Layering skincare merchandise with dimethicone – or any mixture of components – is vital to the outcomes you get out of your skincare routine. Your fastidiously thought of particular person skincare merchandise are constituted of components that will not mix properly, could forestall absorption of different merchandise or could create undesirable really feel or movie in your pores and skin. A reader requested me the crucial query about product layering within the context of dimethicone and I will share my reply with you. The ideas apply to all product layering, whether or not there’s dimethicone in your product or not.
Howdy Dr. Bailey, layering skincare merchandise with dimethicone is one thing I’m questioning about. My moisturizer accommodates dimethicone and I’m simply questioning if that might forestall the tretinoin (Retin A) that I exploit from penetrating my pores and skin? Ought to I apply tretinoin first then my moisturizer? Does it actually matter if I apply it earlier than or after the tretinoin? Thanks very a lot on your time. Sincerely, Rui
Pricey Rui,
This is a wonderful query. The skincare merchandise that you simply apply, and their components, do have an effect on one another in quite a few methods. Absorption is considered one of them. We layer merchandise as a result of some components cannot be positioned collectively in the identical bottle, tube or jar and saved for months to years however are appropriate and energetic when layered in your pores and skin for 12 hours.
The layering order of skincare merchandise is vital to product outcomes, however it’s additionally troublesome to be completely sure that we all know what’s truly happening on the pores and skin degree. That is as a result of it is not doable to review all of the product or ingredient mixtures. In some unspecified time in the future, we have now to assume issues via with basic scientific rules as finest we are able to.
Layering Pores and skin Care Merchandise
As a basic rule I like to recommend thinner and/or water-based skincare merchandise first and thicker/oil-based or dimethicone containing merchandise after.
You might have heard that “water and oil do not combine”. It’s a useful idea relating to merchandise. Your pores and skin is extra complicated as a result of it is composed of lipids (oils which we are saying are lipophilic) and protein (that ‘likes’ water and we describe as hydrophilic). Which means the lipids will take in components that blend properly with oil and the protein will take in components that blend properly with water. We use this to our benefit in product layering.
Layering ‘occlusive’ skincare merchandise
When layering your skincare merchandise, there’s the extra idea that’s vital and that’s that some components are ‘occlusive’. I wish to say that they “seal the deal” with merchandise layered earlier than and assist forestall pores and skin dryness. It doesn’t imply that an ingredient makes your pores and skin really feel heavy or that the ingredient clogs pores, it simply means that it’ll layer on high of the pores and skin to forestall water loss. This is applicable to oils and dimethicone.
Occlusive components corresponding to oils and dimethicone (a siloxane that features different components on this household corresponding to cyclopentasiloxane and cyclohexasiloxane) will assist forestall water evaporation from pores and skin referred to as Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL). However, water-based formulations will penetrate pores and skin and in addition evaporate if they aren’t ‘trapped’. We use occlusion to assist lure water-based components in addition to water that retains your pores and skin hydrated and supple.
Lastly, there are particular person ingredient mixtures have to be thought of one after the other. I will begin with dimethicone, which has its followers. That stated, some individuals choose to make use of extra ‘pure’ occlusive corresponding to botanical oils.
Is dimethicone unhealthy for pores and skin?
My opinion is that dimethicone could be a nice skincare ingredient when formulated right into a product fastidiously. I additionally like pure oils in skincare. The underside line is that dimethicone has some wonderful causes for being in your skincare merchandise.
4 advantages of dimethicone in skincare
- Dimethicone is added to skincare merchandise as a result of it helps them to glide properly over your pores and skin.
- A little bit dimethicone in your pores and skin additionally provides it an exquisite silky really feel and softens the looks of effective wrinkles.
- It improves your pores and skin’s potential to retain moisture and helps to guard it from irritation.
- It’s moisturizing, pores and skin softening, noncomedogenic and nonacnegenic and prevents extra oil from diluting different skincare merchandise corresponding to make-up.
- Dimethicone could even barely enhance the thickness of the highest residing layer of your pores and skin referred to as the dermis.
As a result of it acts as a barrier nevertheless, dimethicone could have an effect on the penetration of some components corresponding to Retin A into the pores and skin. It is determined by how a lot dimethicone is within the product although. Merchandise with a considerable amount of dimethicone might properly block tretinoin if they’re utilized first.
Merchandise with a comparatively small quantity of dimethicone corresponding to my Every day Moisturizing Face Cream work properly with tretinoin. I’ve constructed hundreds of tretinoin and retinol skincare routines with this cream and have by no means discovered it to have any detrimental affect on Retin A penetration when it comes to the plain seen outcomes of tretinoin.
Be taught extra: Easy methods to Apply Tretinoin Cream: A Information to Demystifying Its Use
How have you learnt if tretinoin Retin A can penetrate your dimethicone moisturizer?
If in case you have any doubts about your merchandise, you may all the time take a look at them as a result of Retin A will irritate your pores and skin from time to time if it is penetrating. After I assist my sufferers work out this product mixture, I inform them that in the event that they’re on the strongest degree of Retin A cream and so they by no means get irritated then both they’ve actually powerful pores and skin or one thing they’re doing earlier than software of the Retin A could also be affecting its penetration.
