I know I cant promise a blog post daily but I will try my best to do one weekly! As some of you may know, I have a science degree...Nutritional Science in fact. Go me! :) So when I read or purchase a new skincare product, the scientist in me needs to know how it works.......
First up is Retinol!!!
A bit of sciency background....Retinol has been the beauty buzz word for quite some time now and has even been described as a "miracle ingredient". It is a derivative of Vitamin A and is used in the Beauty Industry for its potent anti-ageing properties. Retinoic acid is the active form of retinol and is also used for acne treatments but is only available on prescription by a doctor or dermatologist!! ( boooo !!! ) Basically the retinol that we can get over the counter isn't as good as the bad boy you can get off the doctor, but certainly still worth using!
What does Retinol do?
Firstly it is an anti-oxidant which protects the skin from free radical-free radicals. Free Radicals are the demons that can cause pre-mature ageing, reduction in elasticity and suppleness, eh no thanks! The fact that retinol is an anti-oxidant means that is anti-ageing,even before I get into the nitty-gritty!!
As I've stated above, retinoic acid is the active form of retinol, a small amount of "over the counter" retinol is converted to this active form and is used by skin cells called dermal fibroblasts. We like fibroblasts, these guys make collagen which smooth out fine lines and wrinkles! As the skin matures, the fibroblasts get lazy, very lazy and produce less collagen......feed them retinol and they perk up! The more collagen...the less wrinkles! ;)
Another effect of maturing skin is that cell turnover is reduced...alot! Because of this, our skin is slower to shed itself....dead skin galore! yuck! Retinol has been proven to increase cell turnover which gets rid of the dead skin so that other beneficial ingredients can get to where they are needed in the skin. This is why retinol is used during acne, psoriasis and pigmentation treatment.
If you are thinking of adding retinol to your skin care routine, do it gradually and most importantly use it as advised by a skin therapist or dermatologist. No point is buying it if you are using it incorrectly! My advice is to go for a cosmeceutical brand rather than a non cosmeceutical brand. In a nut shell, cosmeceutical brands contain ingredients which penetrate deeper into the skin cells...if you logically think about it....your fibroblasts, the guys that make collagen, are deep in the skin layers, there is no point applying retinol to the top layers of skin ( in the case of non cosmeceutical brands ) ! you need the retinol to burrow through to where its needed!
Image is a GREAT example of a cosmeceutical brand. Find you local salon which stocks image,book in for a consultation and take it from there. I have worked with this brand...and many other skin brands, and it wins by miles.
Just a few pointers on Retinol:
- Use with Vitamin C for best results, this prevents sun damage!! :)
- If using during the day, protect the skin with an SPF!
- If you have prominent acne or pigmentation, perhaps ask your dermatologist for a more potent form!
- Be VERY VERY VERY careful not to over use retinol, it can cause your skin to go into overdrive and even cause damage to the skin so please use it correctly.
- you skin WILL peel while using retinol, this is due to the accelerated cell turnover.
Here is the IMAGE website .............. http://www.renaissance-skincare.com/products/image-skincare/
Retinol is the bomb!! Go get it!!
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