Vitamin A can be defined as a nutritious organic compound. One of the main reasons for taking a more wholesome diet is to enhance the health of our skin. Several people of different age groups endure various types of skin problems like dry skin, acne, wrinkles, rosacea, and sun damage to name a few. In fact, these problems may really be very distressing for people who are yet to find ways to resolve their skin problems. Often, conventional medical practitioners do not give much important attention to the relation between nutrition and the health of the skin, there is enough proof that shows that our food choices have an impact on the health as well as the vitality of our skin.
One of the best and effective means to treat our skin conditions as well as to improve the health and appearance of our skin is to incorporate specific vitamins, essential minerals and other useful compounds into our regular diet. In fact, several nutriments are known to be vital for the appropriate growth as well as immunity of the skin. Several people have claimed that the health of their skin improved notably after they made certain decisive modifications in their regular diet.
Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is among the most extensively acknowledged nutriments that this beneficial for the health of our skin. Since the 1980s, people have also employed synthetically prepared retinoids for effectively treating acute case of acne and psoriasis. This manifests the usefulness of vitamin A for treating skin disorders. Vitamin A has a very positive effect on the skin's physiology by encouraging epidermal differentiation, slowing down sebaceous gland activity, adapting dermal growth factors as well as holding back formation of androgen. Vitamin A promotes cell regeneration in the skin and, hence, it is effectual in putting off comedone formations that are responsible for most widespread types of acne.
Absence or deficit of vitamin A makes the skin keratinized as well as scaly. At the same time, the secretion of mucus is held back. People with rough and dry skin should undergo tests to ascertain if they are suffering from vitamin A deficiency, as these are symptoms of low amounts of this nutrient in the body. In such cases, usually the skin first seems to be rough having elevated bumps at the rear of the arms. In scientific terms, this condition is known as hyperkeratosis pillaris and an estimated 40 percent of adults suffer from it.
Most physicians usually prescribe synthetic retinoids for treating skin disorders, such as acne, cold sores, eczema, burns, psoriasis, sunburn, wounds and ichthyosis, the sufferer can get similar relief through oral intake of natural sources of vitamin A that are preformed, which is present in various traditional foods.
Our body can absorb preformed vitamin A excellently. While preformed vitamin A is found is several foods, foods that contain maximum amounts of this nutrient include liver as well as cod liver oil. Other foods that contain this nutrient include cream, butter made from the milk of pastured cows, kidney, and egg yolks obtained from pastured chickens. If you want to supplement vitamin A, you can use cod liver oil. Cod liver oil offers an excellent balance of two vitamins - vitamin A and vitamin D, which help in lowering the chances of vitamin A overdose. In fact, people who are keen to get rid of obstinate acne would benefit greatly if they consume liver a couple of times every week. It will prove to be a wonderful dietary strategy for such people. It has been established that vitamin A works to normalize the functioning of the skin, thereby correcting all types of skin disorders.
Vitamin A works to make the dermis thicker and stimulate it, especially where the elastin, collagen and blood vessels are present. As a result, it is helpful in lessening wrinkles, while increasing blood circulation to the skin surface. In fact, vitamin A augments collagen deposition, thereby slowing down the normal ageing process by holding back the collagen and elastin break down.
Vitamin A works to regularize blood circulation, thereby alleviating the symptoms related to rosacea. This nutrient is also useful in speeding up the pace of healing wounds. At the same time, this nutrient works to exfoliate, thereby making the skin even-toned and smoother. Vitamin A also mends the damages caused to the structure of the cells in the epidermis, in that way working to optimize the protection from ultra-violet (UV) radiation. At the same time, vitamin A lessens melanin granule clustering, which, in turn, lessens pigmentation or brown spots on the skin. It also helps to reduce sebum production, thereby treating acne effectively. This vital nutrient may also prove to be useful in getting rid of skin lesions, which are in pre-cancerous stage. Last, but not the least important, vitamin A also helps to keep the body hydrated, by retaining moisture inside as well as outside the cells.