Likewise, tretinoin will cut back blackheads to deal with zits and trigger pores and skin brightening, enchancment in uneven pigment and discount in effective traces and wrinkles. All of those outcomes are 100% seen to you within the mirror. Should you see tretinoin working, it is getting via and being absorbed into your pores and skin!
Easy methods to layer skincare at night time with Retin A
For instance, I personally have use my Every day Moisturizing Face Cream for years with its dimethicone content material. The layering order of my nighttime merchandise with tretinoin is:
- Inexperienced Tea Antioxidant Pores and skin Remedy Cream,
- Every day Moisturizing Face Cream,
- wait quarter-hour or extra, then
- I apply my tretinoin (Retin A).
Discover that I like to recommend making use of the Inexperienced Tea Remedy Cream first as a result of it’s a thinner product. It isn’t water based mostly however the consistency is far much less occlusive.
I can and do get very chapped from Retin A every so often and so I do know that the Retin A is getting via the Every day Moisturizing Face Cream. I can even see the helpful ends in the mirror.
Apply moisturizer earlier than tretinoin not after tretinoin
There is no such thing as a level in making use of your moisturizer after Retin A as a result of moisturizers have to be utilized instantly after toweling your pores and skin dry to ensure that them to work. Retin A in my follow, however, is all the time utilized after ready 15 or extra minutes after toweling dry and making use of different merchandise (together with your moisturizer). This helps to forestall pores and skin irritation, chapping and the retinoid dermatitis. I have been prescribing tretinoin because it was first launched for zits within the mid-Nineteen Eighties. I’ve in depth expertise with serving to all complexion varieties tolerate this drugs and I’ve realized that ready quarter-hour actually reduces tretinoin pores and skin peeling.
Stopping pores and skin irritation is why I apply my moisturizer, wait quarter-hour or extra after which apply my Retin A final. – Dr. Bailey
Retinol causes much less pores and skin irritating than tretinoin for delicate complexions
Some individuals with delicate pores and skin don’t desire the inconvenience of tretinoin or need to alternate it with a neater to make use of retinoid. Retinol is thought to be much less more likely to result in retinoid dermatitis. It has the identical mechanism of motion as tretinoin although must be utilized in increased concentrations to stimulate collagen renewal.
Retinol might be utilized proper after washing and toweling pores and skin dry. My Retinol Anti-Wrinkle Evening Cream comes accommodates the best allowed retinol focus, which is 1%, which we denote as 10X. This can be a medical-grade retinol that you’d count on from a dermatologist and retinoid professional.
My Retinol Evening Cream can be formulated with the identical inexperienced tea antioxidants as my Inexperienced Tea Cream and it has dimethicone. I truly prefer it topped with my Every day Moisturizing Cream for the additional benefit of ceramides and squalane within the Every day Cream. Frankly, I do that 3 to 4 nights per week and the tretinoin routine all the others.
My face all the time sleeps with a retinoid as a result of they’re the most effective components to battle the indicators of pores and skin getting older and I would like that! – Dr. Bailey
Retinol Anti-Wrinkle Evening Cream accommodates dimethicone
Get the advantages of three helpful components in a single product.
I alternate my Retinol Cream with tretinoin (or use it extra typically than tretinoin since it’s simpler) and apply it proper after cleaning my face, neck and chest at night time.
How lengthy do you wait to use moisturizer after retinol?
Let the retinol product dry to the contact however past that, there isn’t any want to attend. I apply retinol after which I layer my Every day Face Cream on high. If the retinol isn’t fully dry to the contact, it is doable to pat the moisturizer onto pores and skin.
Can you utilize a face oil with retinol?
Sure. As of this replace in 2023 my publish menopausal 64 12 months outdated complexion wants much more lipid components. I high my retinol with the Every day Moisturizing Face Cream boosted with just a few drops of my Omega Face Booster Oil which accommodates stunning botanical barrier therapeutic oils. Generally I even apply my face oil straight with out cream and instantly on high of the Retinol Evening Cream. It is simple to inform that that the retinol is working as a result of the pores and skin brightening is seen within the mirror. That is 37+ years of utilizing a nightly retinoid cream and my pores and skin seems youthful than my joints really feel!
This was an incredible query that exhibits you perceive quite a bit about skincare components. I hope my reply helped.
Heat Regards,
Cynthia Bailey MD, Dermatologist
Click on right here to see my Retinol Anti-Wrinkle Evening Cream and Every day Moisturizing Face Cream
Disclaimer: Please notice that availing your self of the chance to submit and obtain solutions to your questions from Dr. Bailey doesn’t confer a health care provider/affected person relationship with Dr. Bailey. The knowledge supplied by Dr. Bailey is basic well being data impressed by your query. It shouldn’t be an alternative to acquiring medical recommendation out of your doctor and isn’t meant to diagnose or deal with any particular medical drawback (and isn’t an extension of the care Dr. Bailey has supplied in her workplace for present sufferers of her follow). By no means ignore your individual physician’s recommendation due to one thing you learn right here; this data is for basic informational goal solely.
