I recently had a discussion with a patient about topical vitamin A. She was under the impression that you have a limited number of skin cells, and that Vitamin A caused them to "wear out" and would cause thin skin with time.This show talks about how and why vitamin A is beneficial for almost all ages, and how to incorporate it into a healthy skin care plan.Was she right? Or is there more to it? Listen and find out!
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Dr. Hall: The other day I had a patient
in the office and we were talking about
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skin care products, which is a very common
discussion that I have here in the office.
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When we're talking about facial
rejuvenation, this patient was young.
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We were doing a little mole removal and
I recommended that she start a topical
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form of vitamin a retin a or retinol.
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You know, there's a there's a bunch of
medically indicated brands out there
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that are worth using And she asked a
question which was really intelligent.
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She said, you know, I heard that
vitamin a , because of the way that
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it works to stimulate the upper level
of your skin turning over causes your
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skin to thin over time because you
have a limited number of skin cells.
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Like you have a limited number of eggs
in your ovary if you're a woman and
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Once you run through all of those, that
your skin starts to thin over time.
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And, We had a discussion about how skin
actually ages and figured this would be
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a great podcast episode because it will
serve to kind of help you understand
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how your skin ages, why retinol is an
important part of a skin rejuvenation or
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skin prejuvenation, so maintaining younger
skin, program, and gives us a good,
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good bit of information to talk about.
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So firstly, what causes skin to thin?
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And this is a topic that can get
really science y really quickly.
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Everybody's heard of oxygen free radicals.
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And they are a natural part of
the aging process, and as those
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free radicals accumulate it
causes breakdown in your skin.
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There are two layers of your skin.
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There's the epidermis,
which is that top layer.
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That's fairly thin.
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And that's the layer that we all see.
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And then the dermis, which is a thicker
layer, that's where the collagen
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and elastin in your skin lives.
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So gives the skin, it's it's bulk and
gives the skin, it's stretchiness.
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And what happens is those
oxygen free radicals cause
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chemical reactions in the skin.
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And.
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Cause enzymes to be released that break
down those collagen and elastin fibers
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over time and also keep your own body
from building more collagen and elastin.
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You can look these up.
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It's matrix metalloproteinase
is one of the enzymes.
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And then TGF beta, which is a growth
factor is down regulated to help
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keep you from producing more collagen.
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So, really what happens over time in
a nutshell is reactive oxygen species
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or free radicals build up, causes the
dermis to thin, exacerbates dryness,
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and causes, when that dermis thins,
it causes the skin to get wrinkly.
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And so the thinning of the skin
really happens in that dermal
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layer, not the epidermis.
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How does retinol work?
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Retinol causes the epidermis,
the top part, the very thin part
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of your skin to grow faster.
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So you can almost think of it
as a very slow chemical peel.
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You shed the, that top kind of dead layer
of skin that makes your skin look dull.
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And it, causes your skin to brighten
because that kind of dull, the light is
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not reflected off of dull dead skin cells.
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Those skin cells are more alive.
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There's more liquid
and there's more water.
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And so it reflects and gives
you a brighter skin tone.
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Really what we're doing with
our topical vitamin A's is.
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We are getting rid of those
surface dead skin cells and
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causing the cycle of reproduction
in those skin cells to increase.
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Because those skin cells are healthier,
your skin retains more water.
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And so it appears hydrated, it
appears healthy, it's no longer dull.
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And so...
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Retinoids, , the kind of prescription
strength retinols are really
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important for overall skin health.
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They're important as a
rejuvenation treatment or as
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part of a rejuvenation treatment.
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They're also a good addition for younger
patients who are looking to maintain
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healthy skin or slightly improve the
quality of their skin so that they are
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starting from a good place and we can slow
the skin aging process down significantly.
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So that's the long
answer to the question.
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The short answer to my patient's
question the other day, do retinoids
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or topical vitamin A's thin your
skin over time and cause it to age?
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No, that's a product of time
and oxygen free radicals.
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The retinoids actually improve skin
health and are a small part of a
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long term healthy skincare plan.
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Thanks for listening to
this short little episode.
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If you've got any questions, you can
shoot me a DM, shoot me an email.
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Look forward to talking
to everybody later.
KNOXVILLE, TN
Contact us today to schedule your appointment with renowned plastic surgeon and face, body & breast specialist Dr. Jason Hall. Take your first steps to a more confident and natural you.
9239 Park W Blvd #202, Knoxville, TN 37923