Retin A

[krenee]

Must pick Karen's brain a bit about the topic of Retin A. I hope no one minds me posting it here. I figure we're all interested in makeup and skincare, right?!
As always I appreciate anyone's ideas and responses!
So... I am of the age where I'm starting to get fairly interested in anti aging skincare. Luckily - I don't have too many wrinkles yet although I have heard they can show up "overnight." In discussing it with people lately I've come upon a couple people who say that "Retin A is the only thing that works" for wrinkle treatment. They are saying they use basic cleanser and moisturizer, sunscreen, and Retin A product, and that's it. I know that Retin A can be pretty hard on your skin if it isn't used with caution though.
So I am assuming the AHA toner and Renovage ingredients here are similar in action to what Retin A would do? Retin A also requires a prescription and it takes a pretty long time to get into a derm here so if I decided I wanted to try it it would take me awhile to even be able to get it.
Just interested in your feedback on this topic Karen since I know you've done lots of ingredient and skincare testing and research.

[karen]

I don't think Retin A is the only thing that works...but it has a ton of studies that show its effectiveness. I am actually working on a Vitamin A product if that tells you anything. Because its available by prescription only the subject gets really political...personally I'd love to see some sort of double-blind study that puts Retin A against something like Niacinamide, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. It's the economics of the situation- there are ingredients that I personally love- like Vitamin C and niacinamide, but because they're simple, can't be patented, and aren't terribly expensive most companies aren't going to fund the clinical studies, or go through the FDA new drug certification process because they can't protect their investment with a patent, and they'd be out millions because the second they got approval every other company would jump on the bandwagon and make the same thing (we sell them more as supliments that don't have to go through the FDA processes).

Retin A works by increasing the rate of cell turnover and creating collagen in the process. It does carry quite a few side effects (flaking, purging, photosensitivity)- AHA's do the same thing, but without some of the anti-oxidant effects of the retinoids. If lack of collagen and a few age spots are the only thing that keeps you from looking your best, or if you have acne, and need to purge everything out of your skin, then a retinoid is probably your best method of attack. If you don't want to go that route exfoliants, Vitamin C, and peptides also work- they just require a bit more patience. I like niacinamide because it increases ceramides along with reducing the freckles and age spots and that has helped my skin tremendously. The Renovage actually works by protecting the telomeres in cells- as we age telomeres get shorter, and cells start to "self destruct"- Renovage helps maintain the length of the telomeres, and it also helps with redness.

[krenee]

well, this is the 3rd time I have sat down to write a reply to this. The first couple times I have been interrupted and didn't get to finish. Maybe the 3rd time is the charm.
Anyway, thanks for your reply Karen. I figured you'd be up on this topic and have done the research. Honestly I'm really iffy about doing Retin A. I used it for awhile about 13 years ago or so when I had some breakouts. My skin tolerated it okay, but I remember going to get my eyebrows and lip waxed and the wax took off the top layer of skin. It was not a pretty sight. They had told me to wear sunscreen while using it, but no one had said anything about waxing. I think the cosmetologists are more versed in that topic nowadays. Of course my skin was a lot different then than it is now, so I have no idea if the tretinoin would even be a good choice anymore or not. I am not excited about anything requiring a prescription and trip to the doctor either.
So, it sounds like I want/need the benefits of the Vitamin C, peptides, niacinamide, and Renovage - all of them! How many products do I have to use for the "I want it all" Rx??!!
anyway, thanks again.

[namomof3]

Very interesting topic. I am 31years old and battled acne for more years of my life than not. I like the results I get with retin-a but in the back of my mind I'm always wondering if there is a better approach that I just "need" to try I don't find that it's that expensive my tube is $60 and it lasts 4 months (and in my case that's with guaranteed results)!! However- I would actually try another vitamin a approach if was available w/o having to go to the derm. The thing with retin-a is that since my skin is sooo oily I never experienced that red flakiness that most people get with retin a. I'm sure I'd be a little more hesitiant had I had to deal with all the side effects. It'll be interesting to see where this topic goes.