Does retinol in skincare even work?
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- Does the best skincare ingredient even work? Some scientists and dermatologists say there's no trustworthy scientific evidence to back up retinol. Let's look at the evidence for retinol, and why skincare science might look a bit sketchy.
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0:00 The case against retinol
1:04 What is retinol?
2:35 The dang government
4:33 Why isn't retinol a drug?
5:34 Cash Rules Everything Around Me
10:24 The evidence for retinol
15:11 What about other ingredients?
How to start on retinoids: • How to Start on Retino...
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Article with more info and full reference list: labmuffin.com/does-retinol-wo...
🙋🏻 I'm Michelle, a chemistry PhD, cosmetic chemist and science educator, here to explain how beauty products work, debunk myths, and help you make smarter decisions about your skincare, hair and makeup!
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📖 Key references
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Хобби
From a fellow scientist, it's so cool to see a video like this where you don't always talk about the main topic (retinol), but you also explain how scientific studies and publications work!! ❤🙏🏻
Glad you liked it! I really enjoyed making it 😁
As a a person who finished a PhD thesis im Materials science a few hours ago, I agree😊
Wow. I wish I had a phd fesis.@@mantolinez
As a student of social sciences I absolutely agree!
Publish or perish 😅
Loved the statement that “only ingredients with robust clinical evidence work” is bad science. I’ll always remember the joke that there’ve been no peer reviewed clinical trials that parachutes decrease your risk of death while sky diving.
Yes exactly! There's even an article in BMJ on it 😂 www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k5094
this was so funny loll@@LabMuffinBeautyScience
Yes! Not to mention the conflict of interest about the companies often being the ones who fund their studies in the first place
@@arianathough2070We always have to follow the money.
“Parachute use did not reduce death or major traumatic injury when jumping from aircraft in the first randomized evaluation of this intervention. However, the trial was only able to enroll participants on small stationary aircraft on the ground, suggesting cautious extrapolation to high altitude jumps. When beliefs regarding the effectiveness of an intervention exist in the community, randomized trials might selectively enroll individuals with a lower perceived likelihood of benefit, thus diminishing the applicability of the results to clinical practice.” 😅👍
Well done! Simultaneously informative, funny, and unhinged. Person having a manic episode in front of a cork board is a really good look for you
I mean, she's not wrong on the subtle conspiracy aspect
GUBERMINT was *chef's kiss*
Thank you! I was worried I didn't look unhinged enough, my hair products were working too well on filming day 😅
@@thousandsofstoriesI spit my coffee laughing at that 😂😂❤
Facts.
Retinol worked so well for me. My skin was a disaster before using it. Now, after 2 years I literally get compliments about my skin. However, it’s a long term solution and definitely requires consistency to work.
So cool to hear! What form/brand worked for you? 😊
Right, I use one of the probably cheapest solutions with low % of retinol and love the results. After I finish this one surely will buy something with higher %
It was retinol and lactic acid for me. I am too young to tell whether or not it has prevented signs of aging but regardless of that, my skin is brighter and the texture is much smoother, and I hardly suffer significant breakouts anymore!
It did also come with several lifestyle changes for me, though. Making sure I am hydrated, paying better attention to my diet, making sure I change my bedsheets more often, actually having a proper skincare routine where I previously did not have one... etc.
@@GodlessCogI can swear by lactic acid lotion (using amlactin). I'm already getting great lightening results and still improving four months using. I had done a chemical peel gone slightly wrong on my underarms three years ago, which left it dark brown (ironically, I was trying to lighten my black underarms). But my skin was too sensitive. I started this year with niacinamide cream but it kinda stopped working two months in using. But lactic acid is still steadily lightening the area!
@@GodlessCog what type of lactic acid are you using?
Oh my god, as a librarian your section on how to search for and understand a study gave me life! I've taught these research methodologies and evaluation techniques to so many undergrads and it just gives me such pleasure to see this out in the wild, as it were :) And in the interest of helping consumers make scientifically-informed decisions!
