Why you need vitamin A in your life
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient, which has to be replenished daily for a healthy, youthful appearance. This is why you need Vitamin A in your life. Our skin cells are naturally enriched with Vitamin A but it is destroyed daily by ‘free radicals’ such as heat, light and air.
Did you know?
If you are not applying Vitamin A every morning and evening, your skin is likely to be deficient in Vitamin A. A Vitamin A deficiency can lead to skin abnormalities, such as dehydration, excess oil, acne, pigmentation, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, skin cancer etc.
After heavy exposure to the sun, it takes 7 days for Vitamin A to be restored in the body through diet, Topical Vitamin A moisturisers restore Vitamin A levels in the skin within 3 hours.
Vitamin A helps to :
- speed up healing
- promotes natural moisturising which helps to hydrate the skin effectively
- prevent breakouts and support the skins immune system
The functions of Vitamin A :
- Creates skin health Naturally exfoliates
- Strengthens and protects from environment
- Volumizes and plumps,
- Removes toxins and brings nutrients,
- Balances oil production,
- Stimulates collagen and compacts elastin
- Locks in moisture to deeper layers
- Strengthens cell immunity
- Regulates melanin
- hydrate the skin effectively.
Why is it so confusing when choosing products with Vitamin A?
So, you google search ‘Vitamin A products’ and so many pop up…No wonder it is so confusing. Most products claim that they contain a “high level of Vitamin A” but then put a % on the bottle. But Vitamin A is measured in international units (i.u.) per gram. So I’m not sure what it is a percentage of?
It is unlikely that the amount of Vitamin A in these products will actively make any changes on a deeper level. Also, Vitamin A is the hardest ingredient to keep active. So why are companies producing Vitamin A products in clear glass pipette bottles? The Vitamin A would lose its effectiveness as soon as it is opened. To keep it as strong as possible, it needs to be stored in an airtight container with a pump, so that light and air cannot penetrate.
There are multiple forms of Vitamin A available for topical use. There are milder forms that are easier for the skin to tolerate, like Retinyl Palmitate, which was the first form of Vitamin A scientifically proven to be effective in treating all signs of photo ageing and delaying the progress of ageing skin.
Retinoic acid is generally only available in prescription medications for topical use. It produces quicker results, but also has harsh side effects.
So how do I find products that use the correct form and amount of Vitamin A?
Well, Dr Des Fernandes of Environ skin care, pioneered a unique step-up system, to allow people of all ages and skin types, to become comfortable with increased levels of Vitamin A and other ingredients from one level to the next. Dr Des is a world renowned doctor, plastic surgeon and scientist, who became committed to researching the most effective ingredients to maintain healthy skin, after two of his patients died from skin cancer.
He created his first two creams in 1988, which were based on ingredients that were proven to improve the health, and appearance of the skin – in particular Vitamin A, antioxidant vitamin C, E and beta-carotene, and alpha hydroxy acids. This innovative combination was not used by any established skincare company at that time. Initially he used these to treat his own patients after plastic surgery until he set up a company to market Environ products in 1990.
How to use Vitamin A
It is important to start low and go slow with Vitamin A. Environ products contain the highest level of Vitamin A before getting it prescribed from a Doctor, therefore you can only buy the products from highly trained Environ registered salons, and must have a consultation beforehand.
The beauty of this, is that you always have a therapist to guide you and answer any questions throughout your journey to skin health. If you were able to buy these products in high street stores, you could end up choosing the wrong one for your skin concern, making it worse and could end up wasting money.
So how does the Skin EssentiA step-up system work?
- Start with moisturiser 1 which contains the lowest concentration of Vitamin A, alongside other antioxidants. Use 1-2 bottles
until skin is completely comfortable at this level. - Move to moisturiser 2 which contains a medium concentration of Vitamin A. Again use 1-2 bottles until skin is comfortable.
- Move to moisturiser 3 which contains medium to high concentration of Vitamin A. Again use 1-2 bottles until skin is comfortable.
- Move to moisturiser 4 which contains a high concentration of Vitamin A. Use for 6-12 months until skin is comfortable.
- Move to moisturiser 5 which contains the highest concentration of Vitamin A. Maintain at this level.
Tips while moving up the levels-
- Only move up the levels if your skin feels comfortable Towards the end of each level of moisturiser,
- mix it with the next level, or use the lower level the in morning and the higher level in the evening, until your lower level runs out.
- Maintain it by continuing with your Environ skin care regime.
- If you allow it to lapse you will simply need to restart at a lower level.
- Keep in touch with your skin care therapist, especially if you are feeling like you are struggling to move up the levels.
- They are always there to guide and advise you.
There is also the ‘Youth EssentiA’ step up system, which is a bit more expensive but for those who wish to see results quicker. These products contain higher levels of Vitamin A and are packed with peptides and penetrant enhancer.
There are also different protocols for different skin concerns, like acne, pigmentation and rosacea, which is why it is so important to have a consultation with a skin care professional.
Vitamin A is the corner stone ingredient in the Environ skin care philosophy. When you combine Vitamin A with other antioxidants and peptides, that’s when you begin to see and feel beautiful skin through science.
