What Does Vitamin A Cream Do?

Vitamin A creams treat a number of skin issues. Dermatologists prescribe vitamin A creams in varying strengths for conditions such as acne, oily skin, wrinkles or even thickened skin. According to the DermaDoctor website, dermatologists have prescribed vitamin A creams for over 25 years and they are still discovering additional benefits of this versatile cream.

History

According to Derma Doctor, Retin A was the first vitamin A cream developed over 25 years ago. Prior to the development of the creams, Derma Doctor reports that dermatologists used oral vitamin A to treat acne and other skin conditions, but oral taken orally vitamin A led to several overdoses and in other cases did not reach the targeted areas. With the advances in topical treatments doctors no longer have to deal with those issues.

Effects

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According to Derma Doctor, vitamin A causes drying and peeling of the skin if too much is applied. In this way vitamin A is used as a drying agent for acne to erase blemishes. Vitamin A delivers the same effect on different conditions such as oily skin or psoriasis. Derma Doctor states that vitamin A creams not only work on acne but on any skin condition that responds to exfoliating agents and keratolytics. This means that nearly any condition that is improved by speeding up the skin exfoliating process can benefit from vitamin A cream.

Vitamin A Cream for Acne

The original purpose of vitamin A cream was to fight acne and it is still an effective treatment. Vitamin A creams are the most hydrating of the vitamin A treatments that include gels, solutions and ointments. Vitamin A cream is most prescribed for excessively dry skin since it is less drying than Vitamin A gels or solutions. Users use a small amount of cream once daily or every other day and within a few weeks your acne will dry up and start to disappear according to Derma Doctor. Side effects of vitamin A cream for acne can include redness, burning, peeling or sensitive skin, according to Derma Doctor. Derma Doctor advises working with your doctor to develop proper dosing based on your reactions to the cream.

Vitamin A Cream other Uses

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According to Derma Doctor, in addition to acne, vitamin A cream is used to treat oily skin, wrinkles, skin lesions, flat warts, psoriasis and thickened skin.Some vitamin A creams are marketed for treatments of conditions other than acne. Vitamin A cream attacks these conditions either by drying them out in the case of oily skin or by making the skin exfoliate more rapidly. In the treatment of psoriasis and thickened skin, the cream causes the skin to peel more rapidly -- meaning the damaged skin is taken away quicker than it would be naturally.

Vitamin A Cream for Wrinkles

Vitamin A cream reduces wrinkles and even helps promote the production of skin building compounds, according to the Archives of Dermatology. According to Derma Doctor, vitamin A creams help build collagen fibers minimizing fine lines. Creams for wrinkles are diluted in moisturizer so that excessive skin drying does not occur. An Archives of Dermatology study cited increased collagen and the introduction of glycosaminoglycan that helps retain water, as the reasons vitamin A cream works on wrinkles.