Want your skin to look young forever? Retinol is your solution! Read more to find out about how retinol works and how it is beneficial for your skin.
What is retinol?
Retinol is a chemical derivative of Vitamin A. Like any other vitamin, Vitamin A is essential for many functions in the body, but is key for your skin. Vitamin A is important for your epidermis, the surface layer of your skin, as it plays a crucial role in skin cell turnover. This cycle of new skin cells is what keeps your skin looking healthy and bright, making retinol a great ingredient for aging skin.
Aging skin is a consequence of both natural aging and damage from external factors. These external factors like ultraviolet radiation cause what is known as photoaging. Luckily, retinol can help reduce the effects of natural aging and photoaging on the skin.
How does retinol work?
Consequences of natural aging on the skin include thinning of the skin and decreased elasticity.
The thinning of the skin occurs when cell division slows down, which is common in older skin.
As a derivative of Vitamin A, which promotes skin cell turnover, retinol can easily combat thinning skin. Increased cell turnover can lead to a thickening of the epidermis, reducing the skin’s frailness. Decreased skin elasticity occurs with natural aging, as collagen, a structural protein that gives skin its elasticity, decreases with age. The use of retinol can control the protein expression of pre collagen, a precursor to collagen, which in turn increases the production of collagen. By inducing collagen production, retinol can give aging skin more structure and elasticity.
Photoaging can also cause many of these issues prematurely. Ultraviolet radiation can damage skin cells, causing skin thinness, and can also break down collagen present in the skin, causing loose skin. However, an added consequence of photoaging is the deficiency of Vitamin A, causing further photodamage. Retinol, as a form of Vitamin A, can directly combat both the Vitamin A deficiency and the effects of photoaging, making it a holy grail ingredient for anti-aging.
Purging
Retinol is a great ingredient, but it must be noted that retinol does cause some harsh, albeit temporary side effects. When first using retinol, your skin might experience what is called “purging.” Since retinol speeds up cell turnover, all the previous impurities on your skin shed quickly, causing a reaction similar to a breakout. Other side effects include redness, dry or flaky skin, and itchiness or irritation. Purging occurs for about 3 to 4 weeks until your skin becomes familiar with retinol, but any reaction afterward might indicate that retinol will not work for your skin and should be stopped as soon as possible.
If you choose to use a product with retinol, it is suggested that the product should be eased into your skincare to allow your skin to adjust while minimizing purging and then gradually build up the dose. To deal with your skin’s reaction, it is best to keep your skincare routine simple and free of any other ingredients that can make the reaction worse, like exfoliating acids, while purging. Furthermore, retinol can increase your skin’s sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation when first using it, so sunscreen is a must.
While purging might sound scary, it is worth it for the clear and beautiful skin hiding underneath!
Thanks for reading!
Written by Kaylee Barrera
Sources:
Armitage, Hanae, et al. “Does Retinol Deserve the Hype? A Stanford Dermatologist Weighs In.” Scope, 6 Aug. 2020, scopeblog.stanford.edu/2020/08/06/does-retinol-deserve-the-hype-a-stanford-dermatologist-weighs-in.
Kafi R, Kwak HSR, Schumacher WE, et al. Improvement of Naturally Aged Skin With Vitamin A (Retinol). Arch Dermatol. 2007;143(5):606–612. doi:10.1001/archderm.143.5.606
Kong, R., Cui, Y., Fisher, G.J., Wang, X., Chen, Y., Schneider, L.M. and Majmudar, G. (2016), A comparative study of the effects of retinol and retinoic acid on histological, molecular, and clinical properties of human skin. J Cosmet Dermatol, 15: 49-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.12193
Mukherjee, Siddharth et al. “Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety.” Clinical interventions in aging vol. 1,4 (2006): 327-48. doi:10.2147/ciia.2006.1.4.327
Shao, Y et al. “Molecular basis of retinol anti-ageing properties in naturally aged human skin in vivo.” International journal of cosmetic science vol. 39,1 (2017): 56-65. doi:10.1111/ics.12348
Sorg O, Saurat JH. Topical retinoids in skin ageing: a focused update with reference to sun-induced epidermal vitamin A deficiency. Dermatology. 2014;228(4):314-25. doi: 10.1159/000360527. Epub 2014 May 9. PMID: 24821234.
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