Why suffering through a retinoid reaction just isn't worth it.

If you've tried your fair share of skin care products over the years you've probably tried out some sort of vitamin A during that time. Most people are familiar with vitamin A as retinol, even though retinol is only one of the many different forms of vitamin A.

If you've tried a high dose vitamin A from your doctor, you likely would've been given a 1% Tretonoin cream which is retinoic acid.
If you've gone the medical grade route and have used vitamin A products from clinics you've likely tried 1% retinol creams, and if you've gone to stores like Shoppers or Sephora it's likely been a lower dose such as .25-.5% retinol product.

No matter where you've got your vitamin A product in the past, you've likely been given the same instructions...start using it at night a couple times a week and slowly increase the frequency of use while pushing through any irritation it may cause such as peeling, flaking, dryness, burning and inflammation. Why? Because if you can tolerate this uncomfortable reaction for several weeks...perfect skin is waiting at the end!! Or so they say.

Once again I'm here to burst that bubble!!! What can I say? It's sort of like a hobby of mine.

So here's the problem with that concept....
Skin cell walls are not easily penetrated. Only certain chemicals with distinct shapes can enter through different receptors on the wall. Retinoid receptors are responsible for allowing vitamin A to enter into a cell. Since there are many forms of vitamin A, not all the receptors are meant for retinol.
Some receptors will only allow retinoic acid, or retinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate...you get the idea.

Another problem here is that as we age we naturally lose vitamin A from our skin and things like smoking or UV exposure quicken this process. As our skin becomes depleted in vitamin A, it also becomes depleted in retinoid receptors.

Suddenly the skin is flooded with an incredibly high dose of retinol and it simply can't use it all. The skin cells absorb what it can but seeing as how retinol only makes up 3% of the vitamin A in the skin, the majority of it sits around the cells and causes massive irritation. The skin reacts by purging and results in the peeling, burning and dryness....a retinoid reaction!

The most unnecessary, pointless, painful and embarrassing thing to go through that I've ever come across in this industry. Yet everyone believes this is the way to perfect skin, but usually because they're only regurgitating information that was given to them by the sales rep of companies who make products like these. Not because they know how the skin actually functions and how it is affected by different chemical substances.

The end result if someone can actually tolerate an on going retinoid reaction for that long until the skin acclimatizes is usually sensitive skin that is thinner than before, and likely more dehydrated too.
The constant inflammation and peeling caused from a retinoid reaction opens the skin up to more environmental damage such as dehydration, pollution, bacteria and can leave the skin hyper sensitive and prone to redness.
More often than not however, the ongoing reaction is not tolerated long enough for the skin to acclimatize and the use of the product is discontinued with the final impression being that vitamin A is awful and doesn't work.

There are so many vitamin A products on the market and sadly few of them are sophisticated enough    to work with the skin instead of against it. This is why vitamin A has acquired such a bad name over the years and is now thought of as a very harsh product to use.

The truth is vitamin A is vital for the skin and has many positive benefits such as anti-aging, normalizing the function of the skin and even repairing DNA damage caused from UV exposure.
So why is something as important as vitamin A not being formulated in a smarter way?
Well it is, but like I said it can be hard to find amongst the sea of 1% rip your face off strength retinol creams.

Environ makes all their vitamin A products in a step-up system and use a complex of several different forms of vitamin A to utilize all the different receptors on the skin cells. This means more of the vitamin A is actually used by the skin, is tolerated much better and makes the skin stronger.
By starting on a low dose and moving on to the higher doses, the skin can acclimatize to levels normally by making more retinoid receptors over time and therefor use the vitamin A properly and in a way that does not cause severe reactions.

Who would've thought that formulating a product according to how the skin functions would be a good idea?!

This is the main reason I swear by Environ products. They're smart, high quality, high concentrated products that are made from a company that actually has respect for the skin.


To book a consultation with me...
Call LAB11 Advanced Medical Aesthetics ‭(403) 283-0764‬

Skin Lighteners and Brighteners vs Skin Bleachers....What's The Difference?

I can't stress enough how important it is to do your research before trusting your face to someone, but to questions any before and after photos you may come across too.

Whether it's results from treatment or skin care product, it's important to ask lots of questions...
"Is this treatment/product healthy for the skin?"
"How many treatments did it take to achieve this result?"
"How long was this product used for?"
"Can this product be used indefinitely without any negative side effects?"
"Were injectables like Botox or Dermal Fillers used along with this product or treatment?"

Just to list a few.

I personally see a lot of before and after photos floating around Instagram or Facebook showing the apparent "incredible results" on hyperpigmentation or Melasma from simply using topical products.
To be honest this always makes me cringe a little because I know that there are so many people out there seeing these pictures who don't know the difference between results that came from a healthy and respectable way of treating the skin, and results that came from the exact opposite kind of treatment.

I've always preached about healthy and sustainable ways to treat the skin since my goal is not to just make the problem go away, but instead treat the problem and find a great solution that also makes the skin stronger and healthier throughout the process.

When it comes to something like hyperpigmentation from sun exposure or discoloured marks left over from breakouts, or hormonal pigment like Melasma there are a few different topical options to choose from.

Lets start with my favourite (insert sarcastic eye roll here) ....bleaching agents!!
The most common is something called Hydroquinone or "HQ" for short. This is a chemical that has actually been banned in several countries due to the fact that it's a potential carcinogen to humans.
It's been proven to cause cancer in rats. Wonderful!
Hydroquinone works by essentially poisoning the pigment (melanin) producing cells in the skin called melanocytes.
It seems to "work" very quickly and often makes people very happy as a result, but hang on!
It comes with a catch.

When used for too long, the HQ can kill off melanocytes all together and once a melanocyte has died it does not regenerate. So, instead of hyperpigmentation, you're now left with permanent hypopigmentation which looks like white splotches in the skin.
If the use of the product is discontinued before this point (since you can't use it indefinitely) the damage done to the melanocytes is repaired and they kick into high gear with a vengeance!
The problem often comes back but far worse than it ever was in the first place.

This is not a healthy or sustainable option. End of story.

On the flip side skin lighteners and brighteners such as vitamin c, kojic acid, licorice root for example are technically known as tyrosinase inhibitors. Tyrosinase is a nonessential amino acid made by the body which is a building block for several important neurotransmitters like epinephrine, serotonin and dopamine. In the skin it's responsible for communicating with the melanocytes, signaling them to make melanin.
Vitamin C, kojic acid and licorice root all work by blocking that signal to the melanocyte, therefor diminishing the production of melanin. This is not harmful to the skin whatsoever and can be used forever with only positive benefits!

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which aids in sun protection, healthy collagen production and neutralizes free radicals.
Kojic acid has antimicrobial properties and licorice root is an anti-inflammatory, is also an antioxidant and helps to regulate oil production in the skin.
All great things!!

Follow me on Instagram @lauras_lasers