What Does Vitamin E do for Skin

So, what does vitamin E do for skin and what makes it such a popular ingredient in skin care products? Well, vitamin E can help with a number of things but it is most well known in the skin care world for being a powerful antioxidant that can help repair and protect the skin against free radical damage making it an excellent ingredient that can help slow down the signs of aging.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that can be found in a variety of different forms but the most common one is alpha tocopherol. Vitamin E is an essential vitamin that can help to maintain a healthy immune system, healthy eyes, healthy skin and as an added bonus, it can also help to keep hair strong and healthy too. For these reasons, vitamin E is considered as one of the top anti-aging skin care ingredients.

Skin Benefits of Vitamin E

Vitamin E has quite a few skin benefits and as such, it is no surprise that it is used in many skin care products. Free radicals are a common cause of damaged and aging skin and vitamin E has antioxidant properties that help protect the skin and body from free radical damage and its healing properties are said to help repair the damage that has already been done.

It is said to speed up cell regeneration and help prevent the breakdown of collagen so when you consider that the loss of collagen causes the signs of aging such as fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin, you can understand the important role that vitamin E plays in the anti-aging skin care world.

Vitamin E is also renowned for being one of the most effective moisturisers on the market today and has long been used for its moisturising properties. It can help to keep the skin moist and hydrated and leave it soft, smooth and supple. Those who suffer from dry skin may find topically applied vitamin E very helpful although it’s worth noting that it can cause skin irritation in some.

Healing Properties

Anyone who has ever used a stretch mark cream will probably have noticed that one of the key ingredients is vitamin E. Vitamin E is often used in these types of creams because of its healing properties that can help fade and improve the appearance of stretch marks, scars and uneven skin tone caused by sun damage.

Although there are many vitamin E creams available, some prefer to use pure vitamin E capsules instead by piercing a small hole in the capsule and squeezing out the vitamin E oil from inside the capsule and applying it directly to the desired area. Doing this once a day is said to significantly reduce the appearance of marks, scars and fine lines over time.

Vitamin E is also commonly combined with another top skin care ingredient and that is vitamin C. Vitamin C has plenty of benefits on its own but vitamin C and E work so well together that they are said to make each other more potent when combined together. For that reason, many skin care creams and serums often include both vitamins to make a more effective product.

Vitamin E Sources

Vitamin E can be found in many skin care products, concentrated oils, supplements and of course many different foods. From a dietary point of view, it is best to get your vitamin E intake from foods rather than supplements and as vitamin E is found in a variety of different foods, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get your daily intake. Below are some of the highest vitamin E rich foods sources.

• Nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts
• Seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds
• Fruits such as kiwifruit and avocado
• Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli
• Fortified cereals
• Plant oils such as wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil and olive oil

Topical Vitamin E – What to Look For

When you’re looking for vitamin E creams, some products will simply state vitamin E on the front of the bottle but if you’re looking on the ingredients label, you will find it listed under a number of different names because it comes in numerous different forms. You’ll find it listed under names such as tocopherol, d-alpha tocopherol, d-alpha tocopherol acetate, dl-alpha tocopherol and dl-alpha tocopherol acetate.

There are natural and synthetic versions of vitamin E and anything with a “d” prefix comes from a natural source whereas anything with a “dl” prefix comes from a synthetic source. Both forms are considered to be beneficial to skin but natural forms are said to be more effective.

Final Thoughts

There are a number of top ingredients that are considered to be the most effective when it comes to skin care and vitamin E is included in that list and when you consider the benefits it has to offer, you can see that it certainly deserves its place. Many people are already using skin care products that contain vitamin E without even realising it, but if on the off chance your entire skin care collection is vitamin E free, then you may want to consider products that include it.

How do you get your vitamin E and what products do you use containing it? If you’d like to share your experiences, please feel free to do so in the comments section below.

Jessie