Tretinoin: How It Really Works Beneath the Skin
Tretinoin has earned the title of being a gold standard in dermatology for a reason. Unlike many skincare products that just sit on the surface, tretinoin actually changes the way your skin functions at a cellular level. Here is what happens after you apply it. Absorption: The First Step Tretinoin is a small, fat-soluble molecule. That means it can pass through the outer skin barrier with relative ease. Within about 30 to 60 minutes, most of what you apply has already moved past the surface and into the deeper layers where it can start doing its job. This is why if you apply tretinoin in the morning and shower a few hours later, you are not washing away the benefit. By then, it has already entered the skin. Receptor Binding: Flipping the Switch Inside your skin cells are retinoic acid receptors, or RARs. Think of them as switches waiting to be turned on. When tretinoin binds to these receptors, it signals your cells to start expressing new patterns of genes. This is the foundation of a...