Librarians are unsung heroes! ❤
I'm excited at the prospect that skincare/beauty might spur young people learning how to research critically
I never thought this much information could be crammed into my brain in such a short amount if time in such a fun way, mind blown, my bio teacher could never😶
I play most educational videos, lectures, and podcasts at 3× speed, but Lab Muffin videos deliver information at an equivalent pace on 1× 🤣
@rubysresource It's the ADHD 😂 Sometimes at my teaching job when a teacher is running behind, they get me to cover a lesson to help them catch up 😅
I’m a rhetoric teacher and I ADORE seeing you address all the important elements in finding reliable research and how that is crucial to drawing sound, evidence-based conclusions. I’m going to show my students this video as an example of what ethical and reliable RUclips essays should aim for.
Thank you!! ❤️
More Corkboard Michelle please. It’s fantastic energy
As a baby dermatologist (just started my first job last month yay) and a skincare nerd (who used to have terrible acne), your channel is such a well of knowledge for me, i think i love you
Baby dermatologist had me confused for a second lol 😂
Congratulations ❤😊 Best Wishes for a long and Happy Career!
@@mthalteromgosh….. it never occurred to me they could’ve meant Dermatologist for Infants 😂 till your post 😂😂😂 That’s Hilarious 😂😂❤
@@jenniferd264i legit thought that was the case lmao
@@mthalterI thought she meant she’s still in dermatology residency. A baby in her career 😂
This is the sort of content I hope for when some RUclipsrs preface their videos by saying they've done "research" into a certain topic, specifically those that tout their content as "educational". Really an excellent video! It was super informative while also being easy to follow and entertaining. Thank you! I learned a lot!
Since I know some people will only watch the first few minutes of the video and end up thinking she’s saying the exact opposite of what she’s actually saying, here’s the summary: 14:30
Thank you
That's me. Thank you.
you deserve an award for your effort teaching science with common sense and creativity. Confession: I sent a message to youtube to tell them how extraordinary your videos are. Dr. Wong you're an excellent chemistry youtuber/teacher and not bad actress, brava! Claps in form of likes please.
We need more cork board Michelle!
Seriously, thank you! You have a talent to make things educational, informative, interesting, and funny. Your smarts and hard work really shine in this video :)
wow your studies/trials explanation was amazing. I’ve never heard anyone explain it this well and with passion!
I think a lot of people think being skeptical or going against the mainstream automatically makes them scientific. It's cool to doubt. I listened to an episode of a podcast that was all about debunking everything, and the host interviewed a dermatologist who'd written a book on how retinoids basically do almost nothing (I had a lot of moments where I really wish I could have directly posed some questions to the dermatologist because she didn't seem to be taking everything into account), and at the end, the interviewer smugly asks the dermatologist if she personally uses retinoids, obviously expecting she'd say "hell no!" But the dermatologist said she does use them, because they work a little!
I think that might be the podcast I referenced at the start 😅 Agree, there's a huge trend of edgy contrarian doctors at the moment ignoring all evidence beside clinical trial evidence, a few of the Science-Based Medicine writers have dubbed it "methodolatry" and it's a really interesting topic!
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience Oh, it reminded me of that podcast, but I wasn't sure! That was the first and only episode I listened to because the interviewer seemed like she wanted retinoids to be a scam because certain other skincare ingredients have been shown to be ineffective, so that must be applicable to all popular skincare ingredients. Methodolatry's a good term for it! People seem to like stuff to be disproven more than to actually do the work to figure out what's true.
It was so great to get so much context about the usage of retinol: about the publishing ecosystem in both academia and industry, as well as how to interpret the studies that there are, even though there aren't clinical trials. Also, the use of the corkboard was perfect!
you are such a fantastic science communicator! such an underrated and important skill when research is constantly being twisted and misrepresented in media.
One of the best videos in the RUclips skincare game! I loved watching this and learning about the practicalities of research. Thank you!!!!
What I like about you is that you’re not doing the typical “it works, trust me, bro” video. You actually encourage people to do their own research.
Thank you!!
I've never been interested in cosmetics but this is such a thorough and interesting insight into it. I'm always delighted to be shown the hidden complexities behind a topic. This is the kind of quality most information should be! Congrats!
Your board of crazy cracked me up---the messy hair, the smudged eyeliner---amazing. As academia-adjacent (creative writing PhD student) I LOVE hearing about how you've appraised the research. THANK YOU!
