Tried, Tested + True >>> Not All Vitamin A's are Created Equal

Not all Vitamin A derivatives are created equal! (there’s even one you should avoid)

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Regardless of the skin issues or concerns you have, Vitamin A has a place in your skin care regimen. Acne, wrinkles, brown spots and hyper-pigmentation, when treated with the correct formulations can all be treated and with exceptional results. In fact this clever nutrient can communicate with damaged cells to function normally again. (often referred to as DNA repair) 

Here are the different forms of Vitamin A's used topically in cosmetic formulations:

Retinoid acid is the only form of vitamin A that is readily available for uptake by epidermal skin cells. Other derivatives of vitamin A need to be transformed first, before being bioavailable for cellular uptake.

1. PRESCRIPTION VITAMIN A // The prescription form of vitamin A, also known as tretinoin, retinoic acid and adapalene. When applied topically it is accepted directly into the skin cell, which makes it a highly effective ingredient for the treatment of lines, wrinkles, hyper-pigmentation and acne. Unfortunately, retinoic acid can be very irritating to the skin and should be SLOWLY phased in a BALANCED skin care routine. 

2. RETINOL // This form of Vitamin A is an OTC (non prescription) alternative. Retinol needs to be converted into retinoic acid (a 2-step process) which lowers the effectiveness (and potential for irritation), but despite this, retinol still packs enough punch to be gentle enough while delivering exceptional results for aging and acne-prone skins. Although there may be some mild irritation initially, this usually subsides after a few weeks of use.

3. RETINYL PALMITATE // This is a combination of retinol and palmitic acid, which although converts to retinoic acid, the path is long (3 steps) and by the time it has converted to retinoic acid has lost much of its ability to make any difference to the skin cell. You would need a high concentration of retinyl palmitate for it to be significantly effective and most skin care brands who use retinyl palmitate as their sole source of vitamin A rarely put enough in the cream or serum. It is not enough to add a sprinkling of a derivative of vitamin A just so it can be added to the ingredient list and marketed as an anti-ageing solution!! An anti-aging cream that has retinyl palmitate as its sole source of vitamin A is a waste of your money and we do NOT recommend it. 

Want to know which Vitamin A is best for your skin? Here are a few of our favourites ~ call us to know which one would be best for you, or simply shop online by clicking the links below!

403.287.1477 // www.skinscience.md/shop

DermaQuest C Infusion Serum (0.2% Retinol) 

SkinCeuticals Retinol 0.5 (0.5% retinol)

DermaQuest Retexture Serum (1.0% retinol, lotion)

DermaQuest Retinol Peptide Youth (1.0% retinol, cream)

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