What's the difference between Retin-A and retinol?
Both are retinoids. They're both made from vitamin A and promote faster skin cell turnover. And they are some of the most proven, effective and powerful options for treating skin issues ranging from acne to signs of aging.
Retinoids come in presccription form and in a range of over-the-counter products. Prescdription level retinoids fall into these groups:
- Tretinoin, including the brands Atralin, Retin-A, Retin-A Micro, Renova
- Tazarotene, such as the brand Tazorac
- Adapalene, such as the brand Differin
Al three groups prevent the buildup of dead cells in the skin's pores and follicles, and all three promote the growth of healthy cells. Common side effects include dryness, redness, irritation, and skin peeling as well as making skin more sensitive to the sun.
Retinol is found in man products that don't require a prescription. Retinols are much weaker than prescription retinoids. Unless vitamin A is lsited as one of the top five ingredients and the product is packaged in an airtight opaque bottle, what you are getting might not be all that effective. Neither retinoids nor retinols should be used by breastfeeding or pregnant women.
I like to have my clients using a Retinol and Retinoid product because we have almost three decades of scientific proof that vitamin A goes into the dermis and stimulates collagen. Vitamin A is the gold standard for anti-aging.
Questions or want to know how to get prescription Retin A? Contact me at danaface12@yahoo.com
I love how Ethereal Aura Spa has really taken the time to talk about all the ingredients in this scrub and why it is not good for your skin. I agree wholeheartedly. Read on:
This is one of my biggest 'pet peeve' products to hear my clients are using. Always they're complaining of breakouts, and they think that this can "scrub away" their acne. Some of them are using scrubs like these twice a day. How often you should exfoliate depends on your skin, but I very rarely advise exfoliation more than 4 times a week.
They always have blackheads, whiteheads, and varying degrees of acne scarring. Skin is so raw that it's more prone to burning and sun damage.
Why? Let's look at the ingredients, almost all of which are irritating or clog pores.
Water is water is water. I wouldn't be surprised if this product was more than half water.
Walnut shell powder
creates microscopic tears in the top layer of the skin. This allows
surface bacteria enter into deeper layers of the skin. The action of
scrubbing the skin also causes inflammation, especially in this type of
client, who believes the more you scrub the better. your skin will be.
The creates raw, red, open skin, increasing future inflammation. When
pores are inflamed, they swell, closing the top of the pore in a balloon
shape instead of a cylinder, trapping p. acnes bacteria in the
pore, giving it an oxygen free environment, where it flourishes,
causing even more inflammation and creating a battle ground for white
blood cells to fight off invaders, resulting in more breakouts.
Scrubbing is the worst type of cleanse you can do to acne other than
pouring Comet Cleanser on your face. The fact that this product is
targeted towards acne sufferers is simply unbelievable.
Glyceryl Stearate SE is highly comedogenic= meaning it clogs your pores, also limiting oxygen, making acne bacteria flourish.
Propylene Glycol
leaves a film on your skin and is toxic in very high doses. It's added
to skin care as a humectant because it can attract water, but attracts
water from the lower layers of skin and moves it to the surface, which
creates an appearance of plumpness but in the long run dries out your
skin. There are conflicting studies done on this ingredient, some saying
it's toxic and an irritant and some saying it's not. If you're going
for a humectant, hyaluronic acid is far more effective.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a foaming agent that's found in lots of cheap drugstore products. It's both comedogenic and a skin irritant.
Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Meal is a really fancy way of saying rough corn starch.
It's added as an abrasive, and it's both irritating and comedogenic.
It's alkaline in pH, which disrupts the acid mantle of the skin.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a synthetic surfactant which strips oils from your skin and in high concentrations is a skin irritant.
Cetearyl and Cetyl Alcohol are fatty alcohols that are used as thickeners and are also comedogenic.
Triethanolamine is a surfactant & emulsifying agent that is a strongly suspected respiratory irritant and allergen.
Glyceryl Stearate is a waxy surfactant & emulsifying agent that is comedogenic in high doses.
PEG-100 Stearate (polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid) is an emolliant that is both potentially irritating and comedogenic on sensitive skin.
Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract
is the first "good" ingredient and 10th on the list. It's a skin
conditioner, and can be good for skin when it's not combined with these
other ingredients.
Cetyl Acetate is an ester of cetyl alcohol and acetic acid and is both comedogenic and irritating.
Carbomer is simply a thickener and can be irritating for many.
Polysorbate 60 is an emulsifier that is mildly irritating.
Ceteareth-20
is an emollient, emulsifier that is very comedogenic and an irritant.
Claims have been made that it is also carcinogenic, but more studies are
needed. It is considered unsafe for damaged or irritated skin, which is
the exact kind of skin that this product is marketed to. When this
ingredient was used on burn victims it was shown to cause kidney damage.
Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol is used as an emollient and is very comedogenic and irritating.
PPG-2 Methyl Ether
is for fragrance and is also used as a solvent. It doesn't harm skin,
but it also doesn't do anything good for your skin, either.
Phenethyl Alcohol is for fragrance and can be irritating.
Glycerin
is a moisturizing agent and can be beneficial, but at the fourth to
last ingredient, combined with all of the other stripping surfactants,
it isn't doing any good.
Methylisothiazolinone is a biocide preservative to keep products shelf stable that in high doses is very toxic and can cause nerve damage.
Cosmetic companies defend their use of it because it's in such low
doses and is usually only used in "rinse off" products. It's also an
allergen. Not enough studies have been done with long term use to really
prove it causes nerve damage, but you won't find me lining up to
participate.
Fragrance is a catch-all term that
could mean practically anything from organic essential oils to
synthetic fragrance. With all the other cheap, terrible ingredients in
this product, I highly doubt this is an organic essential oil.
Titanium Dioxide
is usually used as sunscreen. In rinse-off cleansers, however, it's
used as a colorant. It isn't harmful to the skin, but used in this way
it isn't helpful, either.
Another thing that really bothers me about St. Ives products is how they present themselves as a "natural"
line. Their packaging and website is covered with pictures of plants
and fruit, they focus on being paraben-free and "committed to nature"
and "making skin naturally beautiful." On the St. Ives website it claims to use "100% Natural Moisturizers and Exfoliants" but they fail to mention all of the synthetic surfactants, emulsifiers, preservatives, and fragrances that are in their products, especially when they outnumber the natural products five to one and the "good" ingredients ten to one. Their website contains a Natural Ingredients Glossary which has good information but doesn't mention that the products themselves contain very little of these natural ingredients. These products are incredibly misleading!
Aside from really misleading packaging and ingredients, the published reviews of this product also raise some red flags for me. I can't prove it, but many
of these reviews read as if they were written by the same person. If
you haveto hire a (poor) writer to give you enough 5 star reviews to
get a good average, there's a problem.
If you really need that "scrubby" feeling, get a scrub that contains sugar and jojoba oil. Rub it GENTLY across your skin and rinse very, very well.
When
clients tell me they use any of these products, I tell them to throw
away the bottle or give it to someone they don't like. Even if you're
not seeing the damage or redness, the damage is being caused on a
microscopic level.
Start using a gentle acne cleanser
created by a professional skin care line. Aveda's Outer Peace, Merle
Norman Anti-Redness, and Bella di Terra Combo/Acne lines are all
fantastic, filled with actual fruit extracts and anti-inflammatory
ingredients to calm the skin instead of irritating it further.
Exfoliate with chemical peels and plant enzymes,
which dissolve dead skin and oil instead of scraping them away. Acids,
especially plant-derived salicylic, lactic and glycolic, can cleanse
inside the pores instead of just scraping over the top. Another option
for exfoliating properly is to use kaolin and benzonite clay, which pull
impurities and dead skin cells out of the pores, and is very gentle and
effective, especially on oily skin.
There are a million skin care options on the market. To find the right one, go to an Aesthetician who can work with you to find your ideal skin care regimen. Be patient with your acne, and eventually you will find your own routine for healthy skin.
Please share with everyone you know that uses these products!
Questions?? Please contact me at danaface12@yahoo.com
!