This video is pure GOLD! As expected from the queen! Looking forward to more videos like this on other ingredients. Lots of love 🥰
Glad you liked it!! 😁
You’re my new favorite RUclipsr. Just discovered your channel, and now I must binge-watch all your content. You’re amazing! 🙌🏾
Michelle ur explanation and method to showing and presentation has improved over the years!! ☺️ It feels so easy to understand and know what’s going on around
Girl, you rock! This was your best video, it was clear and the addition of humor was genius. I have wondered about the lack of well designed, double blinded skincare studies, especially on more than a handful of people. I knew it was about research funding, but I understand now that it’s more than just the money.
Michelle your scientific communication skills are incredible and some of the best I’ve ever seen!
Thank you! 🥰
You've done it again Doc - one of your best to-date!
thanks for the time, effort, drawings and humour you put into edumucating us!
Excellent video!! So educational but still fun and not dry or too long! Wish more of my professors had been like you!
Thank you! 😊
I'm a professor and also wish I was more like her!
@@BU272
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@@BU272im sure you have your own qualities that she could learn from you!
So much work went into this video! Both informative and fun
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Yes it was a ridiculous amount of work but I think it was worth it, I felt like the topic deserved a thorough treatment.
Your content is so so so amazing! Never get tired of watching your videos!
This channel is what I've been looking for for so long... Accurate scientific facts instead of fancy doctors with paid products. Good job!
Yay! I was so hoping you'd cover the Sci VS. pod. This was a great video
really good break down of why there isn't much high quality research into retinol and that things still can work without perfect evidence for it!! entertaining and informative
Thank you so much for this video! It not only explains if, why and how retinol works but why and how science works. Clinical trials aren't the end all be all.
This is the video I have been waiting for ever since listening to the Science Vs podcast episode on skin care. An absolutely brilliant explanation not just of retinol but of how science sciences.
I am only part way through this video and I’m enjoying it even more than I thought I would. Your creative and teaching skills are ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Can't even imagine the amount of time and effort you put into this, so thank you!! My skin still isn't sure yet if it likes retinoids in any form, but this helps clarify (as much as it can!) why it seems some OTC products seem stronger/more effective than others. Much to think about.
I've been using retinol for almost 2 years now and my skin is FLAWLESS. Started at 23 (now 25) with Selfless by Hyram's retinol (0.2 + tranexamic acid + rainbow alge) for almost 1 year and half and now with Kiehl's retinol (0.3) x 3 times a week and i absooooooolutely don't regret it. Get yourself a Retinol, a moisturizer with Niacinamide and Ceramides to put on top, a Niacinamide, a Salicylic acid and a AHA serum for the rest of the week and BOOM! Bye-bye breakout, bye-bye lines, hello glass skin!
This sounds like a good regimen 👍
That sounds being 25🤷🏻♀️
@@betito5192 😂😂😂😂 come back to us after 10 years and kids
genuinely dont know what you are talking about, are you trying to say that all young people have glass skin?@@betito5192
Tbh when I was that age I could have used everclear and vaseline and I wouldn't have lines... because, you know,of the age 😅 That being said, starting sun protection and good habits early is super important... especially the sun protection part. A lot of skin condition is still genetic and metabolic, and perfect routine might still not give perfect results to people with different baseline. Enjoy the effects, just don't overdo it.
Thanks! This is so amazing to hear. You’re the only person I trust when it comes to skin care!
took me back to those chem classes oh my god MISSED THIS Michelle :( the way you communicate AMAZING.
This video was awesome! As a psych student I loved the deep dive into research in the industry (or lack thereof)
So interesting and informative. Thank you for teaching us.
The work put into this video was awesome! Keep up the good work fam! 😄
Love this!! You could make a whole scientific article just to talk about this and publish it
this was such a good and refreshing video. the effort and passion you put into these really shows. thank you!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for such informative videos!
This is such an excellent video! Thank you for breaking the topic down.
This was an excellent video! So well explained. Thank you for all the work you put into this.
