FAQ: Does Retinol Thin Your Skin?
Heads up, here are some of my favorite retinol serums:
Best for aging and hyperpigmentation: Naturium Retinol Complex
Best for sensitive skin: CeraVe Resurfacing Serum
Best for acne: Adapalene 0.1%
“Fawn, does retinol thin your skin?”
Eh. Kinda.
This is poor oversimplification of the phenomena induced by retinoid acid, and in the context of anti-aging, it's not a bad thing.
Retinoids are associated with two outcomes:
The thinning of the stratum corneum (the dead, outermost layer of your skin)
The thickening of the dermis (where collagen and elastin live)
Source
For the stratum corneum: you can almost think of it like scrubbing off the dry, rough patches on your body.
It leaves you with fresh, soft skin, right?
Second, sagging skin occurs as collagen and elastin degrade.
The more superficial layers of your skin then start to pull away from the dermis over time thanks to gravity.
Further, retinoids fight aging through different mechanisms.
They upregulate skin cell proliferation (increase cell turnover -> "younger" skin).
Also, retinoids are associated with the reduction of enzymes that are responsible for degrading collagen (matrix metalloproteinases).
So, TLDR?
Retinoids make skin cell printer go brrrrrr (in a safe, controlled way - retinoids are actually theraputic in some cancer treatment!)
For further reading, check out:
Cheers,
Notes:
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