Vitamin A and Its Irresistible Benefits for Your Skin
August 6, 2021 by Ana
You already know that caring for your skin means continuous work. Cleansing, toning, moisturizing, applying sunscreen, and different treatments or masks are daily tasks you can’t skip if you want a beautiful, glowing complexion. Luckily, there are plenty of options and products that can help you achieve your goals, but some of them stand out thanks to their incredible benefits — and Vitamin A is one of them.
What Is Vitamin A?
Known for being a mandatory element for a healthy immune system, good vision, and cell growth, Vitamin A comes in two forms. You can choose between the active type - retinoids- from animal products and beta-carotene from plants. Your liver converts both types to retinol, stores it, or passes it to the lymphatic system to transport it to the rest of your body.
To put it in one sentence, Vitamin A acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage due to free radicals. Your body can take its necessary amount of Vitamin A by eating retinol-rich animal products like beef liver, salmon, shrimp, dairy products, or eggs. And, if you are a vegetarian, you’ll find carotenoids in carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, leafy green vegetables, and fruits like plums, apricots, or mangoes.
But Vitamin A is also available in supplement form. And, because the skin is a retinoid-responsive organ able to absorb vitamin A when applied topically, you can find it in many cosmetic products, such as moisturizers, sunscreen, anti-aging creams, and vitamin-infused oils.
Vitamin A and Its Benefits for Your Skin
It is true that most of your necessary vitamin A intake comes from your diet. But, if you want to have beautiful, glowing skin, you might need to apply this miraculous treatment topically. Here are some of the benefits you get from using beauty products rich in Vitamin A.
1. Protection Against UV Damage and Premature Skin Aging
We know that UV exposure and other aggressors damage our collagen production, and we end up with fine lines, wrinkles, and saggy skin. The great news is that the cells responsible for making new collagen need to be turned on, and this is exactly what retinoids do.
Yes, retinal, retinol and retinoic acid are crucial to cell production and growth. Vitamin A stimulates fibroblasts—the cells responsible for developing tissue that keeps skin firm and healthy—in the deep layers of your skin, boosting collagen production, strengthening your skin, and filling in fine lines below the surface. The result is healthier, smoother, gorgeous skin.
There are many studies around this topic, with similar results and answers. Used regularly, vitamin A creams, serums, and treatments will bring you noticeably fewer wrinkles while significantly increasing collagen production.
2. Glowing Complexion and Decreased Hyper-pigmentation
But wrinkles are not the only annoying skin imperfections, are they? Sun-induced brown spots can also be a problem, as well as overall dull skin. Luckily, not only does Vitamin A lighten those spots, but it also boosts skin radiance.
How does it work? Well, it increases and normalizes skin cell turnover, helping you get rid of pigmented, damaged, and rough surface cells. In addition, retinoids may help to block melanin production, offering you an even-toned, glowing complexion.
3. Slower Oil Production and Clearer Pores
If acne is your principal concern, we also have good news. As you probably know, your pimples come to life when dead skin cells, bacteria, and oil clog your pores, creating the perfect conditions for Propionibacterium acnes, a common bacteria responsible for blemishes.
As we already mentioned before, Vitamin A acts as an antioxidant and protector from damage due to free radicals. When it comes to skin cells, it slows cell aging and keeps your complexion looking younger. But during the same process, it also limits the speed at which the skin cells fall off, having a great impact on the clogging of pores and acne.
How to Choose Your Vitamin A Products
While you can give an over-the-counter vitamin A treatment a try, we have to tell you that these are not as potent as prescription-strength retinoic acid. This means that it is also less irritating to sensitive skin, but results may take longer to see.
If you decide this is the best option, skip the dermatologist visit, and go for a shopping session. When choosing your cream, serum, or treatment, make sure you look for retinol on the ingredient list rather than retinyl palmitate, which is a weaker version of the vitamin.
Another piece of advice you must consider is using sunscreen during the day. Topical retinoids can increase your skin’s sensitivity to UV damage so, don’t leave your house unprotected!
Beauty Takes Time
Like with any other treatment, you have to use Vitamin A regularly to have good results. And, for even better ones, don’t forget about the other steps of your beauty routine. Cleaning, toning, nurturing face masks, hydration, proper sleep, all of these are important for your internal health and external beauty.
And, if looking in the mirror is now synonymous with staring at those annoying fine lines, it's probably time to start using smoothing pads and patches. They are so easy to apply and comfy, you won’t even feel them working on bringing back your skin’s firmness and glow.
Use them during the day while at your desk, running errands, or enhance your beauty sleep and let the pads and patches work to improve irregular collagen structure and increase blood flow during the night. Whatever you choose, the results will make you worry and wrinkle-free!
