So, recently, I’ve been trying to take better care of my skin. I read about retinol A LOT. It’s supposed to speed up cell turnover.
But cells do have a limited number of turnovers, no?
I am afraid of using retinol, I am worried it might make my skin look nice for now but might ruin it in the long run (because of the quick cell turnover). Can someone please explain this? Where am I wrong?
In: Biology
Your cells have a limited capacity to repair damage and maintain the integrity of your DNA. There is a cap at the end of each chromosome called a telomere that is like the plastic on the end of a shoelace that prevents it from fraying. With every copy that gets shorter and shorter until eventually there is nothing left to protect your DNA from being damaged or corrupted in the copy process. Eventually your cells will not be able to form coherent functional tissues and organs.
Smoking, alcohol, stress, injury, illness, infection, poor nutrition can all expedite the process. No need to add to the list.
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