Retinol for your body, explained
Vitamin A isn’t just for your face. It can help arms, chest, neck and hands too, as long as you choose the right format.
What it does on the body
Retinol works the same way on your body as on your face. It encourages skin to renew itself and, over months, to make more collagen. On the body that can mean smoother texture, softer crepey patches, and fewer rough bumps on the backs of the arms.
The areas that tend to show age first are the ones that see the most sun: the chest, the neck, the backs of the hands and the forearms.
What the research shows
One of the best-known retinol studies was done on the body, not the face. In people aged 80 and over, a 0.4% retinol lotion used on the arms for 24 weeks reduced fine wrinkling and increased markers of collagen production compared with a lotion without retinol.
Kafi and colleagues, Archives of Dermatology, 2007 [1]
That study used a fairly strong retinol on skin left in place. Most body products are gentler, so expect slower, subtler results over a few months.
Wash, lotion or cream?
- Body lotion: light and easy to spread over large areas. A good everyday choice, and the simplest way to start.
- Body cream: richer, so better for dry or crepey skin and for winter. Best for smaller areas like the chest, elbows and hands.
- Body wash: the weakest of the three. A wash is on your skin for a minute or so, then rinsed away, so the retinol has very little time to work. Choose one because you like it as a wash, and let a lotion or cream do the real work.
How to use it after 40
- Start slowly: two or three evenings a week, then build up as your skin settles.
- Go gentler on thin skin: the neck and chest are more easily irritated. Use a small amount, or mix it with your usual body lotion at first.
- Apply after your shower: on dry skin, avoiding freshly shaved or broken skin.
- Sunscreen every morning: on your chest, neck and the backs of your hands, since vitamin A makes skin more sensitive to the sun.
- Take care: don’t use it if you’re pregnant or trying to conceive, and check with your GP or pharmacist if you use prescription skin treatments.
If you get redness, stinging or peeling that doesn’t settle, stop for a few days and restart less often.
Korean retinol body care to look out for
Retinol body care is one of the fastest-growing categories in Korea, but very little of it has reached UK shops yet. These are the ones we’re watching. We’ll add price comparisons as soon as trusted UK shops stock them.
Retinol for your face
For how retinol and retinal compare on the face, and the products on our list, read retinal and retinol, explained.
Sources
This page is general information, not medical advice.