Acne vulgari is an inflammatory disorder that happens when clogged pores lead to pimples. What you eat, sip, swallow, and apply to your skin matters when it comes to acne. One thing that might help, especially if you're dealing with hormonal acne breakouts, is vitamin A.
This essential nutrient supports vision, immunity, and reproduction while helping various organs function properly, including the largest organ (skin). But how does vitamin A help acne, exactly?
Keep reading for a complete explainer on vitamin A for acne. We'll go over the skin benefits of vitamin A, the best forms to use for a clearer complexion, dosages, safety precautions, and more.
What Is the Relationship Between Vitamin A and Acne?
The connection between vitamin A and acne has been thoroughly studied, with lots of clinical research and human studies backing up the nutrient's benefits for skin health.
This vitamin has been shown to prevent and even reverse some signs of photoaging (the clinical term for sun damage). It can help minimize fine lines, boost elasticity, promote collagen, and address different types of hyperpigmentation (melasma).
Vitamin A can also help balance oil to reduce a greasy-looking complexion and prevent sebum from clogging pores. This is partly why it's such a great tool in the battle against severe acne breakouts.
Benefits of Vitamin A for Acne
How does vitamin A help acne? Benefits of vitamin A for acne include:
- Reducing inflammation
- Regulating sebum production
- Promoting skin cell turnover
- Healing acne scars
Here's what to know.
Reducing Inflammation
Vitamin A has been shown to help reduce inflammation throughout the body.
Skin inflammation (dermatitis) can lead to various issues, including redness, patchy areas, excessive dryness, itching, blisters, pimples, rosacea, eczema, and cystic acne.
Regulating Sebum Production
A primary benefit of vitamin A for skin is that it can help regulate sebum production.
Sebum is the oily, waxy substance the body makes to protect and moisturize the skin. You need some of it, but too much can clog your pores and lead to acne.
To get even more scientific, bacteria (known as P acnes) can become trapped in the skin if it's blocked by pores filled with sebum. So helping your skin produce less of the stuff and unclogging pores is a good thing for your complexion.
Promoting Skin Cell Turnover
One of vitamin A's main claims to fame is that it encourages skin cell turnover. This means the nutrient helps your skin shed dead cells and form new, healthy ones to keep the surface smooth, elastic, and clear.
Dead skin cells can clog pores, which, as you know by now, is a primary contributor to acne.
Healing Acne Scars
Inflammation can not only cause acne but also make the scars it leaves behind look worse and stick around longer. Vitamin A comes to the rescue here by forming new blood vessels and helping your skin generate connective tissue to heal acne scars.
This, combined with the skin cell turnover mentioned above, can lead to better scarring outcomes. The result might be less visible scars or marks that fade over time.
Different Forms of Vitamin A
Vitamin A for acne can come in the form of topical retinoids, oral supplements, and natural sources of vitamin A from food.
Topical Retinoids
Topical retinoids can be found in many over-the-counter skincare products in the form of retinol, retinoic acid, adapalene, and retinal (retinaldehyde). There are also prescription versions, such as tretinoin.
This type of vitamin A has really great potential for treating acne, but the side effects can be pretty severe. Prescription topicals, in particular, can irritate the skin, cause continuous dryness, and damage the acid mantle.
That's why we generally don't recommend topical vitamin A, except in extreme cases.
Oral Vitamin A Supplements
Vitamin A can be taken in supplement form. You can get concentrated pills or capsules or a multivitamin containing the nutrient, along with other vitamins and minerals.
Low-dose oral vitamin A has been shown to have mostly good results in treating acne vulgaris, with fewer and milder side effects than higher doses.
There's also prescription oral vitamin A in the form of isotretinoin. (This medication was previously called Accutane, but this brand-name version is no longer on the market.)
Isotretinoin can be a miracle cure for acne, but it comes with some major side effects and health risks, such as increased sun sensitivity, eye damage, blood sugar spikes, behavior changes, anxiety, muscle problems, or the dreaded Accutane purging. It can also cause dangerous drug interactions with other medications.
Natural Sources of Vitamin A in Diet
Vitamin A is found naturally in many foods. You can boost your levels by eating more:
- Leafy greens, such as spinach and kale
- Orange and yellow vegetables, like carrots and sweet potatoes
- Tomatoes and tomato products, like spaghetti sauce
- Cantaloupe
- Liver
- Fish
- Eggs
- Dairy products
Some breakfast cereals are also fortified with vitamin A.
Recommended Dosages of Vitamin A for Acne Treatment
What's the right amount of vitamin A for acne treatment? It depends on the type you're using (topical or oral) and acne severity, among other factors.
Topical Application Dosages
Topical retinoids can be used daily. But those who experience skin irritation, sensitivity, or severe dryness might want to apply it every other day or even just a couple of times a week. Some people start slowly and work their way up to daily or every-other-day use.
The exact percentages of vitamin A vary among products. For instance, encapsulated retinol often comes in slightly higher doses since it slowly releases into the skin and is thus better tolerated than other forms.
Prescription tretinoin cream and gel is available in concentrations ranging from 0.25% to 1%. A lower percentage will generally result in fewer side effects.
Oral Supplementation Dosages
An ideal dosage of an oral vitamin A supplement takes into account how much your body can actually absorb, what's needed to improve acne, and what side effects may be experienced.
For instance, you'll get up to 6,110 micrograms (mcg) with our MINDBODYSKIN® formula. This is actually less than a traditional vitamin A supplement you might buy from a drugstore or online retailer.
Dietary Intake Recommendations
The recommended daily intake of vitamin A for women is 700 micrograms, and for men, it's 900 micrograms. Most people can get this amount from the foods they eat.
As noted, MINDBODYSKIN offers a daily dose of 6,110 micrograms of vitamin A—the sweet spot for treating acne. This is technically 679% of the recommended daily value (DV), but it's far less than doses that have resulted in toxicity. Vitamin A toxicity is actually very, very rare.
How to Use Vitamin A Safely
It's always best to check with your healthcare provider before starting any supplement routine, including vitamin A for acne-prone skin.
Overdoing it with topical retinoids can inhibit adipogenesis—the production of fatty tissue—which can result in permanent skin thinning and volume loss. This is the opposite of what you want to happen if you're using vitamin A for anti-aging purposes.
Both topical retinoids and prescription oral isotretinoin can increase sun sensitivity, elevating the risk of sunburn and skin cancer. So it’s essential to reapply your sunscreen throughout the day, wear wide-brimmed hats and sun-protective clothing, and avoid sun exposure whenever possible. Plus, be sure to avoid toxic sunscreen ingredients so you can preserve your skin barrier and protect your health.
If you want to use vitamin A safely while still getting noticeable results, consider MINDBODYSKIN. This hormonal acne supplement tackles breakouts from multiple angles by targeting different root causes. It supports healthy digestion, aids in natural liver detoxification, and reduces inflammation.
In addition to a bioavailable form of vitamin A, standout ingredients include vitamin B5, DIM (diindolylmethane), turmeric, glutathione, milk thistle, and digestive enzymes. Bear in mind our dose of vitamin A is too much for pregnant people, but it's the right amount for those struggling with acne.
Achieving Clean and Clear Skin With CLEARSTEM
CLEARSTEM is here to support you on your journey to a clear complexion. Getting the right amount of vitamin A for acne isn't about how much you take but how much your body can actually absorb.
The daily dose of MINDBODYSKIN is up to three capsules, but two capsules might be plenty if you're just starting out or are dealing with mild acne. Again, it's always best to check with a healthcare provider about the proper dosage before starting any new supplement.
You can expect to see noticeable results in as little as a week and continuously better skin with continued use.
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