You might have heard that vitamin A is good for your skin or you might even be using a cream that contains vitamin A. Vitamin A is rapidly being added to everything! Every single beauty product that we put on our skin gets absorbed into our tissues and our blood. Is it safe to be putting skincare with vitamin A added on to our skin day after day? We find out!
Retinoid vitamin A cream was first formulated over forty years ago as a treatment for acne (1). Users noticed that it also helped to reduce wrinkles and repair sun damaged skin so it quickly became popular as a treatment for repairing prematurely aged and damaged skin. Vitamin A creams work by rapidly increasing cell turnover to reveal new fresh skin and help to boost collagen and repair the underlying skin layers. The idea is to start with a tiny amount 2-3 times a week and then build up usage slowly over time so your skin can get used to it (1). However, it can be incredibly damaging to the skin and the acid mantle (we’ve been talking about that a lot lately!).
What’s the difference between a retinoid and a retinol?
RETINOIDS:
(Also labelled retinoic acid or tretinoin)(2).
Retinoids are high strength vitamin A creams that are available by prescription only. It has been said that they are twenty times more effective than the over the counter versions but also have a lot more negative side effects of use. Side effects include extreme dryness, flakiness, they can thin the top layer of the skin (the acid mantle), your skin can also be extra sensitive to the sun and can be at an extra risk for sun damage because the acid mantle is compromised. It can also cause skin redness, capillary damage and chapped lips that suffer from moisture loss. If you already have dry, sensitive, eczema-prone skin it is definitely not worth the risk and dermatologists would probably only prescribe the over the counter version if you asked for it. One way to help to counteract any negative effects of a retinoid cream to use it overtop of a moisturiser which can help to protect the acid mantle (2). It is also not advised to use retinoids with other forms of skin renewal processes like AHA/BHA’s or microdermabrasion which could altogether be much too abrasive and really damage your skin. The idea is that over time your skin will get used to the vitamin A and less negative effects will occur; although everyone’s skin is different.
RETINOLS:
(Also labelled retinyl palmitate, retinaldehyde, and retinyl acetate)(2).
Retinols are available to buy over the counter and beauty companies have also been adding retinol to more and more beauty products like eye cream, moisturiser, sunblock and lip balm. Over the counter, retinol’s are weaker and less effective because the body first has to convert the retinol into retinoic acid to be utilised by the skin (2). However, they are much less damaging to the skin and can be better tolerated by people with dry, sensitive skin types (I would still proceed with caution!). Retinols are also what is added to a lot of anti-ageing beauty products. Some natural skincare brands will also occasionally include retinol in some of their products.
Other important issues with vitamin A creams:
Vitamin A creams are definitely not suitable for pregnant women or women who are intending to get pregnant shortly. As we all know too much vitamin A can be detrimental to normal fetal development.
Both forms of vitamin A are unstable when exposed to light and air (2). Prescription and over the counter vitamin A creams should also come packaged in metal. Beauty companies are ignoring this issue when they add vitamin A into products that are going to be sitting out in the sun – like sunblock. There is some controversy as to whether you should put be putting anything with vitamin A on your skin and then going out and exposing your skin to the sun. Some studies have suggested that putting vitamin A on the skin and then going out into the sun could increase the risk of skin cancers. Many dermatologists say only to use it at night time before you go to sleep and that it is not safe for daytime use. When using any product with vitamin A in your skin will initially become more photosensitive so you will definitely need to use sunscreen every day to avoid increased risk of UV damage and photo ageing! (1)
vitamin A is also similar to Botox in that you create a dependency on a product to make your skin look a certain way. Over time you will need to use more and more vitamin A cream to get the same result and then you will have to keep using it indefinitely to keep your skin looking the same way. The focus becomes on using the cream to get that ‘quick fix’ rather than working on the underlying lifestyle choices and nutrition that will create great, healthy skin from within! Even if the skin on your face looks younger from using a cream your body will still be ageing on the cellular level.
The other issue is that all of these pharmaceutical creams would have significantly been tested on animals and they don’t just contain vitamin A they also contain a bunch of chemical based fillers – so not very natural!
A build up of too much vitamin A in our bodies can be toxic! (3). Skin peeling can be a sign that our body is storing too much vitamin A. Vitamin A toxicity can also lead to an increased risk of liver damage, hair loss, brittle bones, osteoporosis and brittle, peeling nails (4). If women are layering different products that contain vitamin A onto their skin it can be hard to determine what is a safe level of exposure.
Natural Alternatives:
VITAMIN A RICH FOOD:
You can get vitamin A from animal based sources like liver and eggs however it is much better to get it from plant based sources that are high in beta-carotene. Plus our bodies can never overdose on vitamin A from beta-carotene because our bodies only ever convert as much as we may need. Plant-based sources of beta-carotene include carrots, kumara, kale, spinach, and broccoli. Having rough bumpy skin also has been linked with a beta-carotene deficiency. Eating plant-based foods high in beta carotene can create smooth glowing skin from the inside out!
ROSE HIP SEED OIL:
A really beautiful, natural alternative to vitamin A cream is rose hip seed oil. Rose hip oil is harvested from rose hips and is then cold pressed to ensure the maximum amount of fatty acids stay intact (5).
Rose hip oil is naturally high in vitamin A (and there are no hidden nasties!) which as we know is a powerful antioxidant to help smooth and regenerate skin texture. Rose hip oil increases cell turnover naturally while protecting the skin from further damage in the process. It is also full of essential fatty acids which help to keep our acid mantle intact and functioning well!
It is also known to naturally repair and correct skin conditions like hyperpigmentation and sun damage, dry and itchy skin, and it also helps to repair scarring, fine lines and helps to prevent free radical damage to the skin (5).
Rose hip oil is also very high in the antioxidant vitamin C which can help to naturally boost collagen production without any nasty side effects. Using oils and serums that contain vitamin C along with including plenty of vitamin C-rich foods in your diet will go a long way to help with your bodies production of collagen naturally.
Best of all Rose hip oil is lightweight, easily absorbed into the skin and can be used on a daily basis. For best results use it at night for a gentle facial massage before bed ♥
Links:
1 – What are Retinoids? from Telegraph
2 – Retinols in Skincare from Ann Marie Gianni
3 – The Problem with Vitamin A from EWG (Environmental Working Group) (They also run SkinDeep where you can check all of your cosmetics for safety)
4 – All Natural Retinol Alternative from The Holistic Mama
5 – Rose Hip Oil from Dr Axe
EY MAG picks:
Apparently, New Zealand skincare brand Trilogy sells one of their signature rose hip beauty oils every twenty-two seconds worldwide! It must be amazing!
