Is retinoic acid effective for wrinkles?
As we age, it’s normal to start noticing how our skin begins to develop fine wrinkles, which over time become increasingly noticeable. Upon observing them, most people start to pay much more attention to these changes, always keeping in mind to find a simple, quick, effective, and often economical way to delay their onset or even diminish their appearance.
Most often, the answer lies in skincare routines, where various substances and products designed by countless commercial brands are applied daily, which have been designed with the ideal solution in mind for wrinkles as well as any other aesthetic issues we commonly associate with aging and the onset of old age.
Despite their great acceptance, the truth is that there is a huge number of people who prefer not to only turn to these products but to complement them or even replace them with less conventional alternatives but which ensure equally effective results. Among these options, we find retinoic acid, a substance that many are unfamiliar with but is gradually carving out a niche in the world of beauty and skincare.
What is retinoic acid? Is it the same as retinol?
Due to the obvious similarities in their names, many people tend to believe that when we talk about retinoic acid, we’re referring to retinol, a substance already well-known and used as an ingredient in skincare products. The reality is that, although they are two similarly named substances, retinoic acid is a product that has certain differences that are so marked that it needs to be included in a quite different list and category.
Retinoic acid, like retinol, are forms of vitamin A, both substances fall into the group of retinoids (hence the similarity in their names). When we refer to retinoic acid, also called tretinoin, we are actually talking about the most active form of vitamin A, a substance you’ve probably heard about more than once, as it is quite famous in the field of skin care due to the direct relationship it has with collagen.
Generally speaking, and due to its condition of being the most active form of vitamin A, it comes in a concentration and potency much greater than retinol, which is why its use is usually more destined to the health area than beauty, since it has been demonstrated that inefficient use of the same can increase the chances of developing some kind of adverse reaction.
This quality means that retinoic acid is usually marketed in some countries only to those with a medical prescription indicating it will be used as medical treatment. It can be purchased at pharmacies, where it is found in various presentations such as capsules, in liquid form, or in the form of cream or ointment, the latter being the most common of all. In terms of its concentration, it can be found in formats ranging from 0.10% to 5%, depending on the intended use of the product.
Main uses and adverse reactions
Although retinoic acid or tretinoin is just one of the most efficient and practical ways to get vitamin A and bring all its benefits to our skin and body, its application is not as frequent as other retinoids, and its focus tends to be more dedicated to medicine than other areas where the acceptance of retinoids is more easily given.
The main use it is accustomed to be in the dermatological area, as an effective treatment against acne. The effectiveness of this treatment is due to the fact that the vitamin A present in retinoic acid is a product that has significant antibacterial and healing qualities, which manage to attack the lesion both externally on the existing marks and internally on the lesions that have not yet managed to emerge on the skin, something that many other creams do not achieve.
In this case, it is normal to resort to commercial presentations that have a lower concentration and potency, with the most common ones ranging between 0.10% to 1% depending on the case and level of acne and always depending on the severity of the lesion, the patient’s age, and the type of skin they have.
The low concentration of the product to be applied is due to the fact that, as with any type of substance, not everything can be so perfect, and it is that it has been quite demonstrated that retinoic acid can be somewhat dangerous for the skin, mainly when it is applied directly, in high concentrations, or is not used following the appropriate indications.
Among the possible adverse reactions you may suffer if you do not apply retinoic acid correctly are irritation in the affected area, redness, rash appearance, or even the emergence of possible mild burns, which may lead you to require extra treatments to prevent worsening or the formation of scars.
Why it is often used as an anti-wrinkle product
Vitamin A is characterized by having the important capacity to help our body to improve the quality of the collagen it produces. This increase is directly associated with the improvement of the appearance of the entire skin, as this substance is directly related to the firmness and elasticity of this important organ of our body.
In addition to this, vitamin A is known to be applied as an effective measure to help heal all kinds of mild or superficial wounds as it manages to fill in the affected tissues. Precisely this function, which is so effective for most people, is what has inspired the use of vitamin A-rich products in various treatments that seek to serve as an aid in combating aesthetic problems such as expression lines and wrinkles.
As we have already mentioned, retinoic acid is the most direct way to access this vitamin, which has led a large number of people to use it in this area, applying it directly to the affected area so that it penetrates the skin and can act in a much more direct way and, by general logic, in a shorter period of time than its counterpart, retinol.
Furthermore, some people have gone a step further by using retinoic acid as an ingredient in homemade cream preparations or recipes, seeking in this way to increase its effectiveness or reduce possible side effects, a use that we really cannot recommend at all since this substance can be dangerous for some people, as it has been shown that it can quickly irritate the skin.
Is it effective to prevent or combat wrinkles
The use of retinoic acid as a substance for the treatment of wrinkles and expression lines, both mild and deep, is gaining ground day by day. To the point that its effectiveness has been tested on several occasions and by a long list of independent studies that seek to determine whether it is worth it or not to subject the skin to this substance.
This has served to demonstrate that actually, retinoic acid or tretinoin is really effective in this area, being able to assure more efficient results both in action time and durability than those offered by other alternatives such as the well-known retinol that we have already mentioned several times throughout our article.
