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What is in the preparation
The concentrations here are high, and they explain both how the treatment works and the peeling you can expect.
Retinol 4%
A pure form of vitamin A. It speeds up cell renewal and stimulates collagen fibres.
Vitamin C 8%
An antioxidant that protects against oxidative damage and supports regeneration.
Antioxidants 30%
A complex that supports the skin's protective barrier and limits photodamage.
The treatment on video
A recording from our practice shows what the mask looks like on the face and what condition you are in when you leave the clinic.
We do not publish before and after material, because without an identical frame, lighting and time interval such a comparison is misleading.
How Retix.C works
Retinol speeds up cell renewal and stimulates collagen fibres to regenerate. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, protecting the skin against oxidative damage. Together they work on something neither ingredient would achieve alone to the same degree.
Besides removing keratinised epidermis, the treatment affects the keratinisation process and limits transepidermal water loss, or TEWL. In practice this means better hydration and a more effective protective barrier, not just a change on the surface.
The effect builds over a series. After a single treatment the skin can look brighter and smoother, while work on shallow pigmentation, density and firmness needs several sessions. The scale of change cannot be given before a skin assessment.
The treatment step by step
The procedure itself takes about thirty minutes at the practice, and the first visit with a consultation about forty-five. We recommend having the treatment in the evening, because you leave the practice with the mask on your face, looking like a thicker layer of cream.
Peeling, or what happens over the week
This question comes up with every retinol treatment, so here is the answer directly: yes, the skin will peel. Peeling usually starts two to three days after the visit and passes after about three days. It is an expected stage of how retinol works, not a sign that something has gone wrong.
For this reason, the appointment should not be planned at the last minute before an important event. If you have something significant in your calendar, leave yourself at least ten days of margin.
How to prepare for the treatment
A week before the treatment
No self-tanning products and no sunbathing. Skin that has been exposed to the sun reacts to retinol differently, and the risk of irritation increases.
A week before the treatment
No exfoliation and no hair removal in the treatment area. A compromised barrier is a worse starting point for a high concentration of retinol.
On the day of the treatment
Men should not shave their face. Freshly shaved skin is more prone to irritation.
After the treatment, a high factor sunscreen is required for the whole shedding period. Skin after retinol is more sensitive to radiation, so without photoprotection the risk of pigmentation increases, which is exactly what the treatment is meant to counteract.
Indications, or what it helps with
The treatment can also complement aesthetic medicine procedures, as skin preparation or as part of a plan carried out in parallel. In that case the order and intervals are set by the practitioner in charge.
How many treatments and how often
A course is planned as 4 to 6 treatments repeated approximately every 14 to 28 days. The date of the next session is set individually by the cosmetologist, after assessing how the skin reacted to the previous one.
The range of the interval is not random. With skin that tolerates retinol well, treatments are scheduled more closely together, and with skin that reacts more strongly the interval is extended. That is why the plan is made after the first treatment, not before it.
Contraindications
Sensitive, vascular skin is a contraindication here, even though with other treatments it is often only a reason for caution. A high concentration of retinol is too strong a stimulus for it, and acid peels are often a gentler route in that case. Retinoid treatment within the last six months rules out the treatment regardless of skin condition.
Three variants of Retix.C
The name is shared, but the treatments differ in formula and purpose.
The questions we are asked most often
Does the skin peel after the treatment?
Yes. Shedding usually starts after 2 to 3 days and passes after about 3 days. This is an expected stage of retinol action, not a complication. No shedding does not mean the treatment has not worked either, because the reaction varies from person to person.
Why is the treatment done in the evening?
Because you leave the practice with a mask on your face, which you wash off yourself after about 5 hours. The mask looks like a thicker layer of cream, so it is more convenient to plan it for the end of the day and go straight home.
How many treatments do I need?
Usually 4 to 6, approximately every 14 to 28 days. The date of the next one is set by the cosmetologist after assessing how the skin reacted to the previous one, so the plan is made during the course rather than in advance.
Can I have the treatment before an important event?
Not at the last minute. Because of the few days of shedding, leave yourself at least 10 days of margin. If the date cannot be moved, we will suggest a different treatment at the consultation.
I have vascular skin, is this for me?
No. Sensitive, vascular skin is a contraindication for Retix.C, because a high concentration of retinol is too strong a stimulus for it. Acid peels, matched to the skin's reactivity, are often a gentler route in that case.
I have used isotretinoin, when can I have the treatment?
Retinoid treatment within the last six months rules out the treatment. The interval is counted from the end of the treatment and is not shortened on request, because skin after oral retinoids reacts differently.
Can I use acids between treatments?
Not on your own. Retinol and acids are two strong stimuli, and combining them leads to irritation rather than a better effect. Home care for the duration of the course is set by the cosmetologist.
Can the treatment be done in summer?
You can, but it requires consistent photoprotection with a high factor sunscreen and giving up sunbathing. Skin after retinol is more sensitive to radiation, and without sunscreen you risk pigmentation.
How does Retix.C differ from an acid peel?
Acid works chemically on the surface of the epidermis and is neutralised in the practice. Retix.C works with retinol, which stays on the skin for a few hours and triggers cell renewal over the following days. Hence the different shedding and different contraindications.
Will the treatment help with acne?
With acne vulgaris it is sometimes chosen, but active acne lesions are a contraindication. Inflammation is calmed down first, and only afterwards does work on skin quality and marks left by lesions resume.
Before you decide
Consultation with a cosmetologist
Retix.C is not a treatment for every skin. At the consultation we check whether retinol tolerance and the condition of the barrier allow it, establish which of the three variants suits your situation, and plan the date taking the shedding days into account. The conversation does not commit you to having the treatment.
This material is for information and does not replace a consultation or an assessment of suitability for the treatment.