Vitamin A 

Skincare 

Hello everyone! I have always had an interest in skincare and for the last while I have heard many people talking about vitamin this and vitamin that so I thought I would do some research and try breakdown each element of skincare and try to make it more understandable. To be honest I had not a clue before I started looking into and it is amazing what all these Vitamins can 'supposedly' do for us. I have no idea if they work or not so do not take my word for it!! Anyhow I have broken down what I have learnt in this post. Also I am not in anyway a skincare professional this is merely what I have learned from doing my own research so you should always get professional advice before you incorporate something new in to your skincare routine.

What does Vitamin A do?

Vitamin A is said to help with anti - ageing, improves skin texture and over time will reduce the amount of oil we produce therefore resulting in smaller pore sizes.  

Where do we find Vitamin A?

Vitamin A can be found in two sources. One in food and the other in our skincare products. In food we have two types of Vitamin A -

   Active 

Active forms of Vitamin A ( also known as Retinol) is ready to be absorbed and is found in mainly animal products for example egg yolks. 

Beta - Carotene

This is found in plants for example colourful fruit and vegetables. After the food is ingested it is converted to Retinol (Vitamin A). It can be found in sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach & kale. 

Vitamin A is also found in many skincare products. It was first used to treat acne however after using for a period of time people began to notice that it helped in effectively reducing fine lines and wrinkles. This is because it increases collagen which slows the normal ageing process. 

To begin incorporating Vitamin A into your skincare you can add some of the foods mentioned above and also begin to use skincare products which have forms of Vitamin A in them.

What should you look for? 

There are different forms of Vitamin A - some stronger and some weaker. You will most likely find the strongest form in prescription products. Retinoic Acid is a powerful strength of vitamin A which is usually prescribed by a doctor for acne sufferers. 

If you are looking in over the counter products look for products containing Retinol, Retinyl Palemitate and Retinyl Acetate. However Retinol is a stronger form of Vitamin A and you will most likely see results quicker from this than the other two mentioned above. 

How do you use? 

Because Vitamin A is such a powerful product is important to incorporate it slowly in to your skincare routine. They can tend to irritate the skin when first using and it is normal to see redness/ sensitivity/ dry & flaky skin until your skin becomes acclimated. It is recommended to only use before bed and only as your PM skincare routine. 

To start incorporating into your skincare use the product once a week for a month and then build it up. This way your skin will become used to the new aspect of your skincare routine. Use products which have 0.2% in order to see any changes on the surface of your skin.

It is also SO important to use sun cream when you are using any form of Vitamin A as they can increase UV sensitivity. 

Vitamin A is not recommend for women who are pregnant. 

Products

There are two products I am going to link which are both Vitamin A products. 

The Ordinary Retinol 1% 

Click Here

The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2%

Click Here

There is my guide to Vitamin A. I have tried to explain it as best I could and how I understand it to be. And again I am not a professional so do not take this to heart!!!

Shauna

xoxo