Anti aging retinol

What is retinol?

Retinol is another name for vitamin A1, which is the strongest form of essential and fat-soluble vitamin A. The body does not produce retinol itself, but takes its building blocks from food: either vitamin A from animal sources or the precursor provitamin A from carotenoid-containing plant foods such as oranges, carrots or spinach. Vitamin A and provitamin A are then converted into retinol in the body.

Vitamin A not only ensures good visual performance, but also makes an important contribution to the function and structure of the skin. The vitamin protects the skin cells from DNA damage, which can be caused by sunlight, among other things.

Why is retinol so important for the skin?

When you are young, it is enough to provide the body with vitamin A through food so that retinol can be formed and the skin is given elasticity. But with increasing age, the body finds it increasingly difficult to convert vitamin A into retinol. Not only the aging process itself, but also the effects of UV rays remove large amounts of vitamin A from the skin, so that less and less retinol can be produced.

Such a retinol deficiency causes connective tissue cells to collapse and this is reflected in the skin: it loses elasticity and moisture, becomes thinner and wrinkles form. The weakened skin in this way is also more susceptible to external environmental influences, such as UV radiation or fine dust, which can lead to irregular pigmentation. This in turn makes the skin appear older.

Retinol as an anti-aging ingredient?

Retinol was originally used to treat acne pimples. But now it is primarily known as an unsurpassable anti-aging agent. Many care products now counteract skin aging by supplying retinol to the skin from the outside. The effectiveness of retinol for anti-aging purposes has been scientifically proven several times.

One study attributes the wrinkle-reducing effect of the substance to the fact that retinol boosts collagen production. Collagen is the supporting corset of the cells; together with the retinol, it plumps up the tissue cells so that wrinkles are filled from the inside out. This makes the skin look smoother and plumper.

Retinol in creams

Retinol is converted to vitamin A acid in the skin. In too high a concentration, this active ingredient can cause skin irritation. In Germany you will therefore find a maximum of 0,3 percent retinol in care products. In such a concentration, the vitamin A acid still provides the desired boost in collagen production.

Retinol ...

• stimulates collagen production: this reduces wrinkles and firms the skin
• relieves symptoms of UV-aged skin: Wrinkles, dryness and uneven pigmentation of the skin have been demonstrably reduced

Retinol is actually an effective way to hide the signs of the times in the skin. However, when buying Retinol products, you should also make sure that they are not chemical bombs, but rather contain natural ingredients.