The concept of Vitamin A seems straightforward, right?

It’s a vitamin, it’s in lots of stuff, it must be good for us. But! The second we start to ask questions about it, we see that there is a whole lot more going on. And people in the Skin Actives family are inquisitive by nature, so of course we’re going to ask. So, why isn’t Vitamin A just Vitamin A? What are these things called retinoids?

Retinoids is a scientific name for  Vitamin A. If you’ve ever struggled with acne, you may be familiar with the “Retin” naming convention because of  vitamin A’s acne fighting power.

But retinoids are an important part of our overall nutrition. Ever since the 1920s, people have been studying Vitamin A and putting it to work for our health. It is required for vision, immune function, bone metabolism and, notably, embryonic development (that’s why an excess in vitamin A can affect embryonic development). All of this is in addition to being good for our skin. 

Should you use a retinoid?

Why do you have to use retinoids? Because retinoids will help you with very common problems that everybody will have at one time or another: acne and skin aging.

Benefits of Retinoids on Your Face

There are a couple major effects that you are looking fo+r when you consider starting to use retinoids.

• Acne Control - As stated previously, this use is very popular. Vitamin A fights acne because it accelerates skin renewal and normalizes keratinization.
• Damage Control - Are you looking for help fixing the effects of sun damage, or improving skin texture, and normalizing pigmentation? Well, you’ll want to consider Vitamin A.
• Wrinkle Reduction - Vitamin A is an antioxidant and so it will help neutralize those free radicals that make up 80% of what we read as physical aging. This means wrinkle reduction!

Cons of Using a Retinoid

First of all it’s important to note that retinoids have earned a reputation for being kind of hard on your skin. Skin irritation, peeling, redness, sensitive skin are all side-effects that you can find, especially in prescription strength retinol based products.

Second, it should be noted that there are hundreds of different chemicals, too many to name here, that share some of the activities of vitamin A. The problem becomes that their different structures also mean that they interact with your body differently, and can create a wide range of side effects. Each of these reactions is going to be unique, and it’s a lot to stay on top of, especially when you are trying to help your skin, not hurt it.

Choose a Vitamin A product that has good activity while minimizing the negative effects.

What Retinoid is Right For You?

Many people can’t use topical prescription retinoids because of its side effects, which include skin irritation. 

If the negative effects of prescription strength retinoids are too much for your skin, retinyl esters, such as retinyl acetate, is a good alternative.  They work just as well or better, and because they don’t have serious side effects and don’t require medical supervision. The take home lesson is that it is simply not worthwhile to suffer the side effects of other synthetic forms of vitamin A. Skin Actives Scientific has two ready-made products, Vitamin A Cream and Vitamin A Serum that deliver the benefits of retinyl acetate safely, in the form that works best for you, either serum or cream.

What to Avoid if You Are Using a Vitamin A product?

This is important! We’re not dermatologists here, and we won’t tell you that we are. But this is what your dermatologist will tell you, and you should listen to them!

The Sun - Retinoid products make you much more sensitive to the rays of the sun. Flouting this warning can really hurt you! Use your retin-based products in the evening or before you go to bed. And always, either way, use sunscreen!

Exfoliation, Physical or Chemical - Vitamin A is already working hard at  renewing your skin. Adding even mildly caustic elements such as ascorbic acid or other alpha hydroxy acids you should expect trouble.

Drying Products - If it dries out your skin, you should probably avoid it during your Vitamin A regimen. This includes anything containing alcohol (like ethanol)! At Skin Actives we advise against alcohol based products anyway. Alcohol dries and ages your skin, so why would you want it to be part of your skin health routine? This warning goes double if you are using retinol products. Be gentle!

Stand-Ins - There’s no need to go for “fake” Vitamin A stand-ins like bakuchiol. Retinoids are the chemical of choice for retinoid-like effects. Read more about bakuchiol on our blog.

Why Use Retinyl Acetate on Your Skin?

As we say, time and time again, more is not always better. 

In the human epidermis, low concentrations of retinoids generally increase keratinocyte proliferation, but high concentrations can actually be inhibitory. 

Not all retinoids are the same.  You don’t necessarily need prescription retinoids to make your skin younger, retinyl acetate will do the trick. Many people find that topical prescription strength retinoids upset their skin because of its side effects, which include skin irritation. 

We know that this is not a problem with retinyl esters, like retinyl acetate, because they work just as well, but are gentle on your skin.

The take home lesson is that it is simply not worthwhile to suffer the side effects of the many forms of synthetic vitamin A. Especially when Skin Actives has two ready made products able to deliver the benefits of retinyl acetate safely!