The Skin Deep database was conceived and created by, and is run by, our
research team here at the Environmental Working Group in Washington DC.
We are also cofounders of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. We've helped
that coalition by using our Skin Deep database to monitor companies'
progress in meeting safe cosmetics standards. But Skin Deep is an
independent EWG project.
New to EWG’s Skin Deep?
Welcome! This site is packed with important health information about
the cosmetics you – and your family – use every day. You’ll find product
and ingredient safety ratings, health information about cosmetics
ingredients and smart shopping tips you can trust.
Here’s how to use the database to find out exactly what you want to know: Want to find out if your products are safe?
Look up a product. Enter its name in the white search window.
Look up an ingredient. If you want to know if a
particular ingredient is safe or if you’re allergic or want to avoid it
for other reasons, the database contains information about possible
health concerns, which products contain it, other names — and a whole
lot more.
Search by company. Want to know how a certain company stacks up? Search its name to see how its products rate.
Find safer alternatives. Pick a category(toothpaste?
shampoo? mascara?) and peruse product ratings. Warning: goods in some
categories, like hair relaxers, have uniformly high hazard scores.
Understanding the ratings.
For every product and ingredient in Skin Deep, there’s a two-part score – a hazard score and a data availability score.
The ingredient hazard score, from 1-10 reflects known and suspected hazards of ingredients.
Low hazard
Moderate hazard
High hazard
The data availability rating reflects the number of scientific
studies in the published scientific literature and the number included
in the Skin Deep database.
Data: None
Data availability rating: the scope of ingredient safety data
contained in Skin Deep, and the number of studies available in the open
scientific literature
Data: Limited
Data: Fair
Data: Good
Data: Robust
To calculate a product score, we tally the hazards of individual
ingredients and evaluate each product in relation to the rest of the
products in the Skin Deep database. The safest products score well by
both measures: a low hazard rating AND fair or better data availability. What do you mean by “data availability”?
The “data availability” rating measures how much is known about an
ingredient. Not all ingredients are equal when it comes to safety data.
Some have been studied extensively. For others, there is only a modest
volume of research. Some have not been tested at all.
Data: None
A product’s low score on the hazard scale doesn’t mean much if
scientists know very little about the chemicals in it. Your best bet? A
doubly good score: low hazard rating + high data availability.
Use EWG's Skin Deep to elarn about the safety of over 70,000 products. Go to ewg.org/skindeep
MAKE A DONATION AND GET A FREE WALLET GUIDE.
I am happy to say Apriori Beauty anti-aging skincare products are on the Safecosmetics.org list.
After cleansing, it is common to use a toner or astringent to
help remove the last traces of impurities and help close pores. Unfortunately, many of these products contain
drying alcohol that can disrupt skin barrier function and cause drying.
Step 2 in the Celloxylin® skincare regimen, Activating Tonic, is uniquely
formulated to take advantage of the water absorbed by skin during cleansing to
help prepare the skin to fully utilize the benefits of subsequent products in
the regimen. Rather than closing pores,
Activating Tonic contains powerful humectant ingredients to help activate skin
to retain moisture and fully absorb the hydrating ingredients from Step 3, the Firming Complex, as well as the
subsequent products. In addition, the Activating Tonic is designed to help
protect the skin’s delicate structure by restoring the naturally acidic barrier
that is commonly disrupted during rinsing.
For the month of OctoberActivate,
Firm & Save!
The Activating Tonic helps prepare your surface cells to receive
and optimize the benefits from the Nutrient Reservoir™ ingredients in the
Firming Complex.The Nutrient Reservoir
protects and nourishes skin cells by addressing the 4 core influences of aging:Oxidative Stress, Genetics, Hormonal
Fluctuation, and Mitochondrial Function.
The Firming Complex is a serum that provides collagen and
elastin support, visibly improves lines and wrinkles and refines pores. Like
all of Apriori Beauty’s anti-aging products, The Firming Complex is sulfate,
paraben and fragrance fee!Gentle and
effective formula for all skin types.Skin immediately feels and looks firmer and more radiant.
