Vitamin A and Skin Improvement
2026 Volume 26 Issue 3 Pages 115-123
Details
2026 Volume 26 Issue 3 Pages 115-123
Vitamin A is an essential and important nutrient (preventive agent) for maintaining health that plays a wide range of roles in various bodily tissues. Vitamin A (retinoic acid, RA), is currently used in clinical practice as a therapeutic agent (anticancer agent) for patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Recently, the effects of vitamin A on the skin have been spotlighted and attracting attention. In this paper, we will discuss the skin science of vitamin A; 1) the circulation of vitamin A, 2) types of vitamin A and their effects on non-skin tissues, 3) the action of vitamin A on the skin and its mechanism, 4) β-carotene and atopic dermatitis, 5) the skin of type I diabetic mice with vitamin A deficiency, and 6) introduction of skin improving effects of p-aminophenol (p-DDAP, p-DAP) developed from RA derivatives. Our efforts are directed toward developing preventive and therapeutic drugs from vitamin A, which is versatile in maintaining healthy skin, and to contribute to improving the quality of life of healthy people and patients.
