Skincare with retinol
Retinol in skincare can feel confusing. The most important thing is to understand which ingredients suit your skin. Which ingredients the skin needs is highly individual, and there is no universal solution that suits everyone. Vitamin A is an ingredient we recommend to many, precisely because retinol works for so many different skin conditions.
What makes vitamin A special? How do you use retinol cream? Is retinol dangerous? There are many thoughts about retinoids. We will now go through the basics of this powerful ingredient. Read on to learn the science behind retinol.
Retinoids and vitamin A throughout history
Retinoids are powerful skincare ingredients that all originate from vitamin A. They have been shown to be effective in reducing wrinkles and acne. Already in the 1930s, it was discovered that a lack of vitamin A can contribute to the skin aging faster. In the 1940s, the first forms of vitamin A were developed: retinyl palmitate and retinoic acid. In the mid-1950s, retinyl palmitate began to be used to treat aged skin. In 1964, a study showed that an oral intake of retinoids can protect the skin from sun damage. Five years later, retinoic acid, also known as Tretinoin or Retin-A, began to be used to treat acne. Later it was discovered that retinol cream could also improve sun-damaged and aged skin.
In 1987, Dr. Des Fernandes proved that retinyl palmitate provides clear results in repairing photodamaged skin.
In summary, retinoids, such as retinol, retinyl palmitate, and Tretinoin, are important ingredients for scar care, anti-aging, and for treating breakouts.
Why the skin needs vitamin A
With age, the skin's need for vitamin A increases. This is because retinol, an active form of vitamin A, is broken down by UV light and oxygen. Using skincare with retinol is therefore an important step to strengthen and protect the skin.
If you have dry skin or are sensitive to strong skincare products, a serum or retinol cream with retinyl palmitate, such as Intense Retinol + Vitamin E, can be a gentle alternative. Retinol serum or a face cream with vitamin A are excellent choices for supplying the skin with this important vitamin.
The skin has its own process where retinyl palmitate is converted into retinol, the form of vitamin A that the skin uses. After that, two more steps occur:
- Conversion to retinaldehyde.
- Conversion to retinoic acid, which is the same active form used in medical products like Tretinoin or Retin-A.
It is precisely this conversion process that makes retinol and retinyl palmitate such powerful ingredients for skincare. These help with everything from aged skin to sun damage and are ideal for those who want healthier skin.
How does vitamin A (retinol) work in the skin?
This is how the skin converts retinol step by step:
-
The skin absorbs retinyl palmitate, a mild and gentle form of vitamin A.
-
The skin converts retinyl palmitate into retinol, the active form that strengthens the skin's cells.
-
Retinol is converted into retinaldehyde, one step closer to the final active form.
-
Finally, it is converted into retinoic acid, the powerful form that helps against aging and sun damage.
Do you want healthier skin? Buy skincare with retinol!
Benefits of retinoids
Retinoids accelerate cell renewal so that dead skin cells are shed faster and new, healthy cells come to the surface. A myth about retinoids is that they thin the skin, which is not true at all. Instead, they stimulate collagen production. This is the main reason why retinoids rejuvenate the skin. The effect becomes visible to the naked eye.
Results of retinol
Collagen plumps the skin and makes it smooth and elastic. Another positive effect of retinoids is that they reduce and counteract pigmentation. This happens by accelerating cell renewal, which moves the pigmentations shallower in the skin's layers. Over time, this leads to the pigment being shed with cell renewal.
Retinoids also have an inhibiting effect on the skin's melanin production. They also have a positive effect on enlarged pores, which happens when the skin's texture becomes smoother. This is because new, healthy cells and collagen are formed. The appearance of impurities will also decrease.
Different types of vitamin A and retinoids
All different forms of retinoids must be converted into retinoic acid in the skin to have an effect. An exception is Tretinoin, which is pure retinoic acid from the start.
There are many different forms of vitamin A, not just retinol. In the plant kingdom, we find beta-carotene, which is actually the only plant-based form of vitamin A. This is also found in some beauty products today. Beta-carotene is the mildest and thus least active form of vitamin A. It only has a balancing effect because it cannot increase any levels of vitamin A.
