Antioxidant Effects
Aging is caused by two factors: internal factors such as genetics that one has no control over and external factors like the sun, environmental pollutants and lifestyle choices such as smoking. The external factors that cause skin damage or aging can be reduced or avoided with the use of skin care products and lifestyle changes. The book "Secrets Of Great Skin: The Definitive Guide To Anti-aging Skin Care" suggests that vitamin E may be beneficial in preventing damage done to the skin by some external factors and also reduce age-related skin changes.
Destroys Free Radicals
Skin exposure to cigarette smoke, car exhaust fumes and other environmental pollutants causes the production of free radicals in the skin. Free radicals are highly charged oxygen molecules. They destroy the cells in the skin leading to damaged skin. Wrinkles and brown spots are signs of free radical damage of the skin. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that has the ability to seek out and destroy free radicals in the skin. Vitamin E also increases the antioxidant content of the skin and this further increases the amount of free radicals that can be removed from the skin.
Retinol Regulation
Vitamin E regulates the levels of retinol in the body. Retinol is another name for vitamin A that is found in animals or mammals. It is needed for maintenance of the skin. Vitamin A increases blood flow to the skin and this increases the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the skin. It enhances the development of collagen, the substance that gives skin its elasticity and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. It also peels off the top layer of skin and this causes removal of skin damaged with age spots. Retinol is easily depleted by the sun. Vitamin E protects vitamin A or retinol from this effect.
Enhances Sunscreen
Excessive skin exposure to the sun accelerates aging of the skin. The sun causes production of free radicals in the skin which attack and destroy collagen in the skin. This results in loss of elasticity and formation of wrinkles in the skin. Vitamin E protects the skin against sun damage. It does this by absorbing the harmful rays of the sun and increasing the antioxidant content of the skin. When used alongside vitamin C, vitamin E enhances the effectiveness of sunscreen.
References
- "Secrets Of Great Skin: The Definitive Guide To Anti-aging Skin Care"; David J. Goldberg, Eva M. Herriot; 2005
- "Oxford Textbook of Medicine, Volume 1"; D. A. Warrell, Timothy M. Cox, John D. Firth; 2003
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