The Skin – Our Largest Organ!
Many people forget that the skin is our largest organ… it covers our entire body! They also forget that the skin is not a solid barrier; it absorbs many types of substances and liquids that come in contact with it. In fact, this is why skin patches are the preferred method of delivery for some types of medications. While it’s true that certain ingredients are not absorbed very well, the bottom line is that it’s important to remember what you’re putting on your skin… because there’s a possibility it is being absorbed.

Vitamin E In Cosmetics – Smart Skincare or Smart Marketing?
As we all know, companies love to add popular ingredients into their products, just so they can say “This product is made with so and so” in their advertisements. Sometimes, it’s beneficial to add in nutrients. Other times, such as with products for the hair, most vitamins serve little to no use when applied topically. So that brings us to the question… is vitamin E in cosmetics beneficial or not?

As it turns out, using vitamin E in cosmetics is not just some gimmick. Why? Because vitamin E is one ingredient that can be directly absorbed by the skin. According to a recent report by Frost & Sullivan (a major consulting/research firm) vitamin E skin care products can reportedly help in a number of ways:

- Acting as an antioxidant, vitamin E can help promote healthy looking skin

- Vitamin E has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, which may help ease the uncomfortable feeling associated with a sun burn

- Vitamin E has unique moisturizing abilities which may improve the look and feel of skin

- Although vitamin E skin care products are not a substitute for sunscreen, they may offer some help in protecting the skin from UV damage

- Vitamin E has also been known to assist in preventing some types of melanin deposits

Considering the possible benefits, it only makes sense to use vitamin E in cosmetics. Whether it be vitamin E skin cream, gel, or oil… it’s probably something we should all consider including in our beauty regimen.

Let’s talk about some of the most popular vitamins which reportedly fall under this category. However please realize that I am by no means a doctor so this information is not meant to be medical advice. Also the information contained here has not been evaluated nor endorsed by the FDA. No vitamin should be used to treat, cure, or prevent a disease. Please understand that I am just summarizing the information I have read elsewhere and do not claim to be an expert myself.

Biotin
This is perhaps the most well known in the category. Also known as vitamin H or B7, this nutrient benefits cellular energy metabolism of fats, carbs, and proteins. Fortunately our bodies (assuming their operating normally) produce biotin naturally through bacteria in the intestine. Therefore deficiencies are few and far between. Because we get enough naturally, supplementation is optional for most people. The reason it is used in hair, skin and nail vitamins though is because there have been many researchers who have discovered evidence which points to it benefiting them. Therefore many hair loss supplements contain this nutrient. Because our nails are very similar to hair, it is often promoted for them too.

Vitamin E
Most people know about the vitamin E skin benefits (i.e. moisturizing) but not everyone is familiar with the other benefits of this nutrient. Many claim that vitamin E promotes a healthy heart and supports the immune system. Because it is a potent antioxidant, it also helps our body neutralize free radicals which are dangerous to our skin and may contribute to signs of aging.

Vitamin C
This is perhaps the most popular vitamin out there so most of us our familiar with its health benefits. Like vitamin E, because it is an antioxidant it probably benefits us in many ways since it is said to help fight off free radicals in our body. This is why it’s included not only in hair, skin and nails vitamins, but also many other supplements. Nowadays deficiency of this nutrient is rare (at least in developed countries) since synthethic forms of it (ascorbic acid) are added as a supplement in a number of things we consume on a daily basis. However ascorbic acid is not vitamin C in its natural form; rather, it’s a synthetic form that is only a part of the natural vitamin C complex). Therefore, many people are opting for what is called whole food vitamin C (the complete natural form of it).

Alpha Lipoic Acid
This is a rather newly discovered antioxidant which is thought to benefit our bodies in a number of ways. As an antioxidant, alpha lipoic is said to benefit the skin by helping to fight free radicals and therefore promoting healthy skin. There is a lot of promising research and studies out there about this, but like all nutrients, more research needs to be done to conclude its full benefits. More and more hair vitamins and skin supplements are now including this nutrient.

Why Our Skin Needs Vitamins
Many people coast through parts of their life not taking supplement. They wrongly assume that these nutrients are not necessary and therefore they don’t need them. Well, nothing could be further from the truth!

The fact of the matter is that there are many vitamins which are not only beneficial for our health, but they are also needed for our very survival! If we don’t get enough of them in our daily diets, then things like scurvy and a plethora of other diseases can arise.

Various vitamins are used throughout our body, including our skin (which is our biggest organ!) so it’s no wonder why scientists and everyday people (like myself) have started to realize just how useful they are to use in skin care products.

Vitamin Skin Care: What To Look For
First of all, I want to make it clear that I don’t favor any particular brands or products over another, because I feel there are many great ones on the market today. But rather what I advise people to look at are the active ingredients used in each product you may be interested in.

For example, vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant which has been associated with offering sun protection, free radical neutralization, and moisturizing qualities. Vitamin C skin care products have also been shown to offer excellent antioxidant properties – helping to fight off free radicals which may contribute to premature wrinkles and other signs of aging.