There are also animal forms of vitamin A, namely three different fat-soluble esters, which are all retinyls. The alcohol-based form of vitamin A is retinol, and it is much more active on the skin than the animal retinyls are. The alcohol-based form is thus the most active form we can work with in cosmetic products such as serums and vitamin A creams.
Finally, we have an acid-based form: retinoic acid. Retinoic acid is a medical form of vitamin A. It is used in Tretinoin routines and is prescribed by licensed doctors for severe forms of acne.
Alternatives to retinol: Bakuchiol has been a frequently mentioned ingredient in the past year, and it is often both mistaken for and compared to retinol. Bakuchiol is an antioxidant from the plant kingdom that acts in a similar way in the skin, but it should not be compared to vitamin A.
Here are some of the different types of retinoids available on the market.
Tretinoin: The strongest retinoid
Pure retinoic acid. The absolute strongest and most powerful variant available on the market today. As a product name, several different names and brands can occur, but the active ingredient Tretinoin is the common denominator.
Tretinoin or Retin-A cream is available in most countries. In Sweden, it is only available on prescription issued by a licensed doctor. However, many buy it abroad where it is available over the counter at pharmacies. It is very potent, which is the reason for its high effectiveness. We recommend that you consult a dermatologist before you start experimenting at home.
Tretinoin comes in three different strengths: 0.025%, 0.05%, and 0.1%.
It is worth mentioning that the weakest percentage is still about 100 times as strong as a regular retinol cream you can buy over the counter.
Benefits of Tretinoin:
- Effective product against aging skin, enlarged pores, breakouts, uneven skin tone, and photodamaged skin.
- Fastest effect of all vitamin A products.
- Documented studies and research have existed since as early as the 1930s, making it scientifically effective.
- Relatively cheap product if bought abroad. On prescription, it is expensive to collect.
Disadvantages of Tretinoin:
- Common retinol side effects in the form of extreme peeling of the skin, irritation, and stinging. These are common reactions that are often mistaken for an allergic reaction and are due to a lack of knowledge. If you are inexperienced, it may be wise to choose a milder vitamin A rather than mistreating the skin.
- Takes a long time for the skin to get used to. There are people who have a hard time getting used to it or can never tolerate this type of product.
- Hard to get hold of – Tretinoin is a prescription medicine for severe acne.
- Cannot be used in combination with other strong acid routines.
- You must be very knowledgeable about the product to be able to use it. Incorrect use can lead to major problems that take a long time to heal.
- Pregnant women should not use Tretinoin – can cause birth defects.
Retinol: An effective and accessible form
A derivative of pure retinoic acid. A less concentrated form, but still the strongest you can buy on the market in Sweden. Very well documented and has been around for several decades. Well known for its effectiveness. However, it requires an adjustment period for the skin to tolerate the product. Too fast of an adjustment can cause major problems with peeling and stinging.
If you introduce it the right way, it is very effective. You will get the same results as with Tretinoin, but it takes longer. Retinol cream is available in many different strengths on the market. Products are available with contents from 0.15% all the way up to 1.5%. The effect of the product depends not only on the percentage itself but to a very high degree on how it is formulated and combined with other ingredients.
Retinol is automatically converted into retinoic acid when it comes into contact with the skin. The conversion takes place in one step, and the conversion itself causes the product to reduce its strength. The ingredient list should say "retinol" and nothing else for it to be exactly retinol in the product.
Retinol products are available in very varying price ranges from budget to luxury.
Benefits of Retinol:
- Documented effect.
- Easy to get hold of; most skincare brands have retinol skincare.
- There is eye cream with retinol – for example Neutriherbs Retinol Eye Cream.
Disadvantages of Retinol:
- Quite a long adjustment period to avoid unpleasant side effects. There are some who simply never get their skin used to it and therefore cannot use retinol.
- Here too, you need to think about how you mix and use it with other products. Not to the same extent as with Tretinoin, but you still need to be informed.
Retinyl palmitate: The mild alternative
Here, retinol has been mixed with palmitic acid to slightly dilute the vitamin A content. This is to reduce side effects of peeling and irritated skin.