SAVE 20% Celloxylin® Activating Tonic and
Firming Complex Together
Ever wondered what those magical ingredients were in your anti-aging products
and what they actually did to decrease aging’s effects on your skin? Peptides
are one of anti-aging’s most desired ingredients. They are short sequences of
amino acids linked by peptide bonds that are similar in structure to proteins,
but shorter in length. They play a significant role in reducing the appearance
of fine lines and wrinkles by stimulating collagen synthesis. Some also block
the transmission of nerve signals to facial muscles. Peptides are especially
important when it comes to repairing your skin’s collagen, which breaks down as
we age from loss of elasticity and strength and even environmental factors such
as UV exposure and stress. When applied to the skin (via skincare), peptides
stimulate collagen production and assist in preventing further unwanted
wrinkles from appearing on our face that can develop simply through every day
facial expressions. Peptides are a safer alternative to injections, plus they
target the same wrinkle-formation mechanism topically without the high cost and
potential side effects.
Enjoy peptides' anti-aging benefits in Apriori Beauty’s Celloxylin® skincare
products, including: PSR Next, Activating Tonic, Firming Complex, Eye+Lip Age
Eraser, Day Defense Plus Broad Spectrum SPF 25, Night Repair 3Deep, and
Hydro-Burst Moisture Intense Lotion.
The month of September, PSR Next, my favorite Serum, is in Pink to support Breast Cancer Research, $10.00 donation for every purchase goes to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer research. useloveshare.com/IC/bydana
As a growing number of legislators
attempt to enact laws banning cosmetics and personal care items that contain
plastic microbeads due to their impact on waterways, a recent study has found
even a single use of a product going down the drain is a cause for concern.
The latest research at Plymouth
University, published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin,
has recently estimated between 4,594 and 94,500 microbeads, each a fraction of
a millimeter in diameter, could be released in a single use of certain
products, such as facial scrubs. Subsequent analysis using
electron microscopy show
"We estimated that between
4,594 and 94,500 microbeads could be released in a single use," according
to the study, which added that this could result in up to 80 tonnes of
unnecessary microplastic waste entering the sea every year from use of these
cosmetics.
A revised version of Assembly bill 888, which
prohibits the use of microbeads, received a legislative nod, passing 24-14,
after a previous version was crushed by a vote of 19-16 in the California
Senate a day earlier. The first time around, the bill fell two votes short of
the 21 votes it needed to pass, even though a number of other states in the
U.S. have already banned the use of plastic microbeads in cosmetics and
personal care products.
A similar bill in California lost by
one vote a year ago.
The earlier version of AB-888 would
have prohibited, on and after January 1, 2020, a person, as defined, from
selling or offering for promotional purposes in California "a personal
care product containing plastic microbeads that are used to exfoliate or
cleanse in a rinse-off product, as specified." Also, it would have
exempted from those prohibitions the sale or promotional offer of a product
containing less than 1 part per million (ppm) by weight of plastic microbeads.
The newer version removed this
wording that required the use of natural products as exfoliants in any
alternative developed by the cosmetics industry as well as state oversight in
reviewing the microbead alternatives. Plastic microbeads under the bill are
still prohibited on and after Jan 1, 2020 and AB-888 passed the Assembly on a
concurrence vote on Tuesday.
Microbeads were found in the Los
Angeles River last year, according to the office of California assemblymember
Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica). Proponents of the microbeads ban argue that
fish often mistake non-biodegradible plastic microbeads for food and eat them,
resulting in toxins further up the food chain. However, a number of product
manufacturers are using safe and natural alternatives such as crushed nut shells.
As of this report, Connecticut, New
Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maine and Colorado already have bans on non-biodegradable microbeads, with other
states with bills in process such as New York, which await state Senate
action.
I like Apriori Beauty's Celloxylin Treatment Enzyme Activated Micro Scrub
Contains the NutrientReservoir™, which protects and nourishes skin
cells by addressing the 4 core influences of aging: Oxidative Stress,
Genetics, Hormonal Fluctuation, and Mitochondrial Function.
• Provides gentle mechanical and chemical exfoliation
• Beet sugar removes dead skin cells and is an effective anti-inflammatory ingredient.
