Viva Vitamin A. You’ve probably heard about Retinol, a form of Vitamin A that’s one of the buzziest ingredients in an anti-aging skincare routine. You may also know about the genre of retinoids, otherwise known as Vitamin A derivatives in other forms. Retinoids are the dermatological gold standard for anti-aging. But do you know about retinal? This ingredient is also highly recommended by dermatologists and ranked a top anti-aging component in skincare formulations. In this blog post, we’ll talk about the multiple forms of Vitamin A in skincare products, discuss their benefits, and explain how and when to incorporate Vitamin A in your own skincare routine.
Read on for the 8 things to know about Vitamin A.
- Retinoids Are Vitamin A derivatives.
Retinoids are a class of Vitamin A chemical compounds or are chemically related to it, that is, derived from it. Vitamin A includes Retinol, Retinal, and Provitamin A Carotenoids.
- There are a few different forms of Vitamin A.
The first is Retinoic Acid, or Retin-A, which is a prescription drug. Tretinoin is the generic form of Retin-A. There’s Retinol, which is 20 times less potent than retinoic acid and while less irritating than retinoic acid, sometimes people still react to it. Retinol cream is the most common form of this type of Vitamin A, although it can also be found in a serum or oil format. Last, there’s Retinal, which is more effective than traditional Retinol, yet gentler on skin.
- Vitamin A and Retinoids offers many benefits to your health
The ingredient not only helps your skin appear fresher and younger, it also helps with growth and development, maintenance of your immune system and helps with your vision. Why does your skin need retinoids? There are several benefits associated with them when it comes to skincare. First is improved texture — who doesn’t want that? Retinoids also help address age spots and dark spots on the skin, revealing more even tone. From an anti-aging perspective, retinoids diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. For these reasons, dermatologists frequently prescribe retinoids for patients who want to address these types of skin concerns.
- Heads Up: Retinoids may have side effects.
While the benefits of retinoids are many, there are side effects. Dryness, flakiness and redness can occur when using this ingredient, so you want to be careful. Start off slowly, using your retinoid once per week at night and slowly build up to three nights per week. Address dryness by applying a moisturizer on top of your retinoid. That said, not all retinoids are created equal. Redefine Overnight Restorative Cream is formulated with Bakuchiol, a gentle, naturally-derived alternative to Retinol. Bakuchiol provides the same skin benefits as Retinol without the irritation that can occur, making it an effective option for those with sensitive skin.
NEW REDEFINE Overnight Reparative Lotion, which features Retinal-MD Technology, encapsulates the Retinal molecule to allow for time-release. This helps minimize the potential for irritation and dryness, making it gentle enough for almost all skin types, especially those who have sensitivities to high concentrations of traditional retinoids.
- Your 20s is a good time to build retinoids into your skincare routine.
When is the right time to start using retinoids? Dermatologists recommend that you should start to use retinoids in your 20s or when you see the first signs of aging. This should be your first anti-aging ingredient to incorporate into your anti-aging skincare Regimen. Retinal is a good way to enhance the natural cell turnover process for lines and wrinkles, discoloration, and dullness.
- Timing your retinoid product application is key.
Depending on the concentration of retinoids used, some are only advisable for nighttime use as retinoids help accelerate skin cell renewal, removing more dead skin cells and having more live cells exposed on the surface. As such, the skin is more photo-sensitive and more susceptible to sunburns.
The REDEFINE Regimen contains Retinoids in the PM step, which are designed to be used as part of an evening skincare routine. However, they are not as concentrated, allowing for use of the product during the day. For best results, make sure to slowly implement the REDEFINE Regimen into your morning and night skincare routines. Start by using the Regimen every other day for the first 1-2 weeks before increasing to daily use.
The REVERSE Brightening Regimen is designed to be used twice a day, morning and night. It offers skin-brightening ingredients, Vitamin C, and exfoliating ingredient, Salicylic Acid, in addition to Retinol to refine skin’s surface, and tackle the look of fine lines for younger-looking skin.
REDEFINE Intensive Renewing Serum is a capsule of concentrated Retinal, which is recommended for nighttime use. Overall, when using retinoids, it’s best to avoid prolonged sun exposure. Formulated with Retinal-MD Technology, the most potent form of skin-smoothing Vitamin A you can get without a prescription, is gentle enough for all skin types.
Always take sun safety measures, specifically using an SPF daily. The sun is the #1 cause of aging when it comes to skin.
- Be consistent.
As with any other skincare routine, results take time. It takes at least one month of a regular routine before you start to see results so stick with it. Clinical studies* revealed that after 8 weeks of using the REDEFINE Regimen, 94% had softer, more supple skin. 94% had smoother skin. 79% noticed fewer visible lines and wrinkles and 76% had more resilient, bouncy skin.
*Based on an 8-week U.S. clinical and consumer study. Results may vary depending on multiple factors: age, gender, skin type and condition, concomitant products used, health history, location, lifestyle and diet.
