Hi, I’m Dr. Chad Hartmann, a board-certified dermatologist with U.S. Dermatology Partners and today I want to talk to you about AlphaRet by SkinBetter Science.
Other than sunscreen, AlphaRet is my favorite product for patients who are trying to improve the appearance of their skin and decrease the damaging effects of skin aging and sun damage. The reason for this is because it's very effective and normally very well tolerated by most patients. AlphaRet contains several ingredients that help to improve the skin. The name AlphaRet is because it has alpha-hydroxy acids that help to exfoliate the skin and hydrate it, and “Ret” for retinol and retinol helps the skin via several mechanisms. It helps exfoliate the skin to make the texture and tone of the skin better. It also stimulates collagen and elastic tissue to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles in the skin, and it helps to even out the coloration of the skin. It also contains hyaluronic acid and there are lots of products that contain hyaluronic acid, but hyaluronic acid is a large molecule and it tends to sit on the surface of the skin. AlphaRet has a patented carrier molecule that they link to the hyaluronic acid that helps to pull it into the skin to help better hydrate the skin and also plump the skin to help with fine lines. It also has a mixture of peptides and these help to stimulate your body to create its own collagen. It also has several antioxidants in it such as green tea extract, niacinamide, vitamins E and C, and coenzyme Q10 that help to protect the skin and decrease inflammation in the skin.
With any retinol product it's important to introduce it gradually to the skin to avoid irritation of the skin. What I tell my patients is to use it at night because sunlight can inactivate retinol and I tell them after they've gently cleansed the skin and pat the skin dry, then take a small little pea-size amount on the tip of their finger, apply it to several areas on the face and then smooth that in to form a thin layer. I advise them to start using AlphaRet every third night for the first two weeks and then if the skin's not too dry to increase that to every other night for the next two weeks and then if it's not too dry they can use it nightly.
Although AlphaRet is very well tolerated by most individuals I have some patients who have very sensitive skin. I personally have very sensitive skin, and this is one of the products I use, but in order for me to be able to use it I also combine it with a moisturizer, and this is a process that's sometimes referred to as buffering. So, what I do is I take one pump of my AlphaRet, I prefer to use Trio, another moisturizer by SkinBetter Science, I take one pump of that, I mix them together, and then I apply that to the face, and I can tolerate that very well and it leaves the skin hydrated and exfoliated. I recommend this product to all of my patients who are looking to improve the appearance of their skin unless they are allergic to one of the ingredients in AlphaRet or if they are pregnant or breastfeeding, I recommend they avoid this until they have finished.
If you would like to use this product, you can get it at any of our U.S. Dermatology Partners offices or it's available online at DermSkincare.com.