It is unusual to get side effects from products with exactly retinyl palmitate.
This is a good alternative for people with very sensitive skin. However, the effectiveness is greatly reduced compared to retinol and Tretinoin. A well-known product with retinyl palmitate is, for example, Sunday Riley’s Luna Sleeping Night Oil.
Benefits of Retinyl Palmitate:
- Very low risk of side effects in the form of peeling or stinging.
- Not as problematic to mix with other active ingredients.
- Retinyl palmitate is best for sensitive skin.
Disadvantages of Retinyl Palmitate:
- Provides a milder effect. It will take a very long time to see any effect when it comes to deeper wrinkles and scars
Retinaldehyde: Fast conversion with potential
This form is converted very quickly into retinoic acid in the skin. However, there are few documented side effects in the form of irritation. It is, however, not impartially scientifically proven that this form provides as good an effect as the producers claim.
Products containing retinaldehyde have a higher price range. Independent scientific research is still lacking; the studies that exist have often been commissioned by producers, which can affect objectivity.
If more studies and more research appear, it looks very promising.
Retinyl retinoate: Newer form for daily use
VERSO products contain this type of vitamin A derivative.
This form is considered to be usable both day and night. Usually, retinoids are used mostly at night. This form is considered to be potent without side effects. But like retinaldehyde, there is not much independent research.
Hydroxypinacolone retinoate: Effective with few side effects
This is also a newer form of vitamin A derivative. This too is said to be very effective and largely completely without side effects.
As with the latter two, there is not much independent research on this derivative either.
Common sensitivity to vitamin A
It is interesting how the absorption of vitamin A works.
When we suffer from a lack of vitamin A (that is, the older we get), the receptors (receivers) in skin cells that are supposed to absorb the vitamin A are destroyed. The skin is a smart organ that adapts and learns to live with the deficiency, which causes the skin to age faster. If we suddenly give the cells vitamin A through beauty products like serums or creams, the skin begins to convert the retinyl into retinol. Then it transports the retinol to the skin cell.
Then the cell lacks receptors to receive the retinol. The information the cell receives initiates a chemical process that tries to handle the unused vitamin.
It is in this process that a reaction can occur, which can be mistaken for hypersensitivity or allergy. It is extremely rare to be allergic to vitamin A. A strong reaction can rather indicate a long-term deficiency of the vitamin in the skin. The best advice is to always start with a low dose and slowly increase the amount, so that the cells' receptors have time to wake up again.
When you feel that the skin cannot handle getting used to higher doses, you should stop there. Less is more, and that is then a good level for your particular skin, because that is what it can handle.
Important advice for using retinol
Regardless of which form or type of vitamin A product you start using, better safe than sorry.
Get help from a skin therapist and carefully start introducing a milder type of vitamin A. There is no reason to rush the process – it can rather hinder than help.
Sunscreen is always crucial regardless of the season. Light ages the skin, not just UV light, but all types of light. So actually the name sunscreen is inappropriate; a more correct name would be "light screen", provided it protects against a broader spectrum.
Remember: light breaks down vitamin A levels in the skin. Vitamin A is important for the skin. It protects the skin from DNA damage. The sunscreen protects the vitamin A from breaking down. Vitamin A also helps to protect the DNA chains.
All vitamin A products are converted into retinoic acid in the skin, and it is the remaining strength after the conversion that determines its effectiveness.
You will get results, but it will take different amounts of time and the journey there is individual. The journey to the result is also not always flawless. You may experience problems like purging, peeling, and stinging, but it is temporary if you let the skin get used to it.
Do not start with products that are too strong – it can hinder more than help. Retinoids take a long time before you see an effect.
The important thing is not to use products that are too strong. Adapt them to what your skin can handle. Stay at a level that your skin tolerates well.
It is much better with a weaker product that you can use often. A stronger product the skin can only handle once a week.
Skincare with active ingredients is not a quick-fix, it is a lifestyle that you want to enjoy.
A strong and resilient skin is a healthy and thriving skin.
You only have one skin, take good care of it.
Take care,
Matilda
Authorized Skin Therapist Skinroller
