Why use Retinol ?
Retinol is considered to be a safe cosmetic ingredient in the present practices of use and concentration. Retinol is Vitamin A in its purest and most active form. Retinol not only improves the appearance of existing wrinkles, but also helps to prevent wrinkles. Retinol is actually able to detach these cells, making them shed away from the hair follicles. Once they are shed they empty out, producing fewer spots and clearing out the skin, leaving it fresh and clean.
Retinol is a fat soluble Vitamin and is required to assure proper functioning of the immune system of the body. Retinoid treatment induced a reduction of bone-forming surfaces at the subperiosteal site, but not in cancellous bone. In vitro osteoblast performance was also reduced or unchanged, depending on the cellular system used and assay type/duration.
Retinol is ingested in a precursor form; animal sources (milk and eggs ) contain retinyl esters , whereas plants (carrots , spinach ) contain carotenoids . Tissue cells convert these precursors to retinol, and then to either retinal or retinoic acid . Retinol then attaches to a serum carrier, retinol binding protein , for transport to target tissues. A binding protein inside cells, cellular retinoic acid binding protein , serves to store and move retinoic acid intracellularly . Retinol is ingested in a precursor form; animal sources (liver and eggs ) contain retinyl esters , whereas plants (carrots , spinach ) contain pro-vitamin A carotenoids . Hydrolysis of retinyl esters results in retinol, while pro-vitamin A carotenoids can be cleaved to produce retinal .
Retinyl palmitate is the least irritating. However, the reverse is true on absorption; retinyl palmitate is the nearest to Vitamin A and so is the hardest to get into the skin, to achieve an effective concentration of retinoic acid. Retinyl esters are storage forms of vitamin A. LRAT plays a critical role in vision.
Retin-a will also give you the quickest results. Initially used for the treatment of acne (another derivative is Roaccutane, the spot-clearing drug) and for clearing problematic blackheads, a handy side effect discovered during treatment was that it also improved wrinkles thanks to its abilities to stimulate cell turnover and boost collagen production.
Retinyl palmitate is formed when retinol, an alcohol, is combined with palmitic acid, a 16-carbon fatty acid. When combined and heated, the alcohol group on the vitamin A combines with the acid group on the fatty acid. Retinol is often called preformed vitamin A and can be turned into retinal and retinoic acid, also active forms of vitamin A. About 25% and 35% of vitamin A consumed by men and women in the US is provided by provitamin A carotenoids.
