What is Retinyl Palmitate or Vitamin A Palmitate?
Vitamin A as Retinyl palmitate is the ester of retinol and palmitic acid. And one of the most potent, essential nutrients and antioxidants. The vitamin A softgel supports cells growth, bones development, reproductive performance and immune system function. Vitamin A not only assists your vision and smooths your skin but also reduces inflammation. Its health benefits are abundant and well-known.
Though vitamin A appears simple by name, it’s more complex than its basic title. The name represents chemical compounds of fat-soluble retinoids, including retinol, retinal and esters. Perhaps you have heard of the other form of vitamin A, known as a carotenoid.
Carotenoids and retinoids are forms of vitamin A. Both are present in the foods we eat, and both types have benefits for a healthy body (x).
Vitamin A Retinyl palmitate falls into the retinoid category, which comes as a softgel capsule. Your body can easily absorb this vitamin A, and you’ll find it in most health supplements. Mostly called vitamin A palmitate. You may have heard various aliases such as retinyl palmitate, retinyl ester and retinol.
You’ll find vitamin A palmitate animal-based foods, such as meat and eggs, as well as dairy products. Liver, fish and fortified cereals are also popular sources of vitamin A palmitate.
Vitamin A palmitate comes in many over-the-counter products, including lotions, anti-aging products and acne treatments. Studies show that this supplement may help reduce fine lines, splotches, roughness, wrinkles and acne. The vitamin appears in health products like eye drops and multi-supplements.
Why Vitamin A Softgel Capsules?
People who find taking tablets challenging do not have similar issues with softgel capsules. Softgel capsules are particularly beneficial to those uncomfortable taking pills because softgels are tasteless and go down smoothly. They quickly dissolve and digest when taken orally, providing better absorption in the digestive system. Softgels are perfect for oils because the airtight seal of the capsule increases the peppermint oil’s shelf life (x). You can also prick the capsule with a sterilized needle, and the supplement becomes a topical oil when mixed with a carrier oil like coconut, olive or jojoba. That way, you reduce the chances of irritating the treated area (x).
What is an Antioxidant?
One of the properties that make vitamin A Retinyl palmitate so powerful is its antioxidant capabilities. On a molecular level, antioxidants are agents that neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are harmful and uncharged molecules wandering unhinged within the body. The toxic by-products of oxygen metabolism, free radicals, are reactive, destructive and short-lived.
Free radicals can create severe issues and disrupt your regular body system if unstopped. They trigger “oxidative stress,” an unhealthy situation where free radicals wreak havoc faster than your body can overcome the devastation. Here, antioxidants from vitamin A may help, thus preventing diseases.
So much research supports the benefits of antioxidants as molecules that rescue your body from oxidative stress. These agents donate an electron to dismantle the chaotic chain reactions caused by free radicals. Antioxidant enzymes also generate inside your body, but nutrient-rich fresh fruits and vegetables and green tea contain them as well. Today, it’s best to use health supplements loaded with antioxidants. (x).
Benefits of Vitamin A Retinyl Palmitate
Vitamin A for Acne
The antioxidant properties of vitamin A help relieve acne. Oxidative stress can cause agitation in the oil-producing sebaceous glands. If free radicals compromise your body, the sebaceous glands produce imbalanced amounts of oil (sebum), making it easier for acne bacteria to collect and create blemishes (x).
The antioxidant properties of a vitamin A softgel reduce the amount of sebum produced by the glands and assist the body in shedding dead skin cells. On the other hand, eating foods rich in vitamin A can help balance your body’s sebum production.
Doctors also use topical and oral supplements that use synthetic vitamin A, or retinol, as an active ingredient. Talk with your healthcare provider and see using vitamin A from the softgel capsules may help with your acne. Vitamin A stimulates new skin cells to grow and prevents dead skin cells from clogging the pores.
Since the 1980s, individuals have effectively used synthetic retinoids to attack acne and other skin problems. Such products include the trade names for these products such as Sortret, Accutane and Retin-A. If you desire a natural approach instead of an acne prescription, you may find success using retinyl palmitate or other vitamin A supplements. Use them effectively as an oral supplement or a topical ointment (x, x).
Vitamin A Softgel Capsules for Skin Health
Vitamin A can help other skin issues besides acne. A boost of vitamin A can help scaly, dry and rough skin. Foods containing vitamin A may also help conditions like psoriasis or keratosis pilaris (x).
Your healthcare provider may prescribe synthetic retinoids to treat certain skin conditions, but some natural health practitioners have had success treating the skin with natural sources of vitamin A.
Some skin conditions treated with vitamin A include cold sores, eczema, wounds, sunburns, burns and ichthyosis (x). Vitamin A retinoids can also treat wrinkles and lines of aging by stimulating new blood vessels and collagen production. As a treatment, retinoids may improve your skin color, diminish age spots and soften rough, scaly patches of skin. In studies, treatments usually take six months to a year (x).
