September 1, 2003

.......  proper diet can combat wrinkles. But
when it comes to your face, there's more than just worry
lines to worry about. There's also acne, sun damage, even
skin cancer. And it's hard to cover all your bases.

But I have some good news that might make face care a little
easier: There's evidence showing that retinoic acid (commonly
known as Retin-A) can fight all these skin problems at once.

For several decades, retinoic acid (an active form of vitamin
A) has been a major treatment for acne, used by literally
tens of millions of teen-agers and others. And research over
the last decade has found that it can reverse some of those
skin changes that occur with aging (like wrinkles). Millions
of people use skin creams that contain retinoic acid for this
purpose. Now studies suggest it may also help protect the
skin against sun damage.

Researchers have reported that ultraviolet irradiation from
the sun causes a major loss of retinoic-acid receptors in
skin cells. When retinoic-acid receptors are lost, skin cells
lose the ability to transfer information from chromosomes to
the cells' "protein factories." As a result, the cells can no
longer repair themselves.

However, when the researchers pretreated the skin with
retinoic acid 24 hours before ultraviolet light exposure,
they discovered much less damage.

Based on observed biochemical changes, researchers theorized
that retinoic acid helps cells continue to repair and
maintain themselves, which helps you slash your risk of sun
damage and skin cancer.
                       
But many references say you shouldn't use retinoic acid if
you have sunburn or anticipate sun exposure. Dr. Wright had
his pharmacist check this out. One source said that, based on
the results of studies using mice, using retinoic acid after
sunburn might actually lead to cancer. While Dr. Wright
agrees that after-sunburn use isn't wise, the recent research
noted above demonstrates that quantities of retinoic acid
normally present in the skin are good for skin cells.

Though it'll be years before sufficient research can tell us
all the ins and outs of protecting our skin from sun-induced
damage with retinoic acid, based on the knowledge we do have,
using retinoic acid in appropriate doses appears to be a good
idea. The research noted above used a 0.1 percent
concentration on human skin. Dosages used for acne have been
0.1 percent, 0.05 percent, and 0.025 percent, depending on
skin sensitivity.

Retinoic acid is only available by prescription, so you'll
have to check in with your doctor before using it.

One last thing...

Dr. Wright recommends using retinoic acid in "non-burning"
quantities (which vary according to individual skin
pigmentation) before you go to bed on nights before you're
going to be in the sun.

Yours in good health, A. Ross
Managing Editor, Nutrition & Healing