Antioxidant Vitamin In Anti-Aging Creams -

Vitamin A (Retinol, Retinoic Acid) And Vitamin A Derivatives

• Retinol (the most common dietary form of vitamin A, the alcohol form of vitamin A)
  • RoC® RETINOL (trade name under french company Roc)
• Retinal (the aldehyde form of vitamin A)
• Retinoic acid (the acid form of vitamin A)
  • Tretinoin.(All-trans retinoic acid): several trade names
    • Retin-A
    • Renova,
    • Retin-A Micro
    • Tazorac
    • Avita
  • Alitretinoin (9-cis-retinoic acid)
  • Isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid)
• retinyl palmitate or vitamin A palmitate [the ester of retinol (vitamin A) and palmitic acid (14 carbon fatty acid)]
• retinyl acetate [the ester of retinol (vitamin A) and acetic acid]

Vitamin A (Retinol)

Vitamin A is the first vitamin to be used topically for the treatment of damaged human skin. Retinol is the most important natural form of vitamin A. Today, the term vitamin A is applied to retinol (Vitamin A alcohol), retinal (Vitamin A aldehyde) and tretinoin (all-trans retinoic acid, Vitamin A acid). Precursors to the vitamin (provitamins) are present in foods of plant origin as some of the members of the carotenoid family of compounds

Vitamin A (Retinol) absorbs ultraviolet light to help protect the skin against damaging free-radicals induced by UV radiation. Therefore, retinol is held out as the new great hope for reduction of photo-aging skin. It is an antioxidant and a cell-communicating ingredient. Skin cells have receptor sites that is very accepting of retinoic acid (the acid form of Vitamin A, see Tretinoin below). This relationship between retinoic acid and skin cells allows a type of communication. Retinol cannot communicate with a cell until it has been converted into retinoic acid.

Vitamin A stimulates mitotic activity and the production of collagen. Vitamin A and Vitamin A analogs stimulate skin cell renewal by increasing the rate of mitotic cell division. It is now known that the clinical effect obtained with high doses of vitamin A is necessary for normal differentiation and maintenance of epithelial tissues. One mechanism by which vitamin A induces this phenomenon is to act as a signaling agent to stimulate the binding of epidermal growth factor (EGF) to skin cells. Topical vitamin A treatment can reduce matrix metalloproteinase expression — the enzyme degrades collagen — whose level is elevated when we age.

Retinol or Vitamin A also helps to exfoliate the skin. When skin cells are stimulated by the use of Retinol, they start to more closely resemble younger, healthier skin cells. Vitamin A is one of the few substances with a small enough molecular structure to penetrate the outer layers of the skin and work to repair the lower layers of the skin where collagen and elastin reside. Skin will appear smoother, softer, pores will appear smaller and less noticeable, and signs of aging will begin to diminish. Furthermore, Vitamin A (Retinol) also maintains the condition of the cell membranes.

Some of the controversies regarding using retinol in skin-care products have been its stability in skin or in a skin-care product, whether it can be converted into retinoic acid after it is absorbed into the skin, and how much retinol is needed so that as it is changed to retinoic acid there is still enough that can get to the cell to exert retinol’s benefits. However, over the past couple of years, some new, stable forms of retinol have become available, along with lots of impressive research regarding their efficacy. Packaging is still a key issue, so any container that lets in air (like jar packaging) or sunlight (clear containers) won’t keep this air-sensitive ingredient stable. Lots of retinol products come in unacceptable packaging.

The increased cell turnover caused by Vitamin A has also been shown to be particularly helpful on acne patients. The skin exfoliation unclogs pores and helps fade acne scars. Since retinol is one of the ingredients known to help improve skin structure, it has some value in anti-cellulite products. Of all the ingredients to look for in a cellulite product, this should be at the top of the list. However, most cellulite products contain only teeny amounts of retinol (at best).

Retinol is the most important natural form of vitamin A. Today, the term vitamin A is applied to retinol (Vitamin A alcohol), retinal (Vitamin A aldehyde) and tretinoin (Vitamin A acid). Vitamin A (Retinol) absorbs ultraviolet light to help protect the skin against damaging by UV radiation including hyperpigmentation. Moreover, Vitamin A stimulates skin cell renewal and the production of collagen. Therefore it is a common active ingredients in anti-aging skin care creams/serums. Especially, retinol is held out as the new great hope for reduction of photo-aging skin.

It is very important to make sure your Retinol product is pure Vitamin A and not a synthetic form. Vitamin A in its purest form will give your skin the most anti-aging, acne-fighting, and skin smoothing benefits possible.

RoC® Retinol Correxion® Deep Wrinkle Serum and RoC® Retinol Correxion® Deep wrinkle night cream are ant-aging products from Roc (France). According to its official web site, the formula combines the patented pure RoC® RETINOL with magnesium, zinc, and copper to stimulate the skin’s renewal process and bring newer, younger-looking skin to the surface.

Tretinoin (all-trans retinoic acid) — the acid form of Vitamin A

One of the more significant problems of sun damage is abnormal and mutated cell growth. Tretinoin is the topical, prescription-only medication that can improve skin cell production after skin has been damaged. Retin-A is the trade name of one of several prescription-only Vitamin A (Tretinoin) drugs (others include Renova, Retin-A Micro, Tazorac and Avita) that contain tretinoin (all-trans retinoic acid), which is the acid form of vitamin A, as the active ingredient. In skin, tretinoin is the form of vitamin A that can actually affect cell production by binding to the tretinoin receptor sites on the cell. There is a great deal of research establishing that tretinoin is effective in improving cell production in skin that has been damaged (often by exposure to sunlight). Tretinoin affects and improves actual cell production deep in the dermis, far away from the surface of skin. Tretinoin is a valid method for addressing wrinkles and, overall, for improving cell production. Applying tretinoin does not produce miraculous results, but the positive outcome in terms of skin health is indisputable. However, it is highly possible that applying tretinoin to the skin will cause irritation, which is a major drawback of this drug.

Photoaging pathophysiology studies have produced significant evidence suggesting that topical tretinoin (all-trans retinoic acid), the only agent for prescription medication approved so far for the treatment of photoaging, also works to prevent it.