The are many other useful vitamin skin care nutrients also like alpha lipoic acid, vitamin D, vitamin A (retinol face cream), as well as other minerals and nutrients like copper peptides and CoQ10 supplements. Together, there is overwhelming evidence which points to these things not only being useful for our body, but our skin too!

With so many different types of skin treatments on the market today, it is hard to decipher which ones will benefit us the most. Many women, including myself, depend on the internet as a way to find and sort through different products they are interested in trying before they actually purchase them… that is exactly the reason I created this blog! Some women talk to their girlfriends to find out which skin treatments they favor and use their advice as a baseline in determining which ones they like. I know I do this often as well, especially if I like the way their skin looks. Often this might be a big mistake on our part because what works for one person may not work for another.

Factors to consider…
There are a variety of different factors that every woman should consider when trying new skin care products. For instance, it is important to look at what type of skin you have. Do you have oily, normal, dry or combination skin. Then try to find a product that is specifically made with your skin type in mind.

If you are searching for a great moisturizer, one in particular that seems to work for many different skin types is vitamin e skin cream. Not only does this effectively moisturize your skin, but it is all natural, so not only are you doing good by yourself, but you are also doing good by the environment as well. You no longer have to worry about those dark patches of skin on the back of your arms near your elbows. Dab some of this amazing cream on these patches and the cream will do it’s job superbly.

Vitamin e skin cream can be composed of a combination of ingredients with the vitamin being the main focal point, as well as other vitamins and minerals to help aide in its ability to work with your bodies own chemistry. This cream works as a great treatment to help exfoliate the dead skin on the surface and reveal the more vibrant skin hidden underneath.

Anti-aging benefits…
Vitamin e skin cream is also a great way to help prevent any future wrinkles and is an ideal anti aging treatment for many people. It gets down into the lines of the wrinkles and helps to supply the moisture in the skin and thus makes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles less noticeable. Each person’s results can vary from good to excellent. Another factor that can effect how well this product works on wrinkles is how prominent the wrinkles are. Therefore, if you have very few of them and they are not very prominent your results will most likely be better then someone who has more of them that are deeply rooted.

There are many benefits of the using vitamin e skin cream. I have only touched the surface of the many different benefits that one can experience by using this product. If you are looking for an all around great treatment for the skin this cream will give you more bang for your buck and supply you with the suppleness that you only thought was possible in your dreams.

Have you ever wondered why Vitamin E oil is so popular amongst so many people? Well, for one it has a lot of different properties that help with various types of skin issues. Your grandma might use it to help reduce the signs of wisdom on her face, while your best friend might use it after a day of sunbathing. It is quite a universal vitamin that appeals to many people because of these reasons. It is also a favorite product for those people who are more into homeopathic, naturalistic cures and remedies. So as you can see there are a wide array of people from all backgrounds and age groups who use this valued mineral as part of their beauty routine.

How To Choose The Right One
There are a number of different brands and types of products that incorporate Vitamin E. The most important factor is finding one that has the right amount of potency not only for your skin type, but has enough concentration of the vitamin to work it’s magic on your skin. Many researchers state that in order for this oil to be effective it should contain between 2%-5% all the way up to 10%-30%. Its should also be stored in an airtight container so that oxygen does not interact with the vitamin. Once it does, its potency is affected and it will not work the way it is supposed to.

Side Effects
Although the tendency to have an adverse reaction is slim, there have been some people who have stated that it caused them to break out. But, just like any thing in life the only way one can know if it is effective treatment for them is through trial and error. It is very popular among many people with different types of skin. From normal, to oily, to dry to combination, you name it people with every type value vitamin e skin oil along with many other products that contain this super antioxidant.

Using It For Scars
Many people stand by it’s effectiveness as a great treatment to help diminish scarring. I know I have tried vitamin e skin oil in the past and it worked great to get rid of a scar that I ended up getting when I picked at a pimple that should not have been messed with. I used a little bit of this stuff and within a few days I could notice the difference in how prominent the scar was. It was nice! That being said, there are reports that it can make certain types of fresh scars (i.e. surgical) worse. So before you start using it for that purpose, as your dermatologist.

Anti-Aging Skin Care
Vitamin E oil also helps people with wrinkles that have already made their uninvited and unwanted appearance onto the face. The reason why it works great in regards to this treatment is that it is able to get below several layers of skin and helps heal the damaged cells as well as polish the new skin cells that are underneath the damaged skin. This makes the wrinkles seem less visible and gives the skin the added moisture it needs to be resilient. With so many benefits, and considering it’s very affordable, it comes as no surprise as to why vitamin E skin oil is such a popular treatment.

Have you ever wondered how you can obtain the type of skin that movie stars have? Well, unless you make a movie star budget there are a number of ways that you can incorporate a very basic skin care routine to improve and enhance the appearance of your skin. This process can work in more then one way, it can physically make your skin look better as well as give it the nutrients and vitamins it needs within to give you that healthy glow.

