If you're looking for anti-ageing skincare, vitamin A is the way to go! It's the absolute gold standard when it comes to keeping your skin looking young and vibrant.
There's nothing that even comes close to vitamin A in terms of clinical evidence and the number of benefits it provides. Retinol and retinaldehyde are the two most well-known forms, with retinol being the tried-and-tested version that's popular in skincare, and retinaldehyde being the next-generation vitamin A.
Vitamin A is essential for any anti-ageing skincare routine because it can help with collagen and elastin production, cellular turnover, melanin production, sebum production, and even UV repair.
A brand we stock here at SkinShop, Medik8, focuses on clinically proven forms of vitamin A, like retinol, retinaldehyde, and retinyl retinoate, and they have a large range of vitamin A products to suit every skin type and need.
When using vitamin A, it needs to be converted into its active form, called retinoic acid, to provide any benefits. Retinol is two conversion steps away from retinoic acid, whereas retinaldehyde only requires one conversion step. This means that retinaldehyde is much closer in power to retinoic acid than retinol and acts up to 11x faster than retinol at providing anti-ageing benefits.
Medik8’s Crystal Retinal range uses retinaldehyde, which is encapsulated in a crystal structure for enhanced stability. This serum-cream is perfect if you're looking for fast, visible results. They also offer five different strengths of retinaldehyde, starting from 0.01% in Crystal Retinal 1 and going up to 20% in Crystal Retinal 20.
It's important to phase-in retinol or retinaldehyde to avoid overwhelming your skin. We recommend using it twice a week for the first 2 weeks, every other night for the next 2 weeks, and then every night. It's also important to wear sunscreen the following morning when using vitamin A.
If you're wondering when to move up the ladder, we recommend finishing the serum you're on and being comfortable using it every night without any irritation. This can take 6 to 8 weeks. It’s important to note that if you're happy where you are with your Medik8 vitamin A, you can always stick with the level that works best for you. Everyone's skin is different, and it's important to find what works for you.
