The Benefits of Retinol

We are constantly being bombarded with glossy ads and wild claims about products that will “reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles,” and “rejuvenate sun damaged skin,” and “take years off your skin.” It is enough to give you more wrinkles, just trying to figure it all out and sort through the hype.

Dr. Obagi is a huge proponent of using retinol in your daily skincare regimen. “To evaluate whether an ingredient or formulation can deliver what it promises, we have to look at the science.”

Retinol is one skin care ingredient that is frequently touted by dermatologists and skincare researchers as an effective treatment for reversing the signs of aging skin. Considered to be the most effective anti-aging ingredient available without a prescription, retinol is an over-the counter relative of prescription only Tretinoin (Retin-A). Both are derivatives of vitamin A and work to reduce lines, wrinkles, and unwanted pigmentation.

Retinol, when applied to the skin, works by stimulating new collagen formation as well as preventing the breakdown of existing collagen. It has been clinically proven to have a stimulatory effect on the fibroblasts that produce collagen, as well as an inhibitory effect on enzymes that break down the collagen support structure.

Retinol also stands out in the anti-ager crowd because its molecular structure is small enough to allow it to penetrate the skin’s epidermis or outer layer, which is a limiting factor for many other skincare ingredients. It needs to penetrate deep into the skin to get to the dermis where it can get to work and have a significant effect on the quality, tone, and texture of the skin. Molecules that are too large to penetrate the skin will just sit on top of the outermost layer and cannot be effective.

You can find retinol in a variety of anti-aging skincare brands, even drug store lines, in a wide range of concentrations, typically up to 0.5%.

So what’s different about ZO® Skin Health Ossential® Advanced Radical Night Repair? This is the most potent retinol product on the market with a full 1% concentration of retinol in every tube. ZO® Skin Health Ossential® Radical Night Repair Plus offers a powerful dose of this master anti-ager. Our best selling Advanced Radical Night Repair stimulates new cell activity and collagen formation in aging and UV damaged skin faster and more effectively than any other anti-aging treatment you can find.