wear SPF every day, which is imperative for everyone who takes skincare seriously (not just retinoid users). Apply it before or after your nighttime moisturizer, and wash it away in the morning. Lastly, don’t pair it with other biting active ingredients like exfoliating acids. And when in doubt, talk to a dermatologist.
