Healing Skin Problems With Vitamin E

Written By Alexandria Yates
January 28th, 2010

Vitamin E is an essential nutrient for a healthy mind and body. Many health experts recommend supplementing with Vitamin E to help boost the body’s antioxidant level by either consuming foods rich in this nutrient or taking a vitamin pill. Although, the many benefits attributed to supplementation have been well regarded, not much is known about the powerful effects it is has on the skin when applied topically.

The term vitamin E refers to a class of nutrients called tocopherols and tocotrienols. These nutrients are naturally found in the oils of many vegetables as well as eggs, nuts, seeds and whole grain foods. The reason that it is so prized as an antioxidant is because of its amazing ability to destroy reactive oxidants. Reactive oxidants, also known as free-radicals, involve an oxygen atom which can cause damage to the body’s cells as well as interfere with the cells’ ability to communicate with each other.

Usually, a healthy body can ward off reactive oxidants naturally. But under circumstances in which the body becomes overwhelmed by these free-radicals, the condition of oxidative stress occurs. If nothing is done to reverse this imbalance, the risks of developing heart disease, stroke, inflammatory diseases and various forms of cancer increase greatly. Natural forms of vitamin E can help by destroying free-radicals and therefore reducing the body’s oxidative stress burden.

One such study that documented the benefits of this oxidant scavenging ability was conducted by A. Wu, Z. Ying, and F. Gomez-Pinilla and was published on PubMed on Oct. 19, 2009. In this study, it was discovered that feeding rats an adequate amount of vitamin E, in this case 500 IU/kg for 4 weeks, helped counteract brain damage after a traumatic brain injury. The conclusion reached in this study is that receiving sufficient amounts of vitamin E can protect the brain from oxidant damage of cognition and synaptic plasticity resulting from a mild traumatic brain injury in humans.

Because of this amazing ability to turn around free-radical damage on the inside of the body, looking at the benefits to skin application is a natural next step. Following are some suggestions for using vitamin E oil. This is just a partial list as there are plenty of other skin conditions for which this oil can heal.

Scars and Stretch Marks

Vitamin E is useful for reducing the appearance of scars and stretch marks. The best way to do this is to buy pure vitamin E oil or to poke a hole in a vitamin E capsule with a needle and rub the oil on the area affected well enough so that it gets absorbed through the skin. Applying the oil at least once a day, such as when stepping out of the shower or before going to bed, is a good way to ensure maximum absorption.

Mild Skin Rashes and Dry Skin

For treating mild skin rashes or irritations due to dry skin, vitamin E oil may be the quickest solution. For application, see the above paragraph. A lot of skin rashes are caused by the body’s attempt to detoxify itself and applying chemical medications or lotions may only add to the irritation of the area. Vitamin E creates a moisturizing effect without adding unnecessary chemical fillers.

Cold Sores

Cold sores are painful blisters that erupt on the face and sometimes the fingers. They are caused by the herpes simplex virus and although this is usually a recurring symptom, the outbreak of sores usually go away on their own after seven to ten days. By rubbing natural vitamin E into each sore, the pain and itching resulting from cold sores can be alleviated.

Preventing Skin Cancer from Sun Exposure

New studies are coming out that show getting an adequate amount of vitamin D from sun exposure actually helps reduce the risk of skin cancers. But this should be done to the extent that the skin doesn’t get sunburned, which means anywhere from 15 minutes of sun exposure a day up to 2 hours of exposure depending on the skin type and geographic location (lighter skins need less exposure than those with darker skin tones). And while using chemical-free sunscreens for longer sun exposure is recommended to avoid sunburns, applying vitamin E to the skin before and after sun exposure has been shown to reduce UV (ultra-violet) light induced DNA damage within the skin. Skin cancer is the result of this type of DNA damage.

Be careful what source of vitamin E is applied to the skin. It’s best to opt for an all-natural, pure vitamin E oil rather than purchasing skin lotions and beauty products containing vitamin E. The reason for this is because many skin products are loaded with other chemicals such as glycerin and parabens that cause more harm than good and will not only counteract the beneficial effects of the vitamin E but could make the afflicted area worse.

A good way to ensure that the vitamin E oil being purchased is natural is to look for vitamin E products labeled d-alpha-tocopherol and d-alpha-tocotrienol; not dl-alpha-tocopherol or dl-alpha-tocotrienol with the (dl) prefix, which are synthetic forms of vitamin E. Also, it’s good to stay away from vitamin E oil derived from canola oil as this is a highly processed oil that is controversial in that it is made from genetically modified rapeseeds. Remember, what’s applied to the skin gets absorbed into the body.

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References:

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/76/4/703

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/672741/the_amazing_health_benefits_of_using.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19841436?ordinalpos=10&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=882093

http://www.ehow.com/about_5492575_vitamin-oil.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_5369631_uses-topical-vitamin-oil.html

Related:

To read an article describing the benefits of vitamin E rich foods, click here:

For information on a chemical-free sunblock product, click here: