Answers to Your Questions About Dark Spots, Retinol + More {Part 1}

roc skincare

Not too long ago I took to my Instagram and Facebook accounts (are you following me there? you SO should) and asked you to send over your most pressing questions as it pertained to hyperpigmenation (aka those dreaded dark spots), retinol, eye cream, and anti-aging. You guys showed up and delivered with the skincare questions. I mean, of course you did. Our skin is SUCH an important part of not only our beauty routines, but also as it pertains to our personal style—–better skin goes with everything in your closet. So I teamed up with RoC Skincare, a brand I’ve known since forever that is dedicated to bringing products that work with ingredients typically found at the department store level at prices and availability we all can enjoy at the drugstore. But now that many of us are electric sliding out of our 20s and into our 30s and 40s (present company included), our skincare routines are getting more complex and I’m sure so many of you are looking for products to add to your routine to help fight that which ails you.

If you’re familiar with the RoC Skincare brand, you’ll know that the brand is known for using retinol to treat both fine and deeper wrinkles as well as help with uneven skin tone and texture. But I might need to back up a bit and explain exactly what retinol is for those who might not be familiar.

Retinol in a nutshell is a multi-tasking skincare ingredient that can help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin texture and tone, fight acne, and it also helps to fight against the signs of aging. You can find retinol OTC (over the counter) in drugstores in many RoC Skincare products but your dermatologist may also prescribe a higher percentage of retinol to help with deeper skin blemishes and issues that need extra attention.

Do you have a better understanding of what retinol is? You can learn even more by checking out the RoC Skincare site where they break it down even further.

Now let’s get into your questions!

Through my partnership with RoC Skincare, I got answers to your questions from New York dermatologist Dr. Debra Jaliman. You guys were so passionate with your questions that I’m going to break this up into a two part-post. Stay tuned for part two—-I’ll have it up as soon as I can.

Q. Is retinol a good decision for darker skin? I thought other acids were a better fit.

Dr. Jaliman: Retinol is good for dark skin as well as light skin. Another option would be to use lactic acid.

The Style and Beauty Doctor (um, not that I need to remind you lovely folks, but I’m SO not a real doctor…lol): I’ve used retinol many times in the past to treat acne as well as dark spots. Right now I’m using the RoC MULTI CORREXION® 5 in 1 Restoring Night Cream and RoC RETINOL CORREXION® Eye Cream (love both) and I’ll be trying out some RoC cleansers and day moisturizers with SPF that I’ll be telling you about as soon as I test them.

I’ve also used glycolic acid in my skincare routine as well. Some glycolic acid products I’ve used I try to only use 1-3 times a week (so I don’t dry out my skin). For me both acids and retinol have worked on my skin (at separate times—-my skin wouldn’t like me if I used both at the same time).

Q. What do you do to combat dry skin during spring winds?

Dr. Jaliman: Look for products with glycerin and hyaluronic whether it be a cleanser, moisturizer or sunscreen.

Q. What’s the best way to treat small fine bumps and/or textured skin?

Dr. Jaliman: The best way is to use a sonic cleansing system. It helps to exfoliate the dead skin cells which are causing the bumps. You can also use a toner or pad with salicylic acid.

Q. What works to even out skin tone? Lighter skin on cheeks versus darker on rest of face?

Dr. Jaliman: Niacinamide is one of my favorite ingredients to even out. It lightens but doesn’t irritate the skin.

The Style and Beauty Doctor: Also understand that in many women of color, being darker around the perimeter of our face and lighter around the center is natural. It’s also why I think some forms of contouring and highlighting are good in our makeup routines.

Q. Is an eye cream a must-have?

Dr. Jaliman: Yes because the skin around the eyes is the thinnest, most sensitive and has the least amount of oil glands.

