Treatments -Neutrogena - Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle Serum
callendula 4/15/2011 11:36:00 PM
I read mixed reviews on this product and honestly, I just grabbed it while standing in the aisle. After debating on this one, the Neutrogena rapid repair, overnight and Roc's line, I gave up and just chose one. I wish they would say % of retinol in the ingredients. I couldn't tell which Neutrogena, if any, would have the higher amount, although you would think the rapid wrinkle repair would have the highest concentration, but who knows. I decided on this one because it did at least say it wouldn't clog pores and I was hooked by the "sustained action". I emailed the company to inquire about the rapid repair and if it was also non comodegenic but received no response. I realize these brands aren't going to have high concentrations and that is fine with me. I am new to retinol, so wanted to work my way up. The first night I used this, it went on silky smooth. No redness or irritation. The first morning, my face had pretty severe peeling patches. These were concentrated around my problem areas. I took this as a sign the product did work. The dryness did not bother me as I am a stay at home mom. :) In addition, upon waking, I found my face much less oily than normal. I assume I just couldn't feel/see it with the silicone on top. I started using this every other night and once the initial skin flaked off (I helped it with a scrub) I didn't notice any other issues. I used it every other evening for two weeks then went to two nights using, 1 night off. On the off night I used equate spot treatment. My hopes are to 1) speed up cell turnover to help keep my pores unblocked since that seems to be a problem at my age (32) and 2) take care of beginning wrinkles. As far as my pores I *think* it is working. I know my skin has shed so something happened. My face does appear somewhat brighter than before and my pores do seem clearer, but may be the BP in conjunction. I did notice little plugs coming to the surface and of course I have spots appearing. I've read that with retinol, you get 4 months (I think??) of blemishes coming up in a month's time because it makes your skin turnover every 5-7 days rather than every 30 or so (for age 30s), so with my drawn out approach I am sure it will take much longer for me to get over breakouts. I use this serum under my eyes with NO problem and my crow's feet are gone. Granted they were beginning to show..enough I could SEE them, but now the skin is smooth and they are GONE. My forehead wrinkles are much more pronounced and they have also smoothed out. I still have them, but I can tell a difference. My under eye circles also seem lighter than before (horrible dark pools). I am happy with these results so far and plan to start using it every night. How do I use? I wash my face and do not put anything else on. I let my skin dry--around 10 mins or so then apply the retinol. I have read putting it on dry skin lessens the reactions. You can add a moisturizer on top if it stings as the package states. Also, I read combining BP with it can diminish effectiveness, but that salicylic acid is ok. I have Stridex alcohol free pads but have not used them before applying this. I cannot attest how it might affect it. Now take into account: I have very oily, breakout prone skin that is pretty tough and not super sensitive. I can use peels, acids, scrubs, pretty much anything without concern. However, I have noticed that with using this, my skin has become somewhat more sensitive, so I am getting used to that. I steam and exfoliate my face 2x a week and when I don't forget I rub a small amount of baking soda in with my cleanser when I wash. Would I buy again? Probably. The bottle is a plus as it is opaque, has a pump, and you can actually close the pump to seal out air all features which I have read keep retinol potent. But, if nothing else, I would continue to use this for my eye area since it has worked so well.
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