As a self-proclaimed student learning about skincare and having the benefits using Tretinoin your channel has been significant about getting what is useful and what is wasteful in skincare. Thanks!
this was so funny and suuuperr informative!!! i appreciate your insight in breaking down the science for ppl (especially as someone that didn't do so hot in chemistry class!) + giving us the deal on the research and studies aspect (and the government!!) 10/10 on the production, the graphics are so nice to look at, too 😂looking forward to the next video ❤👌
FANTASTIC EXPLANATIONS! Very well done!👍
Thank you for this video Michelle, I’ve always wondered about this topic ❤
Definitely does, nothing else helped my acne for years until I started trying various retinol. I didn't love tretinoin from gp as my skin was so dry if I smiled I felt it split. But I got one for very dry skin from paula's choice and it's slower to work but is healing my skin so well
Loved the crazy scientist vibe.you're my only trusted source of all things skin❤
Amazing video! Loved the information combined with the comedy. You have helped me so much in the past to get a deeper understanding of academia and chemistry! ❤
This was excellent, would love to see a labmuffin update on innovations in skincare research
Loved this video! Especially the cork board 😂 can’t wait to see more about retinoids 👀
Coming soon! (hopefully)
I spoiled myself when I scanned through the comments before getting to the evidence board segments, but I was still not prepared for the perfection that it is, communicating both the facts and the feeling. "That's not how companies think, they don't have skin." (6:48) encapsulates so much in this context and can be applicable in other circumstances as well.
I am Impressed youre one of the few who actually Critisize Studies and not blindly use them.
Thnak you so mich its a instant sub
This video is fantastic! High quality scientific communication 👏
Would love to see a video breaking down what you actually do and don’t need to do in terms of skincare, it feels like so much is a very expensive scam, and you’re kind of left to figure it out. Would love a “these are basics that do in fact work and everyone should do” and “these are the additional steps that can address specific common issues” video, for the skincare fed-up people of the world!
She has an e-book I have seen
Super interesting video, I've learned a lot, thank you! I didn't know, for example, that retinoids had two different categories. I, personally, prefer adapalene over retinol. I've tried both and adapalene had less side effects on me and provided the same results.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your wonderful videos! The time you must invest in making them, and sharing your expertise at no cost, you are amazing! Every time I watch, I know I’m getting real, objective information from a credible source. Love it!
What a little masterpiece of a video. SO GOOD.
I think it works. I use it and it makes my skin look great.
Haven’t finished the video yet but the cutaway to the conspiracy board + “as a person who owns skin” sent me😂 Also love how thorough your explanations are of how clinical trials and studies work!
Great video! I definitely learned some new things about the industry and retinol itself! Thank you for your work as always.
Loved the entertainment combined with accurate info about science!
Very interesting video, instant subscribe! My experience: I have been using Adapalene for over a year now daily before bed and I can say my skin looks so visibly different, it's evident without the need for scientific imaging for quantification and also discounting for some amount of "self-percention-distortion-via-placebo-effect". I never tried "typical cosmetic" Retinol, I went straight for the more druggy-variant. 😅
Yep I just started adapalene and had retinization, so I guess that's my sign that it's working
@@manojipereira9169what is retinization?
yeah it took me a year, but my acne never came back
I did too. Why would I pay so much money for something less effective?
As someone in their 20s with acne prone skin, I believe that adapalene is superior to retinol. But that shouldn't be surprising☺️ I just wished it was available over the counter in the EU...
It's difficult enough to find dermatologists without a long waiting list...
Thank you! I like both your videos and Science Vs. podcast and was a bit disappointed when I listened to that episode.
I needed your video
Another fantastic video, thank you for sharing your knowledge!
“….as someone who owns skin…” priceless!
It breaks my heart how few viewers you have 😭
I want you to get that ad revenue so you can make more videos and I can put them on while I do chores and errands
Thank you so much! The biggest bottleneck is the research part, the dream would be to hire someone to help with that... in the mean time, if you aren't already aware of it, I did 2 seasons of a podcast called Skincare School with Adore Beauty!
This video is awesome. Thank you for your service to science and beauty and common sense in general 👑
That is the content i love. Thank you so much for your effort!
Great video but I have one follow up question. While I dont doubt retinol works in (relatively) short term improvement of skin but shouldnt it by speeding up the cell cycle actually make skin age faster? I mean cells having more or less fixed number of times they can divide and all that. I was searching for some papers about this but didnt find anything except a few dermatologists saying "no its ok".
