Hi everyone, today we are so excited to share with you an engaging article written by our fantastic monthly blog writer, Mariam. This is a topic the Cellfie Team, as teenage girls, are very interested in and we are sure that you will learn a lot about the science behind some of your favourite products!
When it comes to skincare, Retinol is a must have. Whether it’s searching for a new moisturiser or a rejuvenating eye cream, you will have stumbled across products labelled ‘with pure Retinol’. It’s lauded as being the ‘golden standard’ in skincare, due to its numerous benefits such as minimising pores and reducing the appearance of acne. Retinol works to generate healthy skin cells or cell turnover and stimulates collagen production more regularly, reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and blemishes to give you a radiant complexion. So, liquid gold but for your skin.
Retinol is one of many, a type of Retinoid. With there being many types of Retinoids, they differentiate in strength by concentration, but are all derivatives from one vital vitamin. That is Vitamin A. Yes, yes, the vitamin found in carrots that gives you ‘superhero sight’ in the dark. As well as skin, it does actually play a fundamental role in maintaining healthy vision by maintaining a clear cornea, the protective outer layer of your eye acting as a barrier against nasties – germs etc. Vitamin A is your skin’s best friend, one of the key nutrients for boosting cell turnover which is crucial for growth, health and maintenance of skin cells.
Since your skin is a responsive organ it can readily absorb Vitamin A, giving you a healthy glow. Who doesn’t want glass looking skin?
Retinol, with all of its desirable benefits, plays a central role in anti-aging skincare products by accelerating your skin’s healing process, preventing hyperpigmentation, dark spots, fine lines and blemishes. That’s just a few of its benefits! However, don’t get carried away. Yes, we all want Jenifer Lopez’s ‘glass skin’ but before buying bulks of Retinol rich products, it’s important to know that “too much Retinol will produce too much cell division.” This results in a cluster of cells, with no real bonds, to rise up to the surface of the epidermis, says Dr Mervyn Patterson, who has been working in Aesthetic Medicine for 20 years. Not to worry though, you can still incorporate Retinol in your skincare routine, but it’s suggested to start with a lower concentration so that you can build tolerance over time.
How does it work?
First, before we unravel into the wonderful science behind Retinol, let’s dive a little deeper and look at what your skin is composed of. Skin is made up of three layers, the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis also known as the subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis is the outermost layer of your skin, it’s a waterproof barrier to damaging UV rays and free radicals, unstable atoms that can damage your skin cells. Beneath that is the dermis, which has connective tissues, hair follicles and sebaceous glands. You get spots when these pores are clogged with sebum, an oily substance produced by your sebaceous glands. Finally, the hypodermis is the innermost layer which is made up of fat and connective tissues.
As you grow older, the production of collagen and elastin slows. Collagen and elastin are fundamental fibres in supporting skin structure. Collagen provides skin with firmness while elastin keeps it tight, both are abundant in younger skin. Unfortunately, since the production of these fibres decreases with age, wrinkles and fine lines appear, but Retinol works in their defence. When you apply Retinol, it penetrates deep into the epidermis because of its lipophilic nature meaning it can easily dissolve in lipids and move deeper into the dermis. In the dermis, Retinol works to regenerate new and fresh skin cells replacing and pushing the old ones up to the surface of the dermis. It encourages older skin cells on the surface to turn over and die, or shed, creating room for the growth of new cells underneath. Our skin usually sheds every 30 days but when using Retinol, it boosts this to about 14-21 days reducing oil production and inflammation. Isn’t that amazing.
I highly suggest that you read this informative article before using Retinol products
‘Here’s exactly how to use Retinol without killing your face’
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