The difference in this process lies in the concentration, we must take into account that retinoic acid comes in low intensity, due to the adverse reactions it can provide. –this means that with a small amount of product you can achieve the desired results in a much shorter period of time, always keeping in mind that you must follow the instructions and method of application to the letter.
The higher concentrations of retinoic acid can also be effective, to the point that you can currently find aesthetic treatments where this substance is used in concentrations of 1% to 5% carried out by professionals in the field of aesthetic medicine, who apply the product following the appropriate recommendations.
An example of this is peeling, a treatment where retinoic acid is used in an average concentration of 5%, being up to a maximum of 10% to apply on the skin of the face for a short period of time and allow the substance to act on the skin, having the effect of a chemical exfoliant and managing to whiten the skin, reduce spots and even combat wrinkles when they are mild or moderate.
How to apply it to your skin
When you are going to apply retinoic acid on the face to combat wrinkles, you must bear in mind that this product requires a very delicate use, as the ease with which some develop adverse reactions is often a cause for concern for doctors and experts in the field of skincare.
The first thing you should always consider is the frequency of application. Retinoic acid is a highly concentrated substance, so daily use is not recommended at all as it increases the chances of developing lesions, in addition to the fact that your skin will always require some time to recover before receiving another dose of this substance and thus achieve the favorable results you expect both in the fight against wrinkles and any other function you are considering.
The recommendation in that aspect is that you apply retinoic acid only a couple of times a week, with the ideal being that it is once a day with 3 or 4 days of separation between each application. If you use higher concentrations the waiting time can never be less than 4 days, on the other hand, with minimal concentrations, you can reduce the wait to 3 days, less than that would end up causing a mild irritation on the skin.
To be able to apply it to your face, simply place a little retinoic acid on your fingers, from there proceed to spread it evenly over the area you want to treat, if it is just to combat wrinkles, it will be enough with a very small amount of product on each of the marks you are looking to cover. If on the other hand you want to use it as a more advanced treatment the advisable thing is to apply it as a mask.
This mask should not be kept on your skin for periods of more than 15 minutes, mainly if you are using any concentration higher than the minimum of 0.10%. To remove it simply extract the excess with the help of a dry towel or cloth, without the need to apply water or soap if your skin has not shown any apparent weakness due to the use of retinoic acid or any other source of vitamin A.
If you have had some minimal discomfort, it is advisable not to extend the mask period for more than 10 minutes and to apply warm water and natural soap when removing it from your skin. If the discomfort still persists after this technique, you should discontinue the use of retinoic acid and, if necessary, consult your trusted doctor who will tell you the best application technique or if it is best to resort to another type of treatment.
Considerations to keep in mind during application
When you are going to apply any delicate product it is necessary to follow certain recommendations or measures, which in most cases are indicated by the dermatologist at the time of prescribing this or any other substance. But, in addition to them, there are certain recommendations that we must not fail to mention to you so that you achieve the desired results with the minimum possible risk
Apply this substance accompanied by sunscreen
Retinoic acid has the quality of being a photosensitizing substance, this means that after its application the skin becomes a bit more susceptible to being affected by the damage caused by prolonged exposure to the sun, more specifically to the ultraviolet rays it produces. For this reason, if you plan to expose yourself to the sun after applying retinoic acid, it is important that you take the time to take the appropriate precautions.
Regardless of the concentration of retinoic acid you have decided to apply, you should always cover the skin of your face with a layer of sunscreen, which should be applied after the retinoic acid mask. This protector must have a SPF index of at least 30 to ensure its effectiveness, with which you will prevent UV rays from penetrating your skin and wreaking havoc on it.
Before applying retinoic acid, moisturize your skin thoroughly
Another disadvantage of retinoic acid is that it can be somewhat irritating to the point of drying out the skin of some people, this due to the high potency it possesses. To remedy this obvious problem no great effort is required, but it will be enough to apply a small recommendation always before starting to place this mask on your skin.
A little moisturizing cream should be more than enough to create a kind of protective layer that helps prevent your skin from coming directly into contact with the product and thus ensure that the benefits of vitamin A that retinoic acid gives us can enter the skin, without it being too affected by the negative points that this wonderful yet delicate substance has.
Store the retinoic acid properly between each application
Something that most doctors tend to forget when prescribing this substance is to recommend to their patients the most appropriate way to preserve delicate substances such as retinoic acid. This point, as simple as it may seem, actually represents a quite important factor that should not be overlooked as it depends on it that the substance does not gradually lose its effectiveness or be altered in its functions.
The ideal is that retinoic acid be well stored, this regardless of the presentation you have acquired. The recommendation is that you store it in a dark place, where the sunlight does not directly hit the container as this can damage the product inside. Also keep your retinoic acid away from strong-smelling substances and out of the reach of pets and children who may take it as a toy.
If you liked our article but are left wanting to learn a little more about this great product and its possible uses, we invite you to consult our special topic titled What is retinoic acid used for?
As you will have noticed, retinoic acid not only works as an alternative treatment for fighting wrinkles, but it is quite recommended to the point of being applied by experts in the field of skin care. So if you were considering getting some of this substance we invite you to try it, follow the recommendations to the letter and start little by little to notice how the incredible benefits of vitamin A reach your skin in a really very concentrated way.