The Style and Beauty Doctor: Adding to say that I think the earlier you start using eye cream the better. The skin around the eye can be dry and keeping it moisturized is your best bet. I’ve been using the RoC RETINOL CORREXION® Eye Cream and while it won’t make my under eye creases I’ve had since forever disappear (for that I’d need to get an in-office procedure) I do like that it hydrates the skin around my eyes so as to prevent further damage.

Q. Why can’t I get my brows waxed when using a product that has retinol? I always see the sign at the salon.

Dr. Jaliman: Retinol makes the skin very sensitive and it would make the outer layers peel and get irritated too easily. You might easily get a burn. It’s best to stop your retinol a few days before your wax.

The Style and Beauty Doctor: Yes, because: OUCH.

Q. When is the best time to apply your serum?

Dr. Jaliman: Right after washing your face, it should be the first layer.

RoC® RETINOL CORREXION® Deep Wrinkle Serum helps to reduce the signs of deep wrinkles after about 12 weeks. Read more about it here.

Q. Any spring to summer skin care product recommendations? My skin goes from super dry (winter) to super oily (summer).

Dr. Jaliman: It’s best to change your products, for example change from a mild cleanser to an exfoliating one. Consider adding a toner especially to the t-zone. Such ingredients such as salicylic acid or glycolic acid are good. Change from a cream sunscreen to a lotion, gel or powder.

The Style and Beauty Doctor: I live in NYC where we have four different seasons and sometimes drastic weather changes from day to day plus I travel so I can’t always use the same products. I have oily skin which gets even oilier in summer and can get drier in NYC’s cold, dry winter. You can see products I’ve used in my routine here.

Q. How do I start an anti-aging regimen (in 20s and 30s)?

Dr. Jaliman: It’s good to start using an ant aging eye cream with retinol or a night cream with antioxidants or niacinamide for dark spots.

The Style and Beauty Doctor: Remember what I was saying about using eye creams before you need them? While they may not create miracle results (you might need a little filler for drastic results) they do help to keep the skin around the eyes moisturized. Also NO skincare regimen is complete without a daytime SPF. That’s your biggest ally in the fight against aging. The sun might make you feel good but its rays can do quite a number on breaking down the skin’s collagen (the stuff that keeps your skin taut and firm) and also puts you at risk for certain skin cancers. See more in my sunscreen posts here on the blog.

Q. Greasy face problems! What’s the cure, for real?

Dr. Jaliman: Use a cleanser with salicylic acid it helps to take excess oil off the face. Use a toner with salicylic or glycolic acid. Consider a serum with retinol that help to control oil. Also using a weekly clay mask can help dry up the oil. If you still have a 4 o’clock shine, consider blotting papers. You can also apply a powder sunscreen in your t-zone.

The Style and Beauty Doctor: Adding to say make sure you’re also not dehydrating your skin—yes, oily skin can get dehydrated. What some people mistakenly do when they have oily skin is they think that by not moisturizing the skin, they’ll keep away the shine. SO not true. All skin has to be moisturized. What happens when oily skin isn’t moisturized is it goes into survival mode and produces more oil to compensate. This might sound weird but using an oil to moisturize oily skin can also help to balance out the oil—find out how here.

Thanks so much to Dr. Jaliman for chiming in and answering your questions. I’ve partnered with RoC Skincare over the next few months so I’ll be sharing even more skincare posts soon so stay tuned :)

Further reading

Suncare posts
Acne posts
Dry skin posts
Hyperpigmentation posts
Oily/combo skin posts
Anti-aging posts
What I’m using on my skin right now (series of what I’m using on my skin at any given moment)

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by RoC® Skincare. Although I have been compensated, all opinions are my own.

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1 Comment

  1. April 30, 2015 / 5:23 pm

    Excellent post! I was just reading about skincare ingredients in the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual and was curious about retinol since I have some dark spots. Plus, I’m at the age where it’s time to start incorporating some anti-aging products in my routine. Glad to know where to start at least. Thanks so much for sharing!

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