If anyone got sth please comment link
The Hayflick limit does not apply to skin cells because they are constantly being replenished by stem cells. A typical skin cell lives for about 27 days, but it is constantly being replaced by new cells from the stem cell population. This means that a typical human will go through many more than 50 layers of skin cells in their lifetime.
I noticed some wrinkles on my forehead forming a couple of months ago and immediately I started using retinol serum every night on my forehead and I see a big improvement. So for me it works 🤗🤗
you're likely just getting the benefits of moisturisation and paying attention to a regular routine
@@SueRosalie nope, I always moisturized and had a routine before using retinol :) retinol serum is the only thing that changed and after using it for 6-7 months I see a difference
I break out sometimes if I use too much, but it’s helping my forehead as well
Loved your creativity and efforts 👏 ❤
Bravo!!! SO entertaining and SO informative! Love it
Great video. This echoes my experience with retinol, retinaldehyde, and tretinoin, as well: I've used all three, and they all produce the same result on my skin. Tretinoin just works a bit faster but is also more finicky to use in terms of dosing. And while any retinoid can make me ruddy-looking if I overuse it, tret can sometimes have this effect overnight from one use, so I still keep retinaldehyde on hand to swap in for tretinoin if I have an important event the next day and don't want to risk looking sunburned.
Yes, I have the exactly same experience as you.
Retinoids works really well for me. I can feel the difference in my skin (really quickly) when I stop using.
Wow, it’s good to know that all forms of retinoids provide the same results in the long term. I have sensitive skin so I can only tolerate retinol, but I’ve been feeling like I’m missing out for not using tretinoin. Your comment gives me the reassurance that retinol is just as good as long as I stay consistent.
@@nado5918 there's variation between individuals due to enzyme polymorphism (thanks to @moskinlab for that terminology 😁), so my skin may just be unusually good at metabolizing retinol and retinaldehyde. I'm also only using retinoids for preventative antiaging and not to treat a medical condition or severe photodamage.
But yes, on my skin, they all get to the same endpoint, the difference is just speed. I also have sensitive skin (DSNW in the Baumann system), and I think a lot of people who make pronouncements like "tret daily or bust" don't realize they have resistant skin and won't understand our skintype.
Especially if you've tried tret and weren't able to tolerate it at any strength or frequency of application, I think it's fine to stick with nondrug retinoids like retinaldehyde or retinol. The alternative of leaving your skin in a perpetually irritated state just so you can say you're using tret isn't really sustainable long-term: you'll wind up with an even more impaired skin barrier which can paridoxically make your skin look worse or even "older" until it's healed.
I need Help. I use the inkey list retinol serum.
It Hurts on my skin. Why?
@@n.m.3995 you may be unusually sensitive to one of the retinoids in the product or to something in the vehicle. Have you experienced such a reaction with other retinoid products?
Good timing. I just heard this come up recently in some comment sections. Most seem to say tretinoin is the only thing that works.
I SWEAR to god I used differen gel for YEARS to clear my cystic acne. It worked a treat, now I use a serum with bakuchiol and encapsulated retinol and it works the same as the differen gel did on my acne. It also gets rid of dark spots from sun damage.
Weaker retinoids are great for young people to prevent weakening of the skin, and they are anti-microbial. Even cheap retinoids can prevent some acne and likely to prevent infections. Retinol is also now being used as an antibiotic alternative to treating MRSA/other resistant skin infections. As a MRSA carrier, I can confirm even lower end retinoid moisturizers can go a long way in treating mild infection and preventing infections altogether. You need moisturizer for skin infections, despite the common belief that you need to let them dry out.
THANK YOU SO MUCH GOR THIS VERY EDUCATIVE VIDEO! I ENJOYED EVERY BIT OF IT! ❤❤❤
You are doing gods honest work explaining to lay people how to evaluate scientific papers
Thank you! 😀 Please also do a similar video about if vitamin C (and all it's 1 000 000 different forms) actually work.
