Beauty Articles from Matis Beauty

 

Retinol
The following article is substantially drawn from an article published in The Sunday Mirror on 10th June 2007. For the full article, follow the link below:
The Sunday Mirror - 10 June 2007
What is retinol?
Retinol, retinoic acid and retinyl palmitate are all forms of vitamin A.
The term Retinol is used to cover its various forms and strengths. Retinyl palmitate is it's safest form, it has the best tolerance and fewest side effects. Retinol is it's strongest form, so it is more likely to cause skin reactions and may not be suited to all skin types.>
What does retinol do?
It increases cell production in the top layer of skin. It has a positive effect on collagen production, because skin uses retinoic acid when it produces collagen, causing skin to look plumper. The concentration of retinol in over-the-counter products is small, so you won’t get miracles. Retinoic acid is the active form of retinol, and actual retinoic acid creams are only available from a doctor or dermatologist. It is prescribed for serious skin conditions like acne but is also used as a potent treatment for skin ageing. All the different forms of retinol convert into the active form (retinoic acid) when you put them on your skin.
Is there a downside?
Unfortunately, yes.

A certain proportion of the population are very sensitive to retinol. It can cause cells to peel off and skin to appear dry, red and flaky. Some people are sensitive even to low levels of retinol. In the real world, people can be allergic to almost anything, and it probably gets blamed for reactions to beauty creams more than it deserves. You are far more likely to get a reaction from using prescription retinoic acid than a beauty product.
What else do you need to do when using retinol?

You need to be aware of what retinol is, what it does and actions you need to take – even with over-the-counter creams.
  • Turnover of skin cells is higher
  • It leaves your skin more sensitive to sunlight
  • Therefore you have to protect it more.
  • The cells at the surface are younger and more vulnerable to sun damage – even if you haven’t actually suffered an adverse reaction to the retinol
  • If you are using retinol products you should always wear a daily sunscreen when you go out in daylight.
  • There is no point getting the anti-ageing benefits of a retinol cream, only to have them undone by sun damage.
  • It does not matter whether you use a physical or chemical sun formula as long as it doesn’t irritate your skin.
  • You must get into the habit of applying sun protection regularly. Go for a minimum SPF 25 as a daily protector in the UK, even if it’s not sunny.
Good advice:
  • Use a retinol product at night as you then don’t need to apply a sunscreen over the top of it, and it can work optimally on the skin.
  • By day, wear an antioxidant moisturising cream (with vitamin C, for instance) plus a separate SPF25 on top.
What if you have sensitive skin?
If you have sensitive skin but still want the benefits of retinol, Matis Beauty suggests:
  • Build up retinol use slowly to help skin to adapt.
  • Use a retinol cream every third night for a week,
  • Then alternate nights for a week.
  • Finally go for nightly use.
  • Look out for burning, stinging and skin peeling.
  • Don’t carry on if these adverse symptoms persist more than a day or two.
Retinol based products in the marketplace:
There are companies that detail how much retinol their products contain, and those that won’t...

Matis Caviar Retinol, £158       Caviar Retinol


The Sunday Mirror article - 10 June 2007
Matis Paris are one of the few companies happy to disclose how much retinol is in their product – 10%, which they say is very high. That is wonderful for those who would like the benefits of the anti-ageing properties and do not have an adverse skin reaction to Retinol. For those with more sensitive skins, make sure you observe the precautions recommended, or leave it alone.