Lab Muffin Beauty Science

The science of beauty, skincare, makeup and nails

  • Home
  • Science
  • Browse
    • Archives
    • Reviews by Brand
    • Random Post
  • About
    • About Michelle
    • Site Policies
    • Follow
  • Shop
    • Shop
    • Skincare eBook
  • FREE Exfoliation Guide!

Vitamin A – what does it do for your skin?

March 23, 2012 By Michelle 15 Comments

Affiliate Disclosure: I receive a small commission for purchases made via affiliate links.

Vitamins are amazing for your body, but what do they do when you rub them on your skin? Earlier we looked at vitamin C and what it does – now let’s take a gander at vitamin A, one of the most amazing products for your skin!

 Stephen Ausmus

Vitamin A is found in vegetables (such as carrots), egg yolk, liver and fish oil. It actually isn’t one compound, but a range of different, related compounds which all act similarly in the body, and are generally referred to as retinoids. There are also some synthetic retinoids which do the same thing too. One of the most widely found retinoids, retinol, is shown below:

 

Vitamin A has a lot of important functions in the body, including in the eye and the immune system. It’s also important in skin health.

Retinoids have been used since the 1970s for treating acne. It’s mainly used as a cream that’s applied to skin – retinoids used this way include retinoic acid, retinyl palmitate, isotretinoin, tretinoin, retinol and tazarotene. It can also be taken as tablets – the most commonly used is isotretinoin (Roaccutane). Retinoids reduce sebaceous gland size and secretion, and reduces the amount of bacteria in the skin, which is one of the main causes of acne! It suppresses keratinisation – in other words, it reduces the chances of dead skin cells clumping together and causing clogged pores. It also reduces inflammation (redness and swelling).

Creams containing retinoids have also been found to decrease signs of photoageing (sun damage) such as wrinkles, dark spots and roughness. It works mainly by enhancing the rate of skin repair, and increases collagen temporarily – but once you stop using it, the damage can quickly come back!

Rosacea and psoriasis can also be treated with oral retinoids. Taking retinoid tablets has also been shown to slow down the progress of some skin cancers.

However, long term use of retinoids can sometimes result in a lot of unpleasant side effects, and you can even overdose on them! It can dry out your skin completely, cause hair loss and damage your liver. It’s also a teratogen (affects your baby if you’re pregnant), and can give you headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal problems and weak bones. Topical vitamin A is much safer, with irritated and flaky skin (dermatitis) being the main side effect, but in some cases it might not be enough.

One of my favourite skin products, rose hip oil, is full of vitamin A! 🙂

References

K L Keller and N A Fenske. Uses of vitamins A, C, and E and related compounds in dermatology: A review. J Amer Acad Dermatol 1998, 39, 611.

A M Kligman, G L Grove, R Hirose and J J Leyden. Topical tretinoin for photoaged skin. J Amer Acad Dermatol 1986, 15, 836.

S Noble, A J Wagstaff. Tretinoin. A review of its pharmacological properties and clinical efficacy in the topical treatment of photodamaged skin. Drugs Aging 1995, 6, 479.

J H Rabe, A J Mamelak, P J S McElgunn, W L Morison and D N Sauder, Photoaging: Mechanisms and repair. J Amer Acad Dermatol 2006, 55, 1.


Related Posts

  • Ascorbyl Glucoside Vitamin C: Avène A-Oxitive
  • Easy (5 Minute) DIY Vitamin C Serum Recipe
  • Busting Retinoid Skincare Myths (with Video)
  • Ultra Violette’s New Clean Screen & “Chemical” SPF for sensitive skin

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Google
  • More
  • Tumblr

Filed Under: Science, Skincare Tagged With: active ingredients, anti-ageing, biology, chemical, natural, safety, science, skincare, vitamin

« Artsy Wednesday: Blue nails
Nails: Inspired by… »

Comments

  1. PrettyPurplePolish says

    March 23, 2012 at 9:54 am

    Wow! Thanks for another very informative and easy to understand post! Might have to get myself some rose hip oil. 🙂

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      March 24, 2012 at 9:49 pm

      That stuff works amazingly for me! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Presh Polish says

    March 23, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    Very interesting, thank you! Reading your blog makes me feel smarter <3

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      March 24, 2012 at 9:50 pm

      Haha thanks!

