Topical retinol creams help promote turnover of surface cells, which means dead skin cells are sloughed away faster, revealing visibly healthier and brighter skin. Similarly, retinol’s exfoliation mechanism helps improve the appearance of blemishes by preventing dead skin cells from clogging pores. How exactly does retinol work? Retinol stimulates fibroblasts to synthesize collagen fibres which assists in epidermal thickening, and also promotes keratinocyte proliferation which leads to cell renewal. With age, skin’s natural cell turnover decreases resulting in dull, uneven skin tone and rough skin texture. Retinol creams have been shown to reduce the appearance of fines lines and produce smoother, thicker skin.*
[*Kong, R., Cui, Y., Fisher, G. J., Wang, X., Chen, Y., Schneider, L. M., & Majmudar, G. (2016). A comparative study of the effects of retinol and retinoic acid on histological, molecular, and clinical properties of human skin. J Cosmet Dermatol, 15, 49– 57. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.12193]