• Enzymes derived from papaya help release the bonds that hold dead skin cells to the surface.
• Sulfate, Paraben, and Fragrance Free! Gentle and effective formula perfect for all skin types.
You use your retinols
and AHAs diligently to stave off aging and maintain a glowy complexion. But
could they actually be aging you? If you’re not super-diligent with sun
protection, they very well could be. Active ingredients like retinoids,
salicylic acid, and glycolic acid can cause sun sensitivity, making your skin
more vulnerable to the sun’s rays and more prone to sun damage (read: wrinkles
and dark spots in your future). So even if you’re wearing your SPF
15 or 30 moisturizer on the regular, that daily 20-minute lunchtime walk could
land you a serious case of red face. Read on for the lowdown on sun sensitivity
— also known as photosensitivity — and how best to protect yourself.
Cause and effect
By now, you’ve likely surmised that vitamin A-derived retinol and prescription
retinoid creams are the gold standard in skincare, beloved by dermatologists
for their wrinkle-fighting, collagen-boosting benefits. But by their very
nature, retinol-based products sweep away the bad (dead skin cells) to make
room for the good (fresh, new skin), which can leave you more exposed to the
sun’s rays if you’re not careful. “When you use a topical retinoid, it removes
the layer of dead skin cells on the top of the epidermis that can make the skin
appear dull,” says New York-based dermatologist Amy Wechsler. Those
old skin cells, though, act as a natural barrier against the sun, offering a
mild built-in layer of sun protection. Wechsler says if you whisk them away,
your complexion is more exposed and therefore more easily sunburned.
The same is true of both alpha- and beta-hydroxy
acids, ingredients such as salicylic, lactic, and glycolic acid, which
exfoliate and essentially thin the top layer of the skin, known as the stratum
corneum. “This allows UV light to penetrate more deeply,” says Debra Jaliman, a
dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of
Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. Your level of sensitivity to the sun will
vary by ingredient, adds Wechsler, with salicylic acid being the mildest and
prescription retinoids and glycolic acid (depending on their respective
strengths) being the highest. “The higher you go in strength, potentially the
higher your level of sun sensitivity,” says Wechsler. One caveat, though: You
have to be using these ingredients regularly, several times a week to be
susceptible to these effects.
But it’s not just skin care that can make you more
vulnerable to the sun’s rays. Prescription drugs such as Accutane, common
antibiotics like cipro, tetracycline, and doxycycline, and anti-inflammatory
pain medications Aleve and naprosyn can all cause photosensitivity, even
temporarily. Wechsler recommends steering clear of retinoids and AHAs/BHAs
altogether if you belong to any of the above camps, as well as those suffering
from lupus or skin conditions like rosacea or psoriasis.
Protecting yourself
So now you may be thinking: Am I doing more harm than good by reaching for my
retinol? Probably not, as long as you’re wearing proper sun protection daily,
even as summer wanes and it isn’t blazing hot outside. Most dermatologists now
recommend using full-on broad-spectrum sunscreen with a minimum SPF 30 every
day, even if you’re just going about your daily business. So that moisturizer
with an added SPF 15 isn’t quite going to cut it. Why? “To achieve the SPF
level on a bottle of moisturizer, you have to use a lot – a whole shot glass –
and who uses that much?” says Wechsler. While you need to use the same amount
of pure sunscreen, she says, you’re better protected, since it isn’t diluted
with moisturizer.
Jaliman also advises being super-diligent with sun
safety habits while using these powerful active ingredients, such as: avoiding
the midday sun from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; wearing a wide-brimmed hat; and using
sun-protective clothing. Meanwhile, if you’re planning on going on vacation or
spending a lot of time outdoors in the sun, Wechsler recommends taking a retinoid/AHA/BHA
break, or at least decreasing the frequency while you’re going to be exposed.
And of course, keep that broad-spectrum SPF close at hand, all year long. “If
the whole point is to use something that will make your skin look better and
healthier, then the strongest anti-aging thing to do would be to wear
sunscreen. It’s pointless to [use these ingredients] and not wear sunscreen.”