She's done it before
I did one on LAA but the one on derivatives is taking a while, partly because of the stuff I explained here - a lot of the data is supplier data and it's a mess to sort through! 😭 It'll happen
@@LabMuffinBeautyScienceI’m excited for this! I actually rewatched your LAA video a couple of weeks ago and looked for the followup on derivatives, and thought you’d maybe just moved on from it- I’m excited that it’s coming!
This should be interesting!
Love the creativity ❤❤❤
Being a science nerd, I love this kind of thing. I enjoy learning the science behind why things work the way they do. This was super informative!
Overall, I personally think retinol works to improve your skin. I don’t think it’s a miracle ingredient, but I think once you get over the adjustment period, your skin looks better overall.
9:18 btw this is what lisa eldridge did, she tested using her cleanser against nothing and then showed hydration levels. It could entirely be down to the water and not her cleanser and that is not mentioned but the "clinical trial results" are mentioned so many times in her marketing
Your videos are alwasy a pleasure to watch ⭐✨
thank you! thank you thank you!
appreciate your honesty!
❤
Thanks to this video I now know that my skin is made of lasagne. As an Italian it was a vital information for me to have. Can't wait to find out if my hair is made of spaghetti
I did actually use a "hair is spaghetti" explanation in this video 😅 ruclips.net/video/-_3P3OGVzSA/видео.html
@@LabMuffinBeautyScience omg I had even watched that video but forgot about the spaghetti metaphor 😅
Lab Muffin Subconscious Science 👀
Skincare, science AND Tim Minchin clips in the same video? Yes please thank you.
😀
I taught high school science and spent countless lessons showing how to evaluate data in studies. Thank you for helping people see what’s behind the curtain.
awesooome! waiting for part 2 ❤
In Japan, there is a quasi drug class that a lot of skincare is in where it's not like a medicine, but it is acknowledged to be something with a strong effect such as a vitamin C product. What do you think about this?
I’m really interested about learning more about retinol and how it works in this easy to understand format. I’m not a scientist or chemist so I really value information like this. I can’t wait for the retinol video and must go back and rewatch the other video about choosing one. Recently I’ve been using Naturim’s Retinaldehyde cream serum and wondered if their clams that retinal is a more broken down version of retinol that absorbs better into the skin is true. I hope I can learn the science behind things like this so I can make more informed choices.
@@jehorigby8778prescription retinoids aren't universally cheaper: I pay $70 a tube for tret, and a lot of retinol and retinaldehyde formulas come in way under that.
In fact, really the only way to get prescription retinoids much cheaper is to get them prescribed for a medical condition (e.g., acne) and to have health insurance that will cover that usage. Almost no private insurers will pay for retinoids prescribed for cosmetic use, and not all doctors are comfortable with falsifying a medical condition in a prescription in order to have it covered by a patient's insurance.
There is also the option of importing them from overseas without a prescription, which risks safety issues with the product or confiscation by customs. They can also be purchased physically if one visits a country that sells them OTC (e.g., Mexico, some Southern European countries) in person, but there's still a risk, albeit minor, of them not being allowed past customs.
Adapalene 0.1% is really the only drug retinoid that's on-par pricewise with nondrug retinoids like retinol and retinaldehyde, and it's now inexpensive because it's OTC, but it's only really been studied at the 0.3 % strength for antiaging, and that strength is still prescription-only, so would suffer the same pricing and access issues.
So unless someone is using a particularly expensive retinol or retinaldehyde formula or has a doctor willing to write a prescription for a retinoid for a medical condition and this is covered by their insurance, getting a prescription retinoid is often going to be the more expensive choice.
@@jehorigby8778 i understand a lot of the basics but I just want to know the difference between retinol and retinal. They appear to be similar, even in name, and I just wondered if one absorbed better than the other. The Naturium product was interesting to me because it uses retinaldehyde instead of retinol. Some “research” has suggested this is a better treatment than retinol. I don’t really consider the $30 dollar cream expensive, but a trip to a doctor to get something prescribed is definitely out of my price range.
Really great video. I'm a sucker for cosmetics being examined scientifically. Looking forward to the next video!
Wow. Amazing video, seriously, you put a lot of work into that. And thank you. I heard that podcast and it confused me! Thanks for clearing it up. Consider me a new subscriber!