Demystifying Retinoids
Retinol, Retin-A, Retinal, retinaldehyde. What is going on here!? Don't they all do the same thing, remodel skin and stimulate collagen? Not so fast.
Again, all retinoids, no matter where they begin, must be converted into retinoic acid (RA), at the body's own pace, in order to be recognized and utilized by skin receptors. It's helpful to understand that retinoic acid naturally occurs in the body. So then wouldn't it make sense to just apply Retin-A (retinoic acid) to the surface of the skin because more is better, right?
Not in this case. Even though RA is naturally occurring in our body, our skin can only utilize small amounts at a time. If the form of RA cannot be stored for later use, it just sits in the skin creating inflammation, irritation and sun sensitivity.
I'll explain the process. I've broken it down for better understanding.
Breaking it Down
Retinol (with an O) is converted into Retinal (with an A). Retinal is also known as Retinaldehyde. Retinaldehyde is 1000 times more potent than Retinol due to the multiple "conversions" that it must take in the skin before it is usable by the skin. Retinaldehyde is directly converted into retinoic acid and is either immediately used by your skin or stored in the body for later use. This process cannot happen in reverse and that's why topical RA can irritate and cause damage to the skin.
