Skin, as the largest organ of your body, protects your body from damage and contamination. Also, it conserves your body heat and acts as a shock absorber. Nutrients and oils produced by your skin keep it healthy. Sometimes disease, the environment or physical damage overwhelms your skins ability to self-maintain and topical or dietary vitamins can assist your skin in its mission. Both vitamins A and E have an impact on skin health.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A, or retinol, is derived from dietary animal protein sources and yellow or orange vegetables. It is important to your sight, your skin and the linings of other organs such as the lungs and intestines. In global areas of malnutrition, vitamin A deficiency causes blindness. Several vitamin A-related drugs called retinoids have become popular topical treatments for certain skin conditions, but have yet to be proven as a preventative for skin cancer or wrinkles.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E, or α-tocopherol, is a component naturally within your skin. It can be 20 times higher in exposed areas of skin as it is in unexposed skin. The vitamin protects the skin from oxidative damages, such as UV light. Topical α-tocopherol is not stable, thus popular skin treatments use other forms of vitamin E, which do not seem to be able to be convert to usable vitamin E after application. Sufficient dietary nutrition should be able to supply your skin with enough vitamin E to fight oxidative cell damage.
Acne
Acne affects 80 percent of the human population. Acne lesions affect your skins sweat glands and small hair follicles, which are most numerous on your face, upper neck and chest. Tretinoin, a metabolite of vitamin A, is used as a topical treatment for acne. Acne sufferers use topical retinoids for both non-inflammatory and inflammatory acne. The topical retinoids can irritate the skin, but new delivery systems using microspheres prove to be less irritating.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis affects the skin of 1 to 5 percent of the world's population. It causes excessive growth in the top layer of skin cells, while causing inflammation in the two lower layers. Acitretin is an oral retinoid approved for treating psoriasis. It works slowly to reduce psoriasis skin lesions, but should not be used in pregnant or breastfeeding women because it causes birth defects. Due to possible side effects, oral retinoid treatment is stopped when psoriasis lesions have cleared.
Photodaging
Alpha-tocopherol acetate, a form of vitamin E, is commonly used in cosmetic products and sunscreens. In studies mentioned by A. Chiu in the 2003 British Journal of Dermatology, vitamin E reduced skin dryness, depth of wrinkles and length of facial lines. Also, it maintained and enhanced skin hydration. Studies conflict in its ability to protect your skin from UV damage. Vitamin A retinoids have the ability to block UV skin degradation and enhance collagen production, which removes fine lines and sun-induced age spots.
Other Considerations
Recently, vitamin A was shown to not only decreased the length and width of stretch marks, or striae, but partially reversed the progression of them as well. Also, research published by C. Pierad-Franchimont in the 2000 American Journal of Dermatology discussed the direct effects of retinol on cellulite, which improved skin tension to improve skin smoothness. In 2005 research by P. Manzoni in Minerva Pediatrics showed newborn skin lesions, which were treated with vitamin E, healed better than those treated with other ointments. Vitamins A and E benefit many skin conditions.
References
- "Nutrition;" The Role of Vitamins in Skin Care; Stanley Shapiro, Claude Saliou; June 2001
- Merck Manual Home Edition; Vitamin A; Larry Johnson, August 2007
- Mayo Clinic; Vitamin A
- The Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products Intended for Consumers; The Use of Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate in Cosmetic Products; September 2001
- "The British Journal of Dermatology;" Topical Vitamins, Minerals and Botanical Ingredients as Modulators of Environmental and Chronological Skin Damage; A. Chiu, A.B. Kimball; 2003
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