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Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:44 am  |
Not to add to your reading list but I think you might find your answers here.
http://www.smartskincare.com/treatments/topical/ |
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mid 40's, blonde, blue eyes, normal skin, DIY skin regime, AALS - biggest problem undereye - getting much better with AALS & DIY serums. |
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Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:43 am |
Here's my derm's take on this: Tretinoin (Retin A) is the gold standard for anti-aging. It's got lots of peer-reviewed science behind it. But it can be quite irritating, and for some (including me, apparently) the irritation never goes away, though for others, their skin will be able to tolerate it. So, if you can afford it, since it's prescription only, and your skin can tolerate it, that's your best bet.
As for the OTC products, retinaldehyde is more easily converted by the skin into the useable form, retinoic acid. It isn't as irritating as Retin A, but since the skin has to perform the additional step of conversion to a useable substance, you get less of the effective agent. Retinol and retinyl palmitate require two steps to biologically convert to a form the skin can use. So you need a much higher percentage in a product for the equivalent performance as retinaldehyde. In other words, at equivalent percentages, Retin A is most effective in generating a biologically active agent, then retinaldehyde, then retinol and retinyl palmitate. The problem is that there isn't much scientific research out there to show anti-aging effectiveness from the lower amounts of retinoic acid you get from the OTC products. (I think there may be one peer-reviewed study on retinaldehyde showing its effectiveness, but I'm not sure.) So most of the evidence on OTC retinoids is anecdotal--reports from individual users like us folks on EDS. Useful but not as conclusive as scientific testing.
The other thing to consider is that various products use different agents as the vehicles to deliver the retinoid--some are relatively oily and some relatively drying. Depending on what your skin needs,you may find the base ingredients cause problems for you, irrespective of your skin's reaction to the retinoid. So trial and error may be needed to find the right combination of retinoid and base ingredients for your needs. |
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