      Reply
  3. Lise says

    May 4, 2012 at 11:05 pm

    Also topical retinoids clear up out of control skin growths, like warts, and there is possible linkage to mood disorders, at least isotretinoin, if taken orally. I wonder if Roaccutane ( formerly Accutane?) changed brand names slightly because of related bad press.

    Reply
    • LabMuffin says

      May 5, 2012 at 2:26 pm

      That makes sense, with abnormal keratinisation and all 🙂

      I think they did – their reasoning for continuing to prescribe it is that bad acne probably causes more cases of depression, which sounds fair enough to me. You’d think they’d change the name to something without “accutane” in it though!

      Reply
    • El Beauty Blog de Eli says

      May 22, 2017 at 7:06 pm

      I had Accutane last year and whereas it cleared up my skin instantly it make me moody and depressed (and I’ve never had a history of depression or mental illness). One I stopped taking, after 15 days I went back to my normal self, it was such a mood swift that I literally felt ecstatic.

      Reply
  4. Olena Beley says

    April 21, 2016 at 3:29 pm

    Great article! But what about the research saying that retinyl palmiate is potentially toxic? Is there any truth to that?

    Also, have you ever tried egg yolk masks? They’re supposed to be full of Vitamin A and I wonder how our skin would fare with regular egg yolk masks..

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      April 21, 2016 at 11:35 pm

      It potentially generates free radicals when applied to skin that’s then exposed to sunlight – I generally wouldn’t use vitamin A in the daytime anyway, since light often breaks it down!

      Egg yolk has 381 μg of vitamin A per 100 g according to Wikipedia – that’s 0.000381%. In terms of diet that’s a lot but in terms of skincare it isn’t much at all. My retinol cream has 1%! Leave-on products also generally deliver more active ingredients than a mask, so I don’t think an egg yolk mask would do much in terms of vitamin A.

      Reply
  5. Ann Marie Strong says

    November 10, 2017 at 12:43 pm

    Michelle, I️ve been hearing about retinal. What’s the scoop on that? Retinaldehyde i believe.

    Reply
  6. christina says

    May 5, 2020 at 12:17 am

    say I put on retinol in the evening, around 7pm after washing my face, then sit around under my indoor lightbulbs watching TV or reading until midnight or later. does the indoor light render my retinol ineffective?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. If You Smoke, Your Future's Not Pretty - Lab Muffin says:
    January 18, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    […] – Smoking also degrades elastin fibres in your skin which leads to additional sagging – eye bags, saggy boobs, lower lip lines.- Vitamin A is also reduced by smoking – vitamin A has lots of great effects on skin. […]

    Reply
  2. Review: A'kin Rosehip Oil - Lab Muffin says:
    March 9, 2016 at 9:47 am

    […] A – anti-acne, anti-hyperpigmentation, collagen-boosting, anti-clogging goodness – see here for more Vitamin E – antioxidant – can help reduce wrinkles, roughness and sun […]

    Reply
  3. Paula's Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Review and Price Comparison - Lab Muffin says:
    March 22, 2016 at 11:54 pm

    […] is one of those ingredients that seems to do it all. It’s a vitamin A derivative (collectively known as retinoids), and it’s the strongest one you can get without a prescription. Vitamin A’s skincare […]

    Reply
  4. A for Effort: How Vitamin A Benefits Acne, Wrinkles and Collagen – Comfortable in Your Own Skin says:
    March 10, 2017 at 4:31 pm

    […] A is used to describe a family of fat-soluble compounds that are collectively known as retinoids. These potent compounds affect the health of your skin at the cellular level by binding to a […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter RSS YouTube

Michelle
Hi! I'm Michelle, chemistry PhD and science educator, and I'm here to help you figure out which beauty products are worth buying, and which ones aren't using science!

New Posts Straight to Your Inbox!

https://labmuffin.com/signup-confirmation/

skincare guide skincare guide

Popular Posts

  • My Current Evening Skincare Routine
  • Purging vs Breakouts: When to Ditch Your Skincare
  • How Does Olaplex Hair Treatment Work?
  • Don't Use Lemon Juice on Your Skin
  • Easy (5 Minute) DIY Vitamin C Serum Recipe
  • My Routine for Starting on Tretinoin (Retin-A) Cream

Copyright © 2021 Lab Muffin
 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · Privacy Policy · WordPress · Log in

All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations when accompanied by a citation and link.

Get Lab Muffin updates (comes with a FREE Essential Guide to Exfoliation!)
Your information will be stored to send you emails. For more information see Privacy Policy.