There is no doubt about it that retinol is significantly stronger than collagen. This is because retinol penetrates down deep into your skin, tricking your body into thinking it's younger than it is.
While collagen works in the background to help keep your skin youthful and your body strong, retinol can support its efficiency and keep your skin glowing at the same time.
Current research reveals that collagen use could result in a reduction of wrinkles, rejuvenation of skin, and reversal of skin aging [16], which may improve skin hydration and elasticity [17].
Retinol can penetrate deep into your skin's layers to activate collagen and elastin, which give your skin structure and support to prevent wrinkles. You can apply products that contain retinoids at home directly onto your skin as you would a lotion or a moisturizer.
Also known as retinoic acid, tretinoin is about 20 times more potent than retinol. It's stronger because retinoic acid is a form of vitamin A that acts directly on the skin to boost cell renewal, turnover, and DNA damage repair.
Hyaluronic acid is best if they're looking to moisturize dry skin, while retinol works better by encouraging better skin by boosting collagen production. They have several benefits that can work in tandem for better results, though patients need to be careful with the exact formulations they use.
About dermal fillers
Dermal fillers are gel-like substances that we inject just beneath your skin. They can reconstruct a more youthful look and smooth lines and deep wrinkles.
How long does it take to see results? Collagen turnover is a slow process. As such, no matter your goal for using collagen, it will take at least 8 weeks to experience noticeable results ( 6 ).
Fish, or “marine”, collagen contains 90% Type I and 10% Type III collagen. These are the two main types of collagen in the skin. Therefore, they are the best types of collagen for eliminating wrinkles and sagging skin.
Retinol Strength Vs Collagen Strength
Collagen also has the ability to penetrate the top few layers of your skin as well, but the benefits of retinol is far more reaching especially on matured aging skin.
For topical products, hyaluronic acid is the clear winner. Building collagen takes time and other methods, but it will give you the most long-term and visible results to prevent wrinkles and improve skin elasticity and strength overall.
Collagen works on the epidermis to nourish and hydrate it. It can give your skin a plumper look but cannot affect it at a cellular level. Retinol can penetrate the dermis layer and affect changes at a cellular level. They can repair or remove damaged skin cells and stimulate new cell formation.
One of the best treatments for wrinkles around the mouth is night cream formulated with retinol, as it works alongside the skin's natural production of collagen. No7 Pure Retinol Night Cream helps to visibly smooth the appearance of wrinkles around the mouth and face in just two weeks.
StriVectin's skin care infused LINEblurFECTOR Instant Wrinkle Blurring Primer instantly fills and blurs the look of deep wrinkles while prolonging makeup wear.
If you're looking for more-dramatic results, a dermatologist can recommend medical treatments for wrinkles, including prescription creams, botulinum toxin (Botox) injections or skin-resurfacing techniques.
People in Korea are less into facial fillers and favor injectables that replenish and boost collagen production on a cellular level, like Sculptra, Dr. Lee says. Consequently, hyaluronic acid-filled syringes, like Restylane and Juvéderm, are more likely used to help moisturize the skin on a cellular level.