Retinol, it is the buzz word in skincare we’ve all heard of but what exactly is it and what does it do? Read on as the Pevonia® team explains this anti-ageing wonder ingredient. You can also make a booking at Vitality – your Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula Facial Treatments specialist – and we can guide you through works to combat signs of sun damage and skin ageing.
What is Vitamin A?
Vitamin A is one of the best ingredients to treat signs of ageing and sun-damaged skin. Vitamin A is an antioxidant vitamin and may be in the form of retinol, retinyl palmitate, tretinoin, retinoic acid, retinal, retinaldehyde and beta-carotene.
About Retinol
Retinol is the most active and skin-friendly form of Vitamin A and is a derivative of Vitamin A obtained through enzymatic conversion from natural Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate) and retinol. It is one of the best ingredients for rejuvenated skin as it addresses each of the causes, processes and symptoms of ageing and sun-damage. Overall, it promotes a smoother, more even skin tone and texture, and is considered the gold standard in anti-ageing.
How Retinol Works
Retinol dramatically enhances skin cellular performance and repairs cellular signs of ageing. With age, cell reproduction becomes sluggish, resulting in slow, uneven cell renewal and cell turnover. Retinol promotes rapid cell renewal and turnover by helping break down dead skin, and pushing dead cells out faster. This paves the way for newer, plumper skin cells and signals the deeper layers to produce more collagen and elastin to support the “new” skin. In essence, retinol has a resurfacing effect, as it smoothes, firms and evens skin tone.
Retinol can also be considered a skin organiser. Dead skin cells in ageing or sun-damaged skin become disorganised, much like piles of bricks after a building demolition. Retinol reorganises skin cells, as if reconstructing the bricks back into a well-constructed brick wall. Retinol does this by normalising enzymatic activity, which is needed for healthy cell division (mitosis).
Retinol addresses the collagen loss, dehydration and uneven pigment production that occur with ageing and sun overexposure. Collagen loss causes wrinkles and sagging. When retinol comes in, it strengthens and stimulates collagen production, smoothes lines, plumps the skin and repairs sun damage. Dryness and dehydration that occur give skin a tight, flakey look and feel. Retinol restores moisture balance by maintaining hydration and reducing evaporation of water. This improves elasticity and flexibility, plus increases strong and healthy lipids in the membranes.
Additional benefits of Vitamin A
Ageing and sun damage also cause irregular and uneven production of pigment (melanin). Retinol helps melanocytes (responsible for producing pigment) dispose of trapped melanin.
With age skin becomes thinner. Retinol improves the skin density and bolsters the skin barrier by rebuilding the upper layers of the skin (epidermis) with stronger, thicker, healthier cells. As an antioxidant, retinol neutralises free radicals that damage the skin and cause ageing. Studies show that Vitamin A can reduce pH levels to help normalise the skin disrupted by factors that cause inflammation and ageing; one more way retinol fights ageing. Retinol works optimally within the epidermis, and indirectly benefits the dermis as well to reveal new, smoother, brighter skin.
Vitamin A and Pevonia®
Pevonia® uses state-of-the art manufacturing technologies to stabilise retinol, as well as ensure maximum results without the irritation associated with prescription retinoids or retinoic acids. Retinol is not to be confused with retinoic acids, retinoids such as Retin-A®, Avita® and Renova®. These dermatologist-prescribed retinoids can cause burning, redness, itching, skin thinning, flaking, even cracking, due to having a different chemical structure than retinol.
The Vitality Laser and Skin team can provide expert advice on which Pevonia® products and treatments are best suited to your skin.
SPECIAL OFFER DURING MAY. Purchase Pevonia® Micro-Retinol Serum or Cream and receive a free full sized Micro-Retinol Cleanser.
Retinol benefits at a glance:
- Exfoliates
- Increases cell production and turnover
- Stimulates collagen production (to decrease fine lines and wrinkles)
- Reduces hyperpigmentation
- Kills bacteria
- Cleans pores
- Evens skin tone
Visit our Geelong skin clinic at Gateway Plaza Leopold to find out more about retinol and our Pevonia® range.
You can also make a booking here.