The marketing claims of vitamin K creams make perfect sense, if you look how the vitamin itself works in your body. Vitamin K's properties as an anticoagulent easily translate into a cream that can reduce vascular system-related cosmetic concerns like broken capillaries, bruises and dark eye circles. Vitamin K creams have been studied in a clinical setting to see if they're of benefit to surgical patients.
Vitamin K Overview
Vitamin K gets its name from the German word "Koagulationsvitamin," states the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. Vitamin K is a nutrient your body needs to help your blood clot. In foods, vitamin K is found in dark, leafy greens like broccoli and Brussels sprouts. According to the NIH, vitamin K alone also has certain medical applications and is used when too much of a blood-thinning medication is taken or to address bleeding caused by specific medications. Your doctor may also recommend vitamin K supplements to prevent osteroporosis or treat vitamin K deficiency.
Topical Uses
Vitamin K creams and other topical forms of vitamin K are used for numerous cosmetic purposes. According to the NIH, vitamin K can be applied to scars, stretch marks, bruises, spider veins, burns and patches of rosacea. Vitamin K cream may also be applied post-surgery to decrease bruising and inflammation.
Vitamin K Study
Researchers from the University of Miami School of Medicine conducted a study on the effects of topical vitamin K on people with laser-induced bruising. The results of this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in August 2002, described how 22 participants were divided into two groups. Eleven applied vitamin K cream on one side of the face and a placebo cream on the other half two weeks prior to laser surgery. The other 11 participants repeated the same regimen for two weeks after receiving laser surgery. Results of the study indicated that in the pre-surgery group, no difference in bruising was noted when comparing the vitamin K cream to the placebo. However, in the post-surgery group, significantly less bruising was noted on the side of the face treated with vitamin K cream compared to the placebo side.
Expert Opinion
Paula Begoun, cosmetics expert and author of numerous beauty books such as "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me," takes a more cautious approach to vitamin K creams. She points out that other studies of vitamin K creams have used topicals that contain 1 and 2 percent vitamin K, which is substantially stronger than that found in over-the-counter creams. Begoun also points to studies that didn't use vitamin K as a sole ingredient in the topical cream being examined, but combined it with other ingredients such as retinol and vitamins C and E. Nor was vitamin K compared to other anti-inflammatory agents such as green tea or curcumin.
Other Tips
As Begoun points out, vitamin K is considered a cosmetic ingredient when used in creams, not a drug. Therefore, manufacturers of vitamin K creams don't have to prove their marketing claims before selling it to you, the consumer. Because the topicals used in clinical studies contained a high concentration of vitamin K, she also urges you to choose a product with "more than a dusting of vitamin K." Begoun suggests considering Donell Super Skin K-Derm Cream, which contains more of the vitamin than other products, if you want to test a vitamin K cream for yourself.
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