Retin-A contains the active ingredient, Tretinoin, a naturally occurring form of vitamin A. It works by speeding up the skin's metabolism to promote cellular turnover. It increases the production of elastin, collagen, and hyaluronic acid, a natural moisturizer in the skin.
Retin-A does double duty in helping to boost collagen. According to research at Michigan, it has the potential to stop photoaging before it starts. “The retinoids prevent the rise of collagenase after UV exposure,” Dr. Voorhees said.
However, it takes three to six months of regular use before improvements in wrinkles are apparent—and the best results take six to 12 months.
After 6 months. At 6 months, your skin continues to improve with new collagen in place and fresh blood vessels to bring in skin nutrients. Looking at your skin, it would appear more smooth and firm.
Treatment of photodamaged skin with tretinoin produced an 80 percent increase in collagen I formation, as compared with a 14 percent decrease in collagen formation with the use of vehicle alone (P = 0.006).
Tretinoin Works Best as a Long-Term Treatment
Long-term studies of tretinoin tend to show the most dramatic results, with people experiencing significant reductions in the appearance of fine wrinkling, coarse wrinkling, skin laxity and other signs of photoaging.
First, the answer is yes, retinol can make wrinkles worse, especially when you first start using it. What is happening is a drying effect, and one can get epidermal sliding from separation from the dermis.
Retinoids help mitigate those issues in a variety of ways. They thicken the epidermis through increased cell proliferation at the top level. They increase the production of natural chemicals (such as hyaluronic acid) in your skin that keep it plump and moist.
"You can use tretinoin or [over-the-counter] retinols forever."
If you stop using the medication or are inconsistent with your treatment, any improvements you see may disappear over time. Always use the product as prescribed by your healthcare provider (Rodan, 2016).
For the purposes of skin care, tretinoin can be thought of as a more concentrated version of retinol. This means that tretinoin is stronger than retinol. This difference in strength can help guide your decision-making when it comes to choosing a skin care product. Your skin is affected by more than what you put on it.
As a result of its effects on your skin's cellular turnover speed, tretinoin reduces the appearance of wrinkles, evens out your skin's pigmentation and also treats skin issues such as acne. The end result is smoother, younger looking skin that's much less affected by fine lines, wrinkles or other common signs of aging.
Pending potency, OTC retinol can take up to six months to see results." That's not to say you won't see any benefits upon the first few uses. Nussbaum explains that in the short term, the benefits are that your skin will be exfoliated of dead skin cells and your pores will be unclogged.
Does Retin-A (tretinoin) help reverse skin aging? Yes. Retin-A, whose active ingredient is tretinoin, has been shown to have positive effects on both the deeper collagen layers of your skin as well as the upper most layer that is comprised of skin cells.
Remember because retinol boosts collagen production, it doesn't ever make sense to use them both together. Using retinol will give you better results than using just collagen products alone.
Retin-A contains the active ingredient, Tretinoin, a naturally occurring form of vitamin A. It works by speeding up the skin's metabolism to promote cellular turnover. It increases the production of elastin, collagen, and hyaluronic acid, a natural moisturizer in the skin.
Tretinoin is an anti-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug. Tretinoin is classified as a "retinoid." (For more detail, see "How Tretinoin Works" section below).
Topical tretinoin usually doesn't cause side effects like hair loss, diarrhea, or weight loss, but it does irritate some people's skin. Even though tretinoin is a vitamin A derivative, it isn't stored in the liver, and it doesn't cause chronic liver disease that's often associated with excessive vitamin A intake.
Tretinoin Does Not “Bleach” Your Skin
Contrary to popular belief, tretinoin is not a “bleaching agent” or medicine designed specifically to lighten your skin tone. While tretinoin can even out patches of hyperpigmentation and cause a mild change in your skin tone, it doesn't affect melanin synthesis.
Engelman agrees: "Retinol is the most potent ingredient that helps build collagen and elastin, which leads to tighter, smoother skin."This mixture has the added bonus of hyaluronic acid, which "can smooth, firm, and tighten the appearance of the skin," Dr. Bowe says.
But tretinoin, another form of vitamin A, may be the most effective ingredient to firm the skin on your neck and face. Since 1984, multiple studies on animals and people show that tretinoin can firm your skin and increase collagen production to the point where sagging skin becomes less noticeable.
Collagen is a protein made by our body that keeps our skin looking smooth. Wrinkles and fine lines are caused by a decrease in collagen production. Retinol works to reduce the appearance of these fine lines and wrinkles by boosting blood flow to the skin, which increases the production of collagen.
Do not use this medicine in or around the eyes or lips, or inside of the nose. Spread the medicine away from these areas when applying. If it accidentally gets on these areas, wash with water at once. Before applying tretinoin, wash the skin with a mild soap or cleanser and warm water by using the tips of your fingers.
“This will make your skin look older and accentuate wrinkles” — which is probably not what you're going for when you start using the stuff. And there's no question that retinol makes your skin more sensitive to the sun.
Retinol, a popular derivative of vitamin A, is loved by many for its exceptional anti-aging properties that eliminate fine lines and wrinkles and renew the skin to make it plump and younger-looking. It also boosts collagen production, which will work wonders for thickening up your undereye skin.