Whether you're at the beginning of puberty or heading toward menopause, you may be one of the thousands of people on the lookout for an acne treatment that really works. After all, regardless of your age, those sometimes-painful, always unwelcome blemishes can make your life miserable, from the schoolyard to the boardroom.

Though there may never be a cure-all acne treatment, modern scientists have discovered that Vitamin A can have an amazing effect on many individuals who had begun to believe they could never look in the mirror without cringing.

A Snapshot of Vitamin A

For those unfamiliar with the general make-up of Vitamin A, there's no need to take a science course. In fact, one need only go to his or her refrigerator as a starting point to learn about this would-be acne treatment.

Dark, yellow, or orange veggies contain carotenoids, carriers of Vitamin A. Retinoic acid, also part of the construction of naturally occurring Vitamin A, is present in such meat and produce items as kidney, liver, and eggs. So a simple trip to the grocery store with a $20 bill could easily net a plethora of Vitamin A products which could perhaps also provide an acne treatment.

The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) U.S. National Library of Medicine even gave Vitamin A (commonly known as ?retinol?) a grade of ?A? (on a traditional ?A? through ?F? scale) when evaluating the substance as a successful acne treatment. Though they confidently applauded Vitamin A for its powers, their one cautionary statement was that Vitamin A supplements not be used in conjunction with Vitamin A-based acne treatments, as too much of this valuable substance can be problematic.

On or In? The Great Debate?

Though the NIH recommends that Vitamin A be administered as an acne treatment only under the care of a trained physician, there are many families and persons who feel more comfortable controlling their acne from home.

To this end, many acne sufferers choose topical products that contain high doses of Vitamin A, while others turn to ingesting the substance either in pill or food form. (The RDA suggested intake of Vitamin A is 900 micrograms or 3,000 IUs for males and 700 micrograms or 2,300 IUs for females.) However, the debate rages whether one form of the vitamin is more effective than the other as an acne treatment.

Generally, it's wise for anyone considering Vitamin A as an acne treatment technique to monitor closely what seems to work best. As humans, each individuals? body responds differently from the next; thus, someone choosing Vitamin A as a holistic method of acne control may need to document his or her experiences with the vitamin, tweaking dosages and formats where necessary to obtain the best acne treatment results.

Some Final Thoughts?

In the end, if you have been burdened with skin problems for a few months or a few decades, you might just want to give Vitamin A a try as the acne treatment of your choice.

Generally speaking, as long as you keep your Vitamin A dosages fall within the recommended daily amount for your age and medical conditions, you shouldn't experience any ill side effects. And who knows? You may just be able to confidently smile for photographs and make the acquaintance of mirrors again.