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Vitamin A is to the skin what oxygen is to the body. It is more than just an anti-aging ingredient with impressive action. Vitamin A and its best known forms (tretinoin, isotretinoin, retinol, retinoic acid, retinaldehyde, retinaldehyde, antrapalene, tazarotene) reach the heart of the cells. They affect about 350 genes that play an important role in skin health and in functions such as cell renewal, collagen production and melanin secretion.

How vitamin A works

Skin cells have special receptors that receive messages from retinoids, just like hormones. These acids act on the cells of the skin tissue and send them “instructions” about the functions they need to perform. So if the skin cells are aged and not doing their job properly, vitamin A acids can correct the problem. 

  • With long-term use of retinoids, the receptors proliferate and the absorption of the vitamin increases over time. Throughout the skin tissue, functions are reprogrammed. 
  • The stratum corneum of dead cells that clogs the surface is removed. 
  • The function of the fibroblasts that produce collagen is stimulated. It reduces the lysis, in other words the crowding of elastin fibres which are so tangled that they cannot support the skin. 
  • It regulates the secretion of melanin, which is responsible for the formation of spots. 
  • Retinoids intervene in the skin layers in such a way that they gradually erase wrinkles. 

Πώς γίνεται η θεραπεία

When treating with vitamin A there is a risk of a retinoid reaction (dermatitis, excessive dryness, chelitis, acne). This is why it should only be administered by a dermatologist specialised in retinoids. He or she will prescribe creams that can be applied at home and contain exactly the right amounts for each skin to avoid any side effects. Then, depending on the skin’s response, he will increase the vitamin A in the creams. Results appear after about four weeks and changes become spectacular after six months. The application can continue forever. 

“At Tzouma Clinic we can design your own personalized vitamin A treatment and integrate it into a holistic anti-aging program”

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