Vitamin A Cream: Skin Care Product

Advertisements make great promises for many skin care products including the removal of wrinkles and as a cure for acne. Vitamin A plays a large part in many of these as its consumption and deficiency is known to play a large part in the condition of the skin.

Vitamin A has been available in large quantities since it was first produced industrially in 1946 by Oto Isla. Up to about 25 years ago the vitamin was taken orally but since then has been available in many other forms. It was originally taken to help night blindness but later to treat cases of anemia and skin problems.

Too Little or Too Much Vitamin A

Bad diet and especially alcoholism can cause a deficiency of vitamin A even in developed countries. Among the first signs of vitamin A deficiency are: abnormal visual adaptation to darkness, dry skin, dry hair, broken fingernails, and decreased resistance to infections.

Paradoxically, too much Vitamin A also dries the skin - and it is this effect that is used to treat many skin problems. It is possible to over-dose on vitamin A if taken orally and care should be taken especially if pregnant.

Natural Sources of Vitamin A

Many foods naturally contain vitamin A and so to help keep the skin healthy it is good to ensure that these are included in the diet. The best sources are:

- liver
- sweet potato
- carrots
- mangoes
- spinach
- cantaloupe
- dried apricots
- milk
- egg yolks
- mozzarella cheese

Vitamin A Cream to Treat Wrinkles

A major promise of vitamin A creams is that of reducing wrinkles.

Applying vitamin A to the skin appears to improve the wrinkles associated with natural aging and may help to promote the production of skin-building compounds.

So as well as reducing wrinkles it does appear to help reduce, or at least delay, the wrinkles returning. In fact tests demonstrated that even on woman whose average age was 87, the wrinkles were reduced.

Vitamin A to Treat Acne, Blackheads and Wrinkles

The vitamin is excellent at treating many forms of skin complaint especially those caused or resulting in oily skin such as:

- Acne
- Oily Skin
- Wrinkles
- Precancerous Skin Lesions (Actinic Keratoses)
- Flat Warts
- Psoriasis

It is particularly good at removing the little 'plug' in spots and then flattening small inflammatory papules or bumps in the skin.

Creams Versus Gels

Creams will hydrate the skin and so should not be used if already oily. To dry the skin a gel should be chosen or even a 'solution' that can dry the skin even further.

It is therefore very important to know the skin type to ensure that the right product is chosen. It is advised to put a little on the skin every other night to start with and test the effects.

A good diet that includes vitamin A will help the body keep the skin healthy. If the body struggles with either teenage acne or the beginning of wrinkles then creams and gels can be used. The best news is that the medical evidence is that vitamin A creams have been proven to help many skin conditions and even to truthfully reduce wrinkles.