PROMOTION
Pregnancy is a special time,
Using vitamin A creams
IN PREGNANCY
I
sotretinoin, a form of vitamin A, is still the
most consistently effective medical acne
treatment. It is an active form of vitamin A
and is known to cause horrific foetal
abnormalities early in pregnancy. Hence the
unfortunate, but false, universal fear that all
forms of vitamin A are dangerous to
developing foetuses. Understandably,
everyone is now also afraid to use topical
vitamin A applications during pregnancy.
The real irony is that vitamin A is an essential
vitamin for all stages of normal foetal
development. No normal development is
possible without it. A pregnant woman
requires between 5000 IU and 10 000 IU of
vitamin A per day during pregnancy to
achieve this. Therefore, if any of the vitamin
A in Environ were to enter the bloodstream
of the mother to any significant degree it
would make only a very small contribution to
this normal daily requirement. The vital
question to answer is: If Environ products are
said to be safe in pregnancy, why is that?
The answer is that the specific type of vitamin
A molecule absorbed by the pregnant
mother’s represents the vital difference
between safe and harmful. This, much more
so than the actual dosage. Vitamin A1 (also
called retinol) and the esterified forms like the
retinyl palmitate, when taken by mouth or
absorbed through the skin are subjected to
changes by a specific and finely-controlled
enzyme system in the bowel, liver and skin.
This system converts the non-active forms of
vitamin A into well-controlled numbers of
active molecules, which produce the actual
effects of the vitamin in the cell’s nuclear
vitamin A receptors. In this way specific
quantities of the active retinoic acid are
produced by the cells themselves to ensure
the correct amount of the active molecules to
assist in the critically important processes of
new cell and tissue formation. Quantities are
precisely controlled not to be poisonous
(toxic) to the delicate DNA system of the cell
nucleus.
52 PB March/April 2006
when great care needs to be
taken to avoid treatments
which could possibly be
harmful to the developing
baby. The confusion over the
safety of vitamin A in
pregnancy poses a dilemma for
therapists and clients, simply
because vitamin A is essential
as the kingpin in advanced
vitamin skin therapy.
On the other hand, an already active systems, made up of the enzymes and
molecule like Isotretinoin, known to cause binding proteins.
abnormalities in foetuses, does so by binding
to a normal group of RXR vitamin A receptors Over and above the biochemical aspects of
in the normal way, but in amounts not safety discussed above it is well-known just
controlled by the body itself. This disrupts the how difficult it is to get high doses of vitamin
critical concentrations of vitamin A required A into the skin by applying it topically. One
at very precisely timed points for defined has to go to extraordinary measures like
parts of development in the early foetus, iontophoresis, sonophoresis and needling to
causing severe or even fatal handicaps. The increase penetration. All evidence points
cell has no enzyme system to control the towards the conclusion that all topically
levels of any form of retinoic acid itself, only applied Environ products are safe to use.
the precursor forms.
Despite the obvious safety, the recommendation
If the number of molecules of the competing remains that products containing vitamin A
isotretinoin is much greater than that of the should not be used for pregnant women,
naturally produced and controlled forms of the especially in the first trimester. This is for the
forerunner vitamin A molecules, the vitamin A practical reason to avoid any unfounded
enzyme system has no means of locking the litigation based on the poorly understood
intruders out and damage results. details of vitamin A metabolism by most
people and even some so-called experts!
Environ creams in any strength contain
only the precursor, inactive vitamin A Please direct all questions to:
molecules which have to be changed to Helena Raats, Editor
active molecules. The moment any vitamin Email: helenar@professional-beauty.co.za
A molecule is added in this particular way, Tel: 011 884 4776
it becomes subject to the strict control Fax: 011 884 3716
T h e E n v i ro n ® a d v i s o r y p a n e l :
Dr Des
Fernandes,
plastic Dr. Bruce
surgeon, Muir,
chief medical
medical Val doctor
advisor and Carstens, specialising
founder of CEO of in anti-
Environ®. Environ®. ageing.
Dr. Geraldine
Dr. Ernst Mitton,
Eiselen, medical and
medical wellness
doctor director for
and the Sante
medical Winelands For more information
advisor to Wellness contact 0800 220 402
Environ®. Centre. (South Africa only)