The wrinkle-fighting ingredient that transformed the texture of my skin

I’m convinced everyone has that one beauty product they swear by, the one they wouldn’t trade even for the priciest cream in the world. There’s usually a long, messy love story behind it, sometimes even a few tears shed over stubborn skin issues. Mine started about two years ago.

I’d always had fairly clear skin, so I didn’t worry much about what I was putting on it. I tried every trending serum and mask without a second thought and quickly became the friend who tests everything so no one else has to. That worked fine until I started noticing texture that I tried to get rid of in the worst way possible: picking at it until tiny bumps turned into scabs. That was the moment I knew something had to change, and probably that I needed a more minimal routine. To my surprise, my dermatologist suggested retinol as the first step in tackling the issue.

But I’m only 22, I thought, convinced retinol was meant only for wrinkles. This was right at the height of the social media retinoid craze, where half of users insisted you shouldn’t go near it until your mid-twenties, while the other half claimed the earlier the better. The information was overwhelming and contradictory, but after digging into the research, I decided to introduce a retinol serum slowly into my routine to get rid of the texture. Since then, I haven’t stopped talking about this ingredient, which is far from being reserved just for wrinkle care.

How retinol smooths skin texture

Yes, retinol and other retinoids are some of the best ingredients for softening fine lines because they speed up cell turnover. In that same process, they push out the clogged debris sitting beneath the surface that, in my case, salicylic acid and other exfoliants simply couldn’t reach. That’s because the texture we notice often isn’t classic acne but microcomedones: tiny bumps formed when dead skin and sebum get trapped deeper in the follicle.

Retinol helps texture the same way it helps wrinkles. It increases cell turnover, helping the skin shed old cells more quickly and make room for fresh ones. This prevents buildup around the pores, which is what usually creates uneven texture. With consistent use it also helps regulate sebum, which means there’s less trapped oil beneath the surface and the bumps fade faster.

How I eased retinol into my routine

I quickly realized my fear of retinol was unnecessary because I didn’t experience any irritation. I started with a 0.3 percent encapsulated formula, though you can always begin with something gentler. Before using it fully, I did a patch test on a small area of skin to see how it would react. When everything looked calm, I slowly added it to my routine. First twice a week, now every other night. I always follow it with a good moisturizer because retinol can be a bit drying. In the beginning it’s normal to notice a slight purge as excess sebum comes to the surface, but it should pass within a few days.

How I know it works

Trying to simplify my skincare, I decided to stop using retinol right before summer. Since retinoids make the skin more sensitive to UV, and even though I wear sunscreen daily, I didn’t want to take any risks. Over the summer my skin behaved perfectly fine, maybe because it was a bit tanned, but after a few months the texture slowly started to come back. And the only thing that cleared it again? My retinol serum, which smoothed everything out within days. If it also helps keep fine lines at bay, I’ll gladly take the bonus.