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

The 4 Rules Of All Skin Care and Anti-Aging

Balance:

This should take place during your daily cleansing routine, morning and night. To balance the skin means to cleanse without stripping natural and much needed oils and adjust pH levels.
 By doing this, oil gland production is normalized, natural hydration is maintain and the skin is ready to better accept ingredients from any skin care to follow.

I always recommend milky/cream textured cleansers, even for those with oily skin (like myself!) or those with acne. Foaming cleansers tend to remove too much natural moisture and can stimulate more oil production as a result.

As far as toners go, you have to be careful that you're not actually using an astringent that's hiding behind a label that says "toner".
Astringents are full of alcohol and/or ingredients like tea tree oil or peroxides which suck hydration form the skin leaving it feel tight and parched.

A true toner has a pH of 4.5-5.5 and should contain ingredients that give back to your skin, instead of taking away from it.

My two top picks are Environs Mild Cleansing Lotion and Moisturizing Toner.



Nourish:

A lot of people think the skin gets all the nourishment it needs from the foods we eat.
Unfortunately, while the skin is the largest organ of the body, it's also the last to receive all the nourishment it needs to look, feel and function it's best. The skin is our barrier from water, sunlight, pollution, wind, temperature extremes and so on.
So therefor it really tends to take a beating like nothing else!

Over time the skin naturally loses vitamin A levels and along with sun exposure and other factors, that depletion is sped up. Vitamin A is so important for a number of reasons but to list just a few...it regulates healthy cell function, speeds up cell production and repairs DNA damage.

Of course your skin needs a lot more than just vitamin A. Things like vitamin B, C, E, peptides and antioxidants should not be over looked as they aid in repair, healthy collagen production, normal pigment production, hydration, increasing cell turnover and much more.

This is exactly why I swear by Environs C-Quence Serum. It's a perfect cocktail of everything your skin needs and comes in different concentrations (level 1 to 4) to build the skins tolerance over time.
To me, the serum is sort of like the skins main course and anything else you use could be thought of as an appetizer or desert to really target specific concerns and speed up results.



Protect:

Sunscreen. Need I say more?
To not commit to wearing a high quality SPF every day is doing your skin a major injustice.
UV rays will breakdown collagen (that beautiful protein fiber that keeps the skin plump, firm, youthful and strong) faster than anything else.

It increases inflammation, causes unhealthy pigment production, creates DNA damage which leads to abnormal cell function and even skin cancer and can even denature vitamins in any skin care you have on before your skin can process and make use of it.

So, to not only protect your skin but also your investment into your skin care...daily sunscreen goes a long, long way.



 Stimulate:

As we get older, like all cells in our body our skin becomes "lazy" and doesn't produce cells as quickly as it used to. This can lead to a build up of old, dead cells on the surface and can make the skin look dry, dull, textured and grey-ish.

It also means the skin isn't as quick to produce collagen in fact, after our 20's the skin stops producing it all together! The only way to keep a healthy skin cell and collagen production going is to stimulate the skin to do so.

Acids are a fantastic way to do this at home. They stimulate a higher cell turn over, so the more often you use them, the more often you'll have new skin. Literally! They dissolve dead, excess cells on the surface and refine texture to give you a bright, healthy and dewy glow.
They also work to lighten pigmentation caused by sun damage, dissolve excess oil, kill bacteria and certain acids like Lactic can aid in hydration.

Peptides on the other hand are best for stimulating the collagen producing cells called fibroblasts, but one of the most effective ways to stimulate collagen production is with in-clinic treatments like laser or radio frequency. While there are seemingly endless options when it comes to treatments, they basically all work the same way...by stimulating a healing response from the skin.

The skin heals by producing collagen. Wow! How convenient!

Treatments don't have to be invasive or involve downtime to achieve this effect however.
Lots of treatments like radio frequency for example work by heating the skin deeply to induce neocollagenesis...which is just a big fancy word that means new collagen production.

By heating the skin to about 40 degrees the radio frequency actually causes collagen to breakdown which stimulates the natural repair or healing response of the skin to make brand new collagen!

A nice bonus of most radio frequency technology is it also causes collagen and elastin to shrink under that kind of heat (kind of like a hamburger on the grill).
This means an immediate tightening/lifting of the skin that can often be seen right away!

In-clinic treatments can really be the fastest way to see significant results but if you don't have your home care routine structured and in-check you won't be getting the best results possible.

That's why my rule of thumb is to always address the products one is using at home first. To start  there is laying a much better foundation for great results from anything that can be done in-clinic.

What is Glycation?

Glycation is the process of a glucose (sugar) molecule binding with a protein (collagen and elastin) molecule in the body, causing the protein to become stiff and eventually break.

These damaged structures are known as advanced glycation end products, or appropriately abbreviated as “AGE’s”.

 

Collagen and elastin are the fibers that keep the skin plump, taught and youthful. These fibers, once damaged are not easily replaced by the body.

