Modern retinoids for anti-age therapy: what retinol is capable of

All dermatologists and aesthetic medicine specialists are familiar with retinoids – derivatives of vitamin A. It is they who effectively cope with such a complex and always urgent problem as acne. However, not only in relation to acne, retinoids are strong – they are now also widely used to correct age-related changes.

What are retinoids capable of in anti-age therapy, and why you should not be afraid of side effects when using them – Specially for estet-portal.com, said the President of the Ukrainian Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor Marina Anfilova.

Today, retinoids are effective in treating acne

MA: I can't say that it's a 100% panacea, but retinoids are indeed included in all global recommendations for topical acne therapy. Moreover, not only monopreparations are recommended for use, but also their fixed combinations with antibacterial drugs or, for example, & nbsp; preparations of benzoyl peroxide.

Therefore, we can safely say that retinoids – this is really the number one drug in the treatment of acne, and their anti-age effect  was originally discovered as a side effect in the treatment of this pathology.

Do modern retinoids have significant side effects

MA: Actually, this is a somewhat outdated opinion, because those retinol molecules that we worked with 10 years ago, and those that we work with now – they are completely different things. Science does not stand still, and the pharmaceutical industry is developing at a crazy pace. Previously, the problem was that retinol – it is an active substance, some of its derivatives are unstable, some – very aggressive, and it was very important to find a middle ground.

Today, technologies are actively used that allow retinol, relatively speaking, to be packaged in a beautiful box and delivered to the skin so that it works evenly and well.

Now  we have such drugs in our arsenal, and we can work with them. In the past, when we worked with first-generation retinoids, they did have side effects, but now we have molecules and delivery methods that do not cause negative consequences. These are absolutely new and modern preparations that we can use day and night, both summer and winter, and for sensitive, and even for hypersensitive skin. The side effects of retinol are now leveled out due to various technologies that allow it to be delivered to the skin in a dosed and correct way.

For what purposes can retinoids be used in aesthetic medicine

MA: In aesthetic medicine, retinoids can be used to correct age-related changes. First of all, the points of influence of retinol – it stimulates the work of fibroblasts, and, as a result, collagen synthesis, as well as an effect on matrix metalloproteinases and an increase in the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans, which are a kind of sponge that attracts water and increases skin hydration.  The result of such an impact is a decrease in the severity of mimic wrinkles, an improvement in its turgor, as well as lightening.

What to consider when selecting patients for whom retinol can be recommended for anti-age therapy

MA: I will say this: in very many cases we do not need to invent anything, because everything has already been invented before us. In the west, retinol has always been the number one anti-aging drug in many creams, gels, and so on. It is customary for us to start the fight against skin aging after 25 years, but there are different types of skin aging, for example, photoaging. And if a young and beautiful girl aged 16-18 loves to sunbathe or lives under the active sun – photoaging processes are already starting in her body, which manifest themselves in the form of hyperpigmentation, dullness and flabbiness of the skin, as well as its thinning. If a young patient already has photoaging – even from the age of 20 we can start using retinoids.

We are now experiencing an increase in life expectancy, people have begun to live longer, and they have the opportunity to look much better.

I would like to note that cosmetologist colleagues will never be left without work, retinol, on the contrary, will improve the results of cosmetic procedures. After their implementation, the patient who used retinoids will look much better than the girl who did not use retinol. You always need to carefully look at the patient, because if you tell a young girl that she needs to use retinol, and she looks at herself in the mirror, she likes everything, and everything in her life is good – she will not use retinoids, but will limit herself to applying moisturizers. But if the patient herself sees that she has hyperpigmentation, dullness and flabbiness of the skin, and she wants to take care of herself and look good, but it is still too early for her to recommend a whole cascade of cosmetic procedures –

Read also: Treacherous changes: signs of skin aging that betray age

How do retinoids used in the past differ from modern drugs

M.A.: Actually, what was used yesterday – it still remains, classic pure trans-retinol has been used and continues to be used. And if the patient is just starting her acquaintance with retinol – we can absolutely use it. But if at the age of 25-30 trans-retinol will have a good effect, then for older girls, as well as for patients who want to conduct anti-age therapy more actively, this form of retinol is no longer suitable.

Today we have such options as retinyl retinoate, which is 8 times more active than trans-retinol, or retinal, the activity of which is realized 11 times faster, and therefore we can offer products to absolutely all our patients of different ages with different skin conditions with retinol.

In addition, it doesn’t matter for us now what kind of skin the patient has: sensitive, prone to redness, with rosacea, rosacea or other problems in which doctors are afraid to prescribe anti-age therapy, as this can provoke a number of side effects. effects. Now, thanks to modern retinoids, we can easily work with any skin, and all our patients look great.

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