05/23/2026
Sunscreen every morning retinol every night 🌟
What’s considered to be the most important thing for maintaining youthful skin? Daily application of sunscreen and taking other protective measures, like wearing a hat. All of the other things you can do for your skin pale in comparison.
What about retinoids for skin aging? There are gentle, less potent, over-the-counter topical retinoids, such as retinyl, retinol, and retinal, but data are limited. And, although the results of clinical trials on retinyl esters have been routinely disappointing, retinaldehyde and retinol hold some promise.
Of all of the nonprescription retinoid options, retinol may be the preferred choice. It causes even less irritation than retinaldehyde, and a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found that 52 weeks of use "improved crow’s feet fine lines by 44 percent, and mottled pigmentation by 84 percent." (To be extra cautious, don’t use retinoids while pregnant.)
Population studies have also found that healthy eating is associated with less facial wrinkles. A meat- and junk-heavy diet is linked to more wrinkles, whereas a fruit-rich diet is associated with fewer wrinkles. Specifically, yellow vegetables and soy foods appear to be protective against wrinkles, but wine may make them worse.
Watch the video “Topical Retinoids to Reverse Skin Aging” at https://see.nf/retinoids. If you missed it, I did a whole series of videos on anti-aging skin care, see our skin health topic page at https://bit.ly/3yCOpPl to watch all of them. For more on diet and skin health, see the video "How to Naturally Reduce Wrinkles with Food" at https://bit.ly/3oPC3Rp.
