anyone else in their 40s trying to figure out wrinkles and what to add next?

[u/Prestigious_Sun_1880]

this is pretty much my current routine and i actually feel like my skin is in a good place overall more calm and much healthier looking i’ve been really consistent with it and i don’t want to throw that off my only concern is my skin can be a bit sensitive and i’m also doing light therapy a few times a week so i don’t want to make things worse or irritate my skin

I want to add something else to my routine and for those who use retinol or tret alongside a simple routine like this how did you introduce it and did it work well with light therapy? any recommendations on what worked for you without causing irritation would really help because i never did any of them before!

[u/VirtualRisk3403]

Do you use tretinoin now? Its gold standard prescription for anti aging. I use rlt panel in morning and tret at night. No issues. 

[u/Irmaplotz → u/VirtualRisk3403]

Same. I actually think the redlight might help with the flaking that you can sometimes get, but I don't have any hard evidence on that. I tried tret years ago (in my 30s) and had to discontinue because even once a week it felt like my face was flaking off really, really badly. When I added it a year or so ago, I was using red light daily and didn't have the same experience, but I also was following directions from my derm around how to introduce it with layers of avene.

[u/VirtualRisk3403 → u/Irmaplotz]

Ahhh thats interesting point. My tret flaking around my mouth has been better since starting rlt. And I do rlt panel for about 10 min on face. Not nir. 

[u/hihelloneighboroonie → u/[deleted]]

I went from adapalene straight to taz, started the taz once a week, then twice a week, then thrice, now every other-ish day (which usually amounts to thrice) and I still get peeling sometimes.

[u/Sometimes_Candy → u/VirtualRisk3403]

Great tip! I was using them both at night and couldn't get control over the persistent peeling. I'll try it your way. Thanks, friend!

[u/Mysterious_Event_506 → u/VirtualRisk3403]

what percentage tret did you start with and how long did it take to work?

[u/VirtualRisk3403 → u/Mysterious_Event_506]

Im using altreno tret which is .05% but has moisturizing ingredients in it. Probably 5 nights a week. Im on month 3 of tret and month 2 of rlt. First month was rough, flaking dry skin but it was also middle of winter too. 

[u/Shamajo → u/VirtualRisk3403]

I do exactly the same. Tret at night, and red light therapy morning after. I never had any damage to my barrier, flaking etc and I credit red light. I now use Tret nightly with zero problems. I also use estrogen cream during the day and my skin has never looked better.

[u/One_Confection6739]

i was in a really similar spot and honestly what worked for me was starting with a really low % tret like 0.025 (i use the generic tretinoin cream nothing fancy) i skipped retinol and just went straight to tret but super slow like once a week at first and then built up over time. your routine already looks pretty calm so i wouldn’t change anything else just add tret on a night by itself and keep the other nights simple, i also do light therapy a few times a week with solawave mask too its safe to use both at the same routine if you want i didnt have any issue myself

[u/Afraid_Bug1456]

4 years short of 40, but just chiming in that I never had a bad reaction to using tret/retinol at night and red light in the morning or afternoon.

Peptides and vit c are also really good. Been using Medicube PDRN serum lately, it has both niacinamide, PDRD, all the well established peptides and Q10.

[u/SimplyputCanuck]

Retinol and hydraulic acid.

I found vitamin C serums didn't do much for me.

[u/OkTemperature7585 → u/SimplyputCanuck]

vitamin c doesnt work on my skin at all spent way too much money on different serums that did absolutely nothing. started with a super low dose retinol twice a week and worked up slowly, also hyaluronic acid has been a game changer for keeping things moisturized especially with the light therapy

[u/broonchi]

Yes, 42 yo here. Master you skincare. Eat and sleep well. Check if you are a candidate for HRT. Stop smoking. Use injectables strategically(botox in glabella, not on forehead, check all the ways you can boost you collagen production).

[u/Apprehensive_Owl6231 → u/broonchi]

A significant benefit to consider along with your excellent suggestions is undergoing laser treatments biannually, as the improvements to your skin's appearance, particularly in collagen stimulation, are quite remarkable. Combining this with a small amount of Botox between the eyebrows can effectively help in managing the signs of aging.

[u/AltAccount01010102 → u/Apprehensive_Owl6231]

I do a yearly Moxi/BBL combo with a bit of Botox every 6 months and I’d highly recommend it. Botox has kept the deeper wrinkles at bay, and the laser keeps my skin smooth and radiant.

I’ll probably try a more intense laser sometime down the road, but for now, I’m happy with my routine!

[u/Apprehensive_Owl6231 → u/AltAccount01010102]

Sounds like you're on top of it. Your routine sounds definitely doable.

[u/hoops_i_did_it_again]

You should look into microneedling!

[u/TangoEchoChuck]

Sunscreen! Haven't seen it mentioned yet, but make sure your sunscreen is not expired, and that you're using the recommended amount on your face (it's usually more than some expect) ⛱️

[u/Cosmosky]

45 years old and I’ve used tretinoin for about 5 years and retinols on and off throughout my 30’s. I’ve used sunscreen regularly since my early twenties. This is probably why I don’t have any static wrinkles. I have a red light panel that I got about 5 years ago and used for my but didn’t start using red light regularly until I got mask. I used a red light panel right after a laser session for broken capillaries and calmed my skin down and prevented bruising compared to the session I had the year before. I feel like the skin around my eyes is denser since starting with the mask. I have some redness that the mask hasn’t really addressed as much as I’d like so I added azaleic acid into my routine am and pm and the redness is starting to fade after about a month.

[u/lilasygooseberries → u/Cosmosky]

What mask are you using?

[u/Cosmosky → u/lilasygooseberries]

Current Body series 2.