Scientists have proven that a rise in blood sugar levels causes inflammation on a cellular level throughout the entire body. This means when we eat processed or even natural sugary foods, that this will cause glycation in the skin, and this process helps to speed up aging and its negative effects.

Inflammation from this also causes free radicals to form which attack healthy compounds in the body. As if glycation alone wasn’t bad enough…

 

So what can you do about it? Cutting down on sugar intake will prevent glycation damage. To combat free radicals you need antioxidants. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, causing them to become inactive.

 

Antioxidants should be taken in orally and can be found in foods like berries, pomegranate, oranges , black plum, gala apples, sweet cherries, prunes, raisins, tomatoes, ginger, green vegetables like spinach, kale, broccoli and artichokes, nuts like pecans, walnuts, almonds, steel cut oats , quinoa, black beans, kidney beans and even chocolate (should be unprocessed dark and high in cacao content.)

 

Antioxidants can, and should also be applied topically to the skin with high quality professional skin care products.

 

Products containing vitamin A, C, E and certain extracts and enzymes that can be properly absorbed by the skin are best. This will help combat free radicals and even help to reverse their negative effects on the skin, inside and out.

Menopause and The Skin

Most people associate this condition with hot flashes, loss of menstruation and mood swings, but all of these symptoms are caused by hormone changes and hormones have a direct impact on the skin. The adrenal glands and ovaries of post-menopausal women secrete increased androgens (male hormones) and in the absence of estrogens (female hormones), this has a major impact on changing the physiology of the skin in new and different ways.

 

Dryness: During the reproductive years female hormones stimulate a more fluid, smooth sebaceous gland (oil gland) secretion; this oil along with other substances being secreted and excreted by the skin protects, moistens, cleans and maintains the pH balance of the skin. During menopause as female hormone levels decrease so do oil levels and this causes the skin to become dry, dull, delicate and more susceptible to damage and premature aging.

 

Elasticity: Protein synthesis, like that of collagen and elastin are partially controlled by estrogens. During menopause, the lowered estrogen levels result in less production and repair of collagen and elastin in the dermis of the skin. This lack of repair is particularly pronounced if the skin is exposed or has a history of long term exposure to ultra violet rays. UV rays actually break down these important proteins, and if we lose our repair mechanism then we lose our skin's resiliency. This results in elastosis.

 

Volume: Estrogens stimulate fat deposits in the female body; as estrogen levels drop during menopause, fat deposits tend to become redistributed and often concentrated over the abdomen and/or on the thighs and buttocks. The result is a loss of supportive fat tissue below the skin in areas like the face, neck, hands and arms; this causes sagging and wrinkling due to loss of volume.

 

Renewal: The growth and maintenance of blood capillaries in the dermis are partially under the control of estrogens as well. Thus, blood flow through the dermal capillaries is reduced during menopause and less nutrients and oxygen are available to the Stratum Germinativum (the bottom layer) of the epidermis. This contributes to the thinning of the epidermis and a slower cell turnover rate or cell renewal factor (“CRF” for short.) CRF is the rate of cell mitosis and migration from the lowest layer of the Epidermis to the top layer, where it is eventually shed off. This process slows down dramatically with age and factors like diet, smoking, drinking and sun exposure all have a huge influence.

 

CRF by age

Babies: 14 days

Teenagers: 21 – 28 days

Adults: 28 – 42 days

50 and up: 42 – 84 days 

 

Pigment: The maintenance of Melanocytes (cells that manufacture the pigment Melanin) is under the control of estrogens. Melanin protects us from the sun by being released from the melanocytes after long periods of sun exposure, ultimately darkening the skin. The darker the skin, the longer it takes to absorb heat, light and energy. This is our body’s defense mechanism to try and slow the absorption of damaging UV rays. As menopause progresses, the number of melanocytes in the skin is reduced (they degenerate). With less melanocytes, we produce less of the protective melanin and skin appears lighter. Therefore, menopausal skin is more prone to sun damage, making it even more important to protect the skin with a proper sunblock.

 

So what can you do to help prevent and correct these problems? The most important thing anyone can do for their skin is have proper home care. You can go to all the fancy salons all you want but at the end of the day if you’re using harsh, incorrect and low quality products at home every day, you’ll be fighting (and most likely losing) an up-hill battle. Any skin, but especially mature, delicate and/or post-menopausal skin needs high quality, high concentrated and active ingredients.

 

-Vitamin A to correct sun damage and protect against future damage.

-Vitamin B3 for uneven skin tone, and increasing hydration.

-Vitamin B12 for healthy cell function.

-Vitamin C to address dullness, pigmentation and fight free radicals.

-Vitamin E for all of the above vitamin synergy and free radical protection.

 

The skin is the largest organ of the body but the last to receive any nutrients from the foods we eat. These vitamins are just the basics of what our skin needs every day.