What is vitamin A in skincare?
Vitamin A is the parent of the entire retinoid family. In skincare it appears in several forms of increasing strength: retinyl esters, retinol, retinaldehyde, and prescription retinoic acid (tretinoin).
Every form except retinoic acid must be converted by the skin before it can act – each conversion step costs potency, which is why retinyl palmitate is mild and tretinoin is powerful. Vitamin A regulates how skin cells mature, turn over and produce collagen.
What skin concerns does vitamin A treat?
It is the most versatile active in dermatology: fine lines and wrinkles, loss of firmness, uneven tone and pigmentation, enlarged pores, rough texture, and acne at every severity.
Because it works at the level of cell behaviour rather than the surface, results are gradual and cumulative – expect twelve weeks before meaningful change, and continued improvement for a year or more.
What ingredients are best paired with vitamin A?
Pair it with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, niacinamide, squalane and panthenol to absorb the dryness and flaking of the adjustment period. Introduce it two nights a week and build up.
Use it at night only, and wear broad-spectrum SPF daily – vitamin A increases photosensitivity and is degraded by light. Avoid combining it with AHAs, BHAs or benzoyl peroxide in the same step, and avoid retinoids entirely during pregnancy. Take our Skin Quiz.
What is hormonal acne?
Hormonal acne is acne whose timing and pattern track with hormonal activity rather than with cleansing habits or diet alone. It typically appears along the lower face – jawline, chin and upper neck – as deep, tender papules and cysts that flare on a predictable cycle.
It is most recognisable in adult women, where breakouts often arrive in the week before menstruation and settle again afterwards.
What causes hormonal acne?
Androgens – testosterone and DHT in particular – bind to receptors on the sebaceous gland and increase sebum production. When androgen activity rises or oestrogen falls, oil output climbs and follicles clog more readily.
Menstrual cycles, starting or stopping contraception, pregnancy, perimenopause and PCOS are the usual contexts. Stress raises cortisol, which amplifies the same pathway. Persistent hormonal acne with irregular cycles or excess hair growth is worth investigating medically.
What ingredients are best for hormonal acne?
Retinoids are the most effective topical, because they stop the plug forming regardless of how much oil is being produced. Azelaic acid reduces inflammation and the marks that follow, and niacinamide helps regulate sebum.
Salicylic acid keeps pores clear between flares, and benzoyl peroxide targets bacteria in inflamed lesions. Because hormonal acne is driven from the inside, topicals manage rather than cure it – consistency across the whole cycle beats spot-treating during a flare. Take our Skin Quiz.
