Miracle 10 Retinol Treatment 30 Review*

Acne. 

It's one of those great annoyances that many of us are plagued with at some point in our lives. Be it as an awkward teenager, or as an overly stressed young adult, or maybe as a first time mom, it's an equally frustrating experience to go through. For me the battle began at the ripe old age of 11. As my body started cranking out hormones, my face started cranking out more oil than it knew what to do with and also a proportionate number of pimples.

Over the years I've tried countless products aimed at getting your skin clear, most of which just ended up making the problem worse. In the end I've determined that the absolute best way to take care of acne prone skin is to treat it as you would sensitive skin - use a gentle cleanser day and night, moisturize, and use sun protection. Then, find yourself an excellent dermatologist, and have them recommend a specific acne treatment that is appropriate for the type and severity of acne you have.

The worst of my acne days are thankfully behind me, but I've still got your standard blackheads, enlarged pores, general all-over bumpiness, and the occasional monster pimple that pops up here and there. My derm (who is amazing, and I adore) recommended that I start using a retinoid for the treatment of my acne. Luckily for me I was contacted by Miracle 10, a Canadian skincare line, not too much later, asking me to try one of their newest product launches - Retinol Treatment 30. Seeing as the timing could not have been better, and that I absolutely love experimenting with new beauty products, I graciously accepted their offer.

Miracle 10 has a really wonderful line of skincare products that promise to improve the long term health and appearance of your skin. Their name is derived from the claim to show you varying levels of visible results within 10 hours, 10 days, and 10 weeks. 

Most recently they introduced a line of Retinol Treatment products in varying strengths (30, 60, and 90). Retinol Treatment 30 (or  0.3% retinol) is the gentlest formula from this line and is suitable for all skin types. In case you aren't already familiar with Retinol, it's actually a form of Vitamin A, which can speed up the process of cell turn-over. Your skin is comprised of many layers, with the old dead skin at the surface constantly flaking off and making way for the new skin cells being born underneath. By speeding up this process, debris and dead skin that has built up in your pores can be more quickly brought to the surface, and scarring and such from acne lesions can fade more quickly. It can also help to make your skin look more youthful, by minimizing the appearance of fine lines and hyperpigmentation that are often associated with aging.

 

While Retinol has been widely prescribed for the treatment of mild to moderate acne, Miracle 10's Retinol Treatment line has the added bonus of containing a lovely cocktail of vitamins and botanical ingredients that also aid to reduce inflammation, soothe, and hydrate skin.

The promise of clearer skin is pretty exciting to me, and as soon as this bottle arrived in my mailbox I couldn't wait to start using it. I knew that my skin was not going to miraculously change overnight, even with a product that has the word "miracle" in it's name. For an often impatient person such as myself, this can be a difficult concept to grapple with, especially when it comes to the long battle with acne. I also know, though, that sometimes the best things are the ones worth waiting for. Ultimately I decided that I would use this product for the recommended 10 weeks, and then report back on how it made a difference for my skin.

I also realized that this means giving you a baseline of where I started. It isn't easy sharing your naked, fresh-out-of-the-shower, makeupless face to the world, but in the name of science and quality beauty reviews I'm willing to make the sacrifice.

Even though I've been living with this skin for 26 years, and have spent more than half of that time fighting off blemishes, I've never become entirely used to my face looking less than flawless. And although there is a whole arsenal of products out there to conceal imperfections, there is truly no replacement for actually ridding yourself of them in the first place.

For those of you out there who are interested in trying the Miracle 10 Retinol Treatment line along with me, here are a few important tips to see the best results.

• Your skin will need to adjust to the product, so you can't immediately start using it every night. Start out by using it 1-3 times per week, and gradually build up to nightly use.
• After washing your face and using toner, give your skin 10 to 15 minutes to dry completely before applying retinol. Damp skin is more likely to become irritated.
• USE SUN PROTECTION. This one I can't stress enough. Retinol will make your skin more sensitive to sunlight and sun damage, so make sure to use a moisturizer with an SPF of 30 or greater every morning.
•  If you want to use any other kind of physical or chemical exfoliant (like an AHA cream), skip the retinol that night.
• Lastly, a little stinging or peeling is normal with a retinol product, but if you have any kind of severe reaction, stop using it!

Because my life has been insane lately and I've had very little time to blog, it's actually been a couple of weeks since I started using this product. And although it's still quite early, I do feel that my skin is generally smoother than it was before I started. I will definitely be checking back in again in late January/early February to give you all an update!

Have any of you tried Miracle 10 Retinol Treatment 30 or another retinol based product? What was your experience of it like? Post me a comment and tell me about it!

Until then, stay gorgeous,
Lauren

*PR review. All opinions stated are my own.