The number of vitamin A products available to eliminate wrinkles and other signs of aging can be confusing. Retinoic acid, also called tretinon, is the property of vitamin A that is most effective. Retinoic acid is the result of a series of metabolic steps, according to the website Smartskincare. Retinyl converts to retinol, retinol converts to retinaldehyde and retinaldehyde eventually converts to retinoic acid. All of these substances are called retinoids, but retinyl should not be confused with either retinol or retinoic acid. Each has its own level of effectiveness and each has its own drawbacks.
Sources
Retinyl palmitate, or retinyl for short, is a form of vitamin A. You can buy it in cream form for topical application or in supplement form. Many over-the-counter anti-aging products also include it as a component.
Function
Because vitamin A is an antioxidant, retinyl protects the skin from both inside and out. It wards off environmental factors that can be bad for your skin, and it fights free radicals in your body. It can also prompt the renewal of cells, but this depends on whether the skin is actually capable of absorbing it. Research has not yet proved that it can or that this is why retinyl is effective, according to the website BeautyProductsCompared. Two clinical studies reported on by the U.S. National Library of Medicine both indicated that subjects using retinyl cream twice a day as opposed to a placebo showed improvement.
Drawbacks
Users of retinyl have reported consistent side effects such as burning and peeling in its purest topical form and dryness from products that include it as an ingredient. It can also increase your sensitivity to sunlight. Because of the metabolic conversion process necessary to arrive at retinoic acid, which is what is effective against wrinkles, retinyl products are less harsh and cause fewer side effects than retinol products. Because they go through more metabolic steps to reach retinoic acid form, the side effects are diluted and lessened, but this also renders them less effective than retinol products, which go through fewer metabolic changes to achieve this state.
Advantages
Retinyl is fairly inexpensive, according to the website BeautyProductsCompared. Some manufacturers also offer the option of synthetic versions that can mitigate the stinging, burning and peeling factors, according to P&G Beauty and Grooming. You can use retinyl in combination with sunscreen if you are sensitive to sunlight and that it might actually be more effective when applied this way, according to P&G Beauty and Grooming.
Alternatives
BeautyProductsCompared suggests that taking vitamin A in supplement form might be just as, if not more effective than topical retinyl creams.
Warning
If you are pregnant or suffer from liver disease, you should not use retinyl, especially as a supplement. If you already have dry skin or sensitive skin, ask your doctor to recommend a different treatment.
References
- BeautyProductsCompared: Retinyl Palmitate Review
- Procter & Gamble Beauty & Grooming: Addressing Fine Lines, Wrinkles & Texture Changes
- U.S. National Library of Medicine PubMed: Improvement in skin wrinkles from the use of photostable retinyl retinoate: a randomized controlled trial
- SmartSkinCare: Skin benefits of retinol and retinyl palmitate
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