TOPICAL VITAMIN A IN ANTI AGEING AND ROSACEA CARE

Vitamin A is a favourite ingredient in many skin care products. It is also used in prescription only creams and gels to treat acne and Rosacea.

There is some confusion about Vitamin A and the many forms and strengths available so we will attempt to explain in simple terms.

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin which has many important functions in the body. It assists cells to reproduce, is essential for eye health and plays an important role in the immune system.

The role Vitamin A performs is essential for maintaining and repairing skin tissue by promoting the building of new cells and fighting free radicals.

Part of the confusion stems from the fact that some people believe vitamin A is just a topical treatment for acne, which can have side effects. This form of vitamin A is called tretinoin. It is an acid form of vitamin A, available only by prescription.

Tretinoin cream was originally used to treat acne, and it is still used for comedonal acne, a form with many whiteheads and blackheads;

The first studies on sun-damaged skin were done by an American dermatologist more than 30 years ago. These showed that tretinoin, used as a cream, could also reverse some of the signs of ageing.

Those who suffer from Rosacea  generally have a chronic deficiency of Vitamin A so the addition through skin care is a good first step. The inclusion of Vitamins C and E in a product will boost the result.

Names of various forms of Vitamin A:

• Vitamin A. A fat-soluble vitamin essential to the human body.

• Retinoid: A collective term for ingredients derived from vitamin A.

• Retinoic acid: Also known as tretinoin, this is a prescription only vitamin A derivative commonly used to treat acne. Side effects include irritation, dryness, redness, peeling and light sensitivity.

• Tretinoin: Another name for retinoic acid.

• Isotretinoin: A prescription only retinoid derivative used to treat severe acne. Side effects include dryness, sun sensitivity and sometimes eczema.

• Retinol: A retinoid used as a skin revitaliser to treat acne, rosacea and signs of ageing. It can cause dermatitis when used on sensitive skin for a long time or in too high concentrations.

• Retinyl palmitate: A retinoid and skin conditioner which is milder than retinoic acid and has fewer potential side effects.

• Retinaldehyde: A mild retinoid which increases skin thickness without causing irritation.

• Vitamin A palmitate: An antioxidant and skin "normaliser" which helps skin to stay plump, boosts collagen and improves thickness and elasticity.

Vitamin A is keratolytic which means it will remove plugs that block follicles and lead to pimples and acne.

While Retinyl palmitate and Vitamin A palmitate (the 2 forms used by MiSMo) are not as strong as the other forms described above they are still active and deliver visible results. They are also very gentle and do not cause reactions even in sensitive skin types.

The correct mix of Vitamins A, C and E in skin care is ideal because it is skin friendly and penetrates cells. The total combined results far exceed using just one or two vitamins.

PLEASE NOTE: Caution should always be exercised using prescription Vitamin A creams and gels. They are not recommended during pregnancy. Please follow your doctor's advice.

Over the counter skin care products are far milder than prescription lines.

Hydrate and Mask to keep Your Skin in Top Condition

• The easy way to keep your skin in prime condition in winter is to layer. After cleansing:
• Apply a serum for hydrating the lower layers of your skin. This ideally be a gel form containing Hyaluronic Acid to replace lost moisture - water not oil.
• Layer with a vitamin serum in a light oil. Best choices are vitamins C with A and E. This is your protect and repair layer.
• Finish with a nourishing moisturiser as your sealing layer.

 LED LIGHT AND MICRODERMABRASION FOR HOME USE

The advances in technology for the beauty industry are mind boggling. Many of the developments started in either space research by NASA or medical research. Years later the ordinary person at home can enjoy many of the tools that have evolved based on solid scientific evidence.

A variety of hand held devices are available for at home skin rejuvenating and treating acne. In most cases what we are trying to achieve is an increased production of collagen and elastin in the skin. For acne skin types elimination of bacteria, accelerated healing and reduction of inflammation are the goals.

We feature 2 devices in this article LED lights and Microdermabrasion.

When acne or pimples are the issue you can often nip it in the bud at an early stage and prevent a full on pimple developing.

The colour of the LED light determines the purpose of the treatment.

• Red is used for skin rejuvenation
• Blue is for acne or pimples to kill bacteria
• Yellow is to firm the skin
• Green reduces redness in cuperose skin

Before buying, it is important to check the powder of these LED devices to give an indication of effectiveness. Home units usually only come in red or blue , sometimes a combination of the two. Yellow and green are more for larger salon units.

Red lights 620 – 670 nm

Blue Lights 420 -460 nm

Bear in mind home devices will not be as strong as salon or medical machines and you will need to use them regularly to see benefits. However, there are some very good small appliances available.

How Red LED light will help your skin:

• Increase in elasticity.
• Fine lines eliminated and deeper lines reduced.
• Skin tone improvement.
• Less sagging
• Reduces redness from Rosacea

How Blue LED light will help your skin:

• Kills bacteria present in pimples
• Reduces inflammation
• Blemishes clear much faster
• Helps Control future outbreaks

1. Battery operated or plug in - ease of use
2. Size of head and number of LED lights - Bigger heads cover more of the face but harder to get between the eyes
3. Guarantee
4. Power capability in nm's covered above
5. One or more colours in light if you need blue for acne or pimples. Some have seperate coloured heads.

Microdermabrasion: Hand held battery operated microdermabrasion kits for home users are freely available. Results vary as with any appliance. DermaNew is a reliable brand which gives a result which is visible and feels good.

The treatment takes only 2 minutes and can be done at the bathroom sink or in the shower. Dead skin cells are removed using a tool which has a sponge head that vibrates lightly. An exfoliating or resurfacing cream with medical grade corundum crystals is moved over the face with sponge head.

Microdermabrasion works well in a few ways.

• Skin rejuvenating (anti aging)
• skins prone to blackheads and whiteheads
• acne skin types.

For pimples and acne problems a different type of exfoliating cream is used. There is only half the amount of crystals and the formulation of the base cream contains special acne active ingredients. This cream is a more drying formulation than the Rejuvenation cream used for clear skin or those who suffer from blackheads.

You will need to use this microdermabrasion kit regularly to see results but if you do your skin will show the results.

Price range around $100.