3 Steps to Improve Skin Tolerance to Vitamin A

With so much access to clinical doses of Vitamin A, it is no wonder we are constantly seeing reactive skin conditions such as skin redness, inflammation, breakouts, and dry, flaky skin. Influencers and social media glamourise this powerful ingredient. Whereas, skin therapists are cautious about the best application of Vitamin A products and will carefully prescribe the suitable strength for the client. 

If you have reacted to vitamin A products such as Retinol, Retinal, or Retinol Complex or want to start introducing them into your skincare routine, here are three steps that can help make your skin more tolerant of Vitamin A skincare.

1. Strengthen your skin barrier.

We need to ensure that the skin's barrier is strong in order to get the correct infusion and delivery of Retinol/Retinal. A weak barrier allows for an uneven delivery of Vitamin A, which will cause the skin to become very reactive. As an analogy, imagine sprinkling icing sugar on a chocolate cake; if you use a fine sieve, the icing sugar goes on evenly (which represents a good skin barrier), or if we use a colander with big uneven holes, the icing sugar will splat on the cake unevenly (representing an impaired barrier). 

Follow these simple steps if you have slightly reactive skin or your skin needs strengthening:

Using a prebiotic and a postbiotic serum

Using a prebiotic and a postbiotic serum can improve your skin's microbiome. It helps maintain a healthy skin barrier and improves skin immunity, making it less reactive. 

Examples:

• Cosmedix Reboot
• Synergie Skin Dermiotic

Use Vitamin B3 or Niacinamide

Vitamin B3 or Niacinamide is excellent for improving your skin's protective barrier and keeping your skin's hydration levels intact. It helps to decrease inflammation and also increases your skin immunity.

Examples:

• SpaCeuticals Phyto B3 Serum
• Synergie Skin Vitamin B Serum
• Aspect Extreme B 17
• Intraceuticals Vitamin B+3 Booster Complex

Partner B3 and a prebiotic serum for 3-4 weeks before introducing Vitamin A.

Apply a hyaluronic acid serum to help improve the water content in your skin

Hydrated skin increases good cell communication, which in turn helps our skin regulate properly with the application of Vitamin A.

Examples:

• Medik8 Hydr8 B5
• Centella Hydra Booster Serum+
• Aspect Hydrating Serum
• Synergie Skin HyalaVive

2. Choose the correct strength of Vitamin A. 

The expression walk before you run comes to mind when introducing Vitamin A.

Start with a low strength and let your skin get used to it. I always recommend using a lower strength, such as 0.2-0.3%, for 3 months before you increase the dose. Please be mindful that increasing the strength is not for everyone. You can increase your dose if you feel your skin is tolerant, and is ready to get more benefits from Vitamin A to help treat skin concerns such as pigmentation, ageing or acne.

Introductory Vitamin A serums include:

• Cosmedix Serum 16
• Medik8 Retinol 3TR
• Synergie Skin Ultimate A Serum
• O Cosmedics Retinoic Oil
• Ginger & Me Vitamin Infusion Booster
• Aspect Retinol Brulee

‌3. Introduce Vitamin A gradually

Your skin will be more accepting of Vitamin A if introduced slowly. Start every third night for 10 days, then alternate nights for 1 week, progressing to nightly use if the skin tolerates it.

If you increase your strength of Vitamin A over time, or are using a new Vitamin A product, reintroduce this new strength/product gradually as mentioned above.

Vitamin A Natural Alternatives 

If your skin has never tolerated Vitamin A, the good news is that there are plant-based alternatives, such as Bakuchiol and Centella Asiatica, which are gentle yet effective for skin regulation and rejuvenation.

Examples:

• Medik8 Bakuchiol Peptides
• Centella Rebalancing Serum
• Centella Lift Firming Serum
• Centella Stem Cell Intensive Serum
• Hydraflore Firming Serum

Vitamin A can be a very effective skincare treatment for many skin conditions. For customised advice please contact us.