Retinol continues its stronghold as the number-one anti-ageing skincare ingredient. We take a look at the role and action of Vitamin A on the skin.
Vitamin A is arguably the single-most important ingredient to prevent, restore, normalise and help repair damaged skin.
Medical research shows that ageing of the skin is accelerated by the loss of light-sensitive vitamins destroyed by sun, stress and pollution. These lost vitamins include Vitamin A, together with key antioxidants and Vitamins C, E, pro-vitamin B5 and beta-carotene. These all work to normalise the skin, assisting it to reverse the signs of ageing, and to make it look younger and smoother.
Vitamin A in particular helps smooth both wrinkles and fine lines, while increasing skin hydration and collagen production. It evens out skin texture, at the same time as increasing skin thickness and improving its elasticity. Vitamin A also improves acne, natural exfoliation and overall skin tone, diminishing mottled pigmentation.
Since our body does not make Vitamin A, our skin becomes deficient over time. In particular, the sun depletes the skin of Vitamin A and this is one of the reasons those who super-expose their skin to sun damage age faster than those who do not (and another reason to always use broad-spectrum SPF every single day, rain, hail or shine).
Vitamin A (as well as other key vitamins and antioxidants) need to be replaced every day to reduce the damage from sunlight. The best way to replace these vitamins is by topical application.
Formulations containing Vitamin A are beneficial to skin of all ages as it helps repair injured skin and improves its water barrier properties, making it soft and supple. It is also effective in treating acne, as well as dry, scaly or cracked skin.
Vitamin A in skincare
As our skin gets thinner with age, it gradually becomes less effective as a barrier, which leads to signs of ageing such as lines and rough patches. Vitamin A is critical in the maintenance of healthy skin. Regular application of Vitamin A, which regulates skin cell growth, stimulates the skin’s renewal process and causes it to thicken and appear younger and healthier.
Cell-communicating ingredients use receptor sites or cellular pathways to interact with skin cells to signal them to function optimally. Retinoids (including retinol), which are derivatives of Vitamin A, are the best known. They act as antioxidants and neutralise the free radicals that result from exposure to ultraviolet light. In addition, they increase cellular turnover, stimulate a thickening of the epidermis and promote the removal of excess pigment.
Retinol is a Vitamin A (retinoic acid) derivative that is an effective and widely used topical anti-ageing solution. It has been shown to reduce many visible signs of skin ageing, especially fine lines and wrinkles, encouraging better cell turnover in the upper layers and normalising skin turnover.
In the form of stabilised retinol (retinol molecular), it enables surface hyperpigmented cells to be sloughed off evenly, in addition to reversing the damaging effects of UV light on the skin cells, which result in hyperpigmentation. Retinoids are also responsible for tyrosinase inhibition, reducing clumping of melanin and reducing melanosome size to further improve pigmented spots.
Medical research has also documented that the use of retinol on the skin can create new collagen deposition, greater proliferation of new blood vessels and capillary formation. Dramatic improvements have also been observed with regard to skin smoothness, evening of skin tones and overall skin rejuvenation. Retinol also plays a role in conditioning the skin prior to many cosmetic procedures such as facial surgery, laser resurfacing and chemical peels.
Varying forms of Vitamin A
It’s well known skin rejuvenation can be achieved by applying Vitamin A to the skin, but sometimes the various types of Vitamin A on the market may make it confusing when selecting which type to use on the skin. There are a number of related molecules with Vitamin A activity and these are classed under the family name of retinoids.
Prescription retinoids include tretinoin (trans retinoic acid); the over-the-counter retinoid is retinol. Both convert to retinoic acid in the skin. Trans retinoic acid is the most irritant form of Vitamin A.
It’s no secret that a common side effect after starting topical Vitamin A treatment is temporary redness, irritation and flakiness; most users will need to build up a tolerance to retinoids over several weeks. Retinol skincare has fewer side effects than retinoic acid prescription products due to lower biological activity, among other factors. It also goes without saying that stabilised high-concentration retinol formulations will be
more effective than run-of-the-mill retinol products, but will also typically be more irritating to the skin.
Thankfully, any irritation at all may be a thing of the past. Manufacturers are now developing different effective forms of Vitamin A which are less irritating, if at all.
It’s no wonder that Vitamin A (in its various forms) is an important and necessary ingredient in all quality anti-ageing product lines. And with new molecules and new product formulations constantly being developed, this skincare stalwart is fast becoming the gold standard anti-ageing product.
Did you know?
Retinol is proven to be a potent tool in treating acne by preventing the cells that line the follicular canal from sticking together and creating the solid impactions that block the follicle, thereby addressing the underlying mechanisms that contribute to acne.
The facts about Vitamin A
1. Vitamin A is a central driving factor in the development of normal, healthy human tissue, including all parts of the skin. This is from conception to death. If Vitamin A were to disappear tomorrow, no more humans would be born in the normal, recognisable form.
2. Skin becomes thin because of a general lack of Vitamin A, sun damage, loss of sex hormones and general ageing.
3. Retinoids (class of Vitamin A derivatives) are a proven method to increase the thickness of the dermis – the deep layer of skin where wrinkles form.
4. Despite contrary belief, retinoids do not make skin more sensitive to the sun. The reason some product labels recommend pm use only is because retinoids are unstable in sunlight, thereby rendering daytime use ineffectual.
