Vitamin A maintains the natural integrity of skin. Its deficiency may be associated with multiple skin disorders. Three forms Vitamin-A are retinol, retinal and retinoic acid. Plant sources are in form of beta-carotene.
1. Dry scaly skin– Vitamin A helps in epithelial cell growth, differentiation and rejuvenation. Under its deficiency skin is lustreless, dry, prone to cracks and scaling.
2. Phrynoderma– It is called as “toad skin”. It is a distinctive form of follicular hyperkeratosis. Phrynoderma may be associated with other nutritional deficiency. They first appear as keratotic papules on extensor surfaces like shoulder, buttock, extremities.
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3. Acne–A topical form of vitamin A is used to treat inflammatory acne lesion. It is formed by oil, dead skin cells called as comedones. It is called as white comedones when it is blocked, black comedones when it is open. Topical forms of vitamin A like retinol are used for acne treatment. They are available as creams or lotions.
4. Atopic dermatitis- It is a condition that causes dry, itchy and inflammatory skin mostly in extensor surfaces. Its first clinical manifestation appear in childhood, but it can appear at any age. The lesions spread from one site to another called as “atopic march”. The patients with atopic dermatitis may have history of allergy like asthma, allergic rhinitis. Vitamin A deficiency exacerbates atopic dermatitis by Th2 helper cell activation and mast cell activation.
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5. Exacerbation of skin conditions in protein energy malnutrition– The skin lesions in Kwashiorker appear as hypopigmented to erythematous patches in friction areas, sometimes at intertriginous areas. Supplementation of vitamin A along with other nutritional factors alleviate the skin conditions.
Photo credit- dermnetnz.org
Sources of Vitamin A–
Dark green leafy vegetables, carrot, oranges, Tomato, mango, ripe fruits. Animal sources include egg, milk, liver, fish oil
