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Retinol: My miracle cure for beautiful skin

RETINOL, MY MIRACLE REMEDY FOR BEAUTIFUL SKIN

Margit Rüdiger | 15. September 2021
I was not yet 40 and was going through a difficult phase both professionally and personally. One - or at least I - could see it in my skin. It had lost its glow, the pores on my cheeks were too large, I thought. None of the common cosmetic lines - whether the well-known 3-step care or a series developed by a Hungarian doctor with an elaborate washing ritual - helped me. The advertising promised a lot, the ingredients delivered little. When I asked for studies that could prove the effectiveness of the substances used, I got plenty of excuses - manufacturer's secret recipe, studies only available from the raw material supplier, etc.
Retinol 

BOOSTER FOR CELLS / DISCOVERY OF THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT 

In a story I researched about acne, I came across the active ingredient retinol. Apart from hormones, it is the only substance whose positive effect on the skin is proven and scientifically verified. Retinol is nothing other than vitamin A, a derivative of the fat-soluble vitamin. Years of research have provided evidence that vitamin A can have different effects in all layers of the skin, such as accelerating cell renewal. It helps against unevenness and skin impurities and stimulates collagen production, thus smoothing wrinkles and lines. The result: the skin looks fresher and more radiant.

Retinol is not a newcomer in skincare but has already had a long scientific career. As early as 1913, the American biochemist Elmer McCollum discovered the active ingredient retinol. The Swiss chemist Paul Karrer conducted further extensive research, for which he was finally awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1937.

THREE TYPES OF RETINOL 

However, retinol is not just retinol. There are three types. The precursors are called retinol esters. In the skin, retinol esters are then converted into retinol through chemical reactions. The ester is the less potent form of retinol and therefore gentler on the skin. Pure retinol oxidizes in the skin to retinal (retinaldehyde) and is eventually converted to retinoic acid (tretinoin). Tretinoin is the active retinoic acid, also called vitamin A acid, which is naturally produced in small amounts in the body. When applied to the skin, tretinoin is prescription-only and is very successfully used by dermatologists in the form of ointments, creams, lotions, or orally for acne.

In any case, I decided to boost my skin with retinol. However, at that time there was no commercially available product on the market that met my expectations. A doctor friend then wrote me a prescription for a retinol cream and also recommended a pharmacy that still mixes prescriptions. Nowadays, that's a rarity. My skin was grateful for the effort and rewarded me with more radiance, smaller pores, and fewer wrinkles. Especially around the eyes, I was often asked by friends how I managed to get the skin so smooth and whether there might be an injection involved.

MIT "LIP" BEGINS MY NEW CARE ERA 

When I then got to know Doctor Mi! through a PR agency, my skincare routine got a new concept. My first Mi! product was the lip care LIP. Before, I often had rough lips. That was a thing of the past from then on. In addition, the lip contours became more defined. That convinced me. Since then, I have always had the small, dark red jar in my handbag.

Through LIP, I also got to know TECMi! Retinol, which runs like a red thread through medical skincare - something my pharmacy cream couldn't offer me. It is a special form of molecule preparation, namely a double encapsulation, which Doctor Mi! also applies to other active ingredients and complexes. This innovative technology has several advantages: First, the encapsulated substances can penetrate deeper into the skin, exactly where they are needed. In addition, TECMi! protects the active ingredients, for example, against the destructive influence of light, and there are no "scatter losses" on the way to the dermis as is the case with ordinary, unencapsulated ingredients. And especially with retinol, this also prevents unwanted irritation of the skin surface. Meanwhile, I not only use the lip care with retinol but the entire "BEST AGER SET".

Margit Rüdiger

MARGIT RÜDIGER

Margit Rüdiger is internationally known as "The Voice of Beauty." She is one of the most renowned journalists in the field of beauty, anti-aging, and aesthetics. Her career path led her through the editorial offices of the most important fashion magazines in Germany such as Vogue, Elle, Madame, Bunte, Freundin, Brigitte, Marie Claire, and Esquire.