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What Are Natural Retinoids?

Natural retinoids are compounds such as vitamin A that are extracted from natural sources. They have numerous medical and nutritional uses and have been promoted most prominently as skin treatments. Synthetic retinoids, also used as skin treatments, are chemically distinct from natural retinoids and are designed to mimic some of their beneficial effects while alleviating some of their side effects. While natural retinoids have many benefits, overuse can lead to problems.

  1. Sources of Natural Retinoids

    • Vitamin A, the generic term for a group of related retinoid compounds, occurs in heavy concentrations in liver and fish liver oils. Other good sources of vitamin A are eggs, dairy products and leafy green vegetables. Certain fruit, including mangoes, also are good sources of vitamin A.

    Nutritional Functions

    • Vitamin A serves many crucial nutritional functions. It is essential for vision; in fact, Vitamin A deficiencies can lead to night blindness. Vitamin A is critical for embryonic growth. It also supports the immune system and is critical for red blood cell production. A 1999 study by Penn State professor A. Catharine Ross, Ph.D., also suggests that dietary vitamin A may play a role in preventing certain types of cancer.

    Medical Uses

    • Doctors use retinoids to treat a variety of conditions. Vitamin A supplements slow the progression of retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disorder involving progressive loss of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Retinoids also are used to treat some kinds of leukemia. They are most widely used, however, in creams and other topical treatments for skin disorders such as psoriasis and acne.

    Possible Side Effects

    • Medical retinoids are powerful and available by prescription only. While topical retinoids unclog pores, alleviate acne and lessen the appearance of wrinkles, they also can cause skin irritation and reddening. Overuse of topical retinoids can make the skin appear thinner. Both topical retinoids and dietary vitamin A in excessive doses have been linked to birth defects. Thus, medical retinoids are not prescribed to women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant.

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