Using It For Skin
Vitamin E benefits have been around for quite some time, but it wasn’t until recently that many manufactures discovered even more important information in regards to what this valuable vitamin can do for the skin. For instance, this vitamin helps the body provide a chemical known as alpha-tocopherol to recharge lycopene and cartenoids. It helps them protect the body from producing free radicals oxygen which helps keeps the skin from being exposed to harmful UV rays. This is only made possible when the body has a good amount of cartenoids in the body along with adequate amounts of Vitamin E.

Scars
Vitamin E benefits has been reported by many people to help with the healing and visual appearance of scars on the skin. People state that it works to reduce the appearance of various types of scars including those obtained after surgical procedures. Although scientists state there is no proof in these claims, many people stand by it as a great vitamin that has many benefits in regards to it’s ability to make scars appear less noticeable. *Please note there is some data that suggest using vitamin E oil on fresh scars can make them worse, so if you want to use this on scars, discuss it with your doctor first.

Skin Problems
Skin problems and various skin diseases that people have, this can help in more ways than one. For people with psoriasis a topical cream can help with calming this extremely dry and very uncomfortable skin condition. Many people who suffer from psoriasis report that the skin becomes very itchy and sensitive. Therefore using a cream containing this vitamin helps promote comfort along with excellent moisturizing benefits.

Another skin disease that vitamin E benefits when it is orally taken is erythema. This skin condition leaves people with red tender bumps on the skin which can be very painful. By taking this vitamin people with this skin ailment can calm the inflammation and the redness in the skin. Other great benefits for the skin are its ability to work as a great antioxidant when taken in supplement form. It helps with minimizing the magnitude and appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and is a great naturalistic moisturizer for all skin types.

You have read some very useful tips in association with Vitamin E for skin. By integrating this prized form of nature into your daily routine you will see a multitude of positive results that will make you wonder why it took you so long to try this amazing and affordable substance!

Using It
Many people use vitamin E gel a number of different ways to treat a variety of different skin conditions. Some people use it as a treatment for scars. People that use if for this usually do so in hopes that this treatment will either make the scar less noticeable, or diminish it completely. Although scientists beg to differ about it’s effectiveness in treatment of scars many people stand by this products effectiveness to help dissolve those unsightly marks on the body or face.

Other people who are avid users of vitamin E gel use it as a treatment to help them defy the signs of aging. Many people use this product to help not only make wrinkles less noticeable, but have high hopes in completely eliminating these wrinkles. Everyone has differing results, and some people might have better results then others, but it is just like anything else in life, you won’t know until you try it yourself to see if it works for you.

How It Helps
Vitamin E gel is also helps with the formation of collagen which is essential in any great skin care product. This process helps reveal newer livelier skin underneath the sun exposed sometimes damaged top layer of the skin. That is why when you use it you can actually feel the difference. This process is very similar to that of gardening and soil. The soil on top of the ground may be less dense and not have as much nutrients that the soil underneath has. The same goes for your skin. There are a multitude of healthy layers underneath the top layer of skin.

This product also helps with effectively moisturizing the skin as well, which is also a very important trait for any type of skin care product. For the people with dry and dull skin, this product would be ideal, because it will not only give your skin the hydration it needs, but it will also leave your skin looking a lot brighter as well.

Have Oily Skin?
People with oily skin can also benefit from using vitamin E gel because it will help you retain the moisture that is already in your skin, plus give it the added nutrients that it needs to be healthy. The best way to put this product to use is to make sure to apply it to a freshly washed face, that way you don’t have the excess oils from your skin counteract with the moisture from the gel.

Conclusion
Whether it’s signs of aging, dry skin, oily skin, or if you are looking more into the naturalistic way to help with your skin care needs, vitamin E gel cream or oil is a promising solution!

A: Not all supplements use 200 IU, but the reason you see it so frequently is that is many currently consider to be an appropriate daily dosage. However it’s important to realize that it is an amount far above the U.S. government’s recommended daily allowance for adults, which is 22.5 IU (international units).

Is it safe to take large doses of vitamin E?
That depends on what your definition of “large” is, but it is known that taking excessively large amounts can be harmful. One of the reasons for this is because it is a fat soluble vitamin. So unlike a water soluble vitamin (such as C) which leaves your body when you urinate, vitamin E can accumulate in your body.

Therefore taking high doses over and over may cause a build up. In fact, dosages of 1000 mg have been linked to blood clotting and hemorrhaging. Some studies have even concluded that 400 IU is too high. However the National Institute of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, has stated that the Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for vitamin E is 1,500 IU for adults, age 19 and older.
The reason vitamin E 200 IU is so popular is because many believe it’s a good amount that is not too much but not too little.
The only way to know for sure what dosage is right for you is to speak with your doctor. We all have different needs depending on our bodies.

An Important Note About Vitamin E 200 IU (and other dosages)
Did you know that most supplements use an artificial form which is actually made from petroleum? This artificial form is known as DL-alpha tocopherol. This is what is almost always found in both multi’s and E supplements. This synthetic form is said to be inferior because it is not biologically active and does not stay in the body nearly as long as the natural form.

Our bodies use a form known as D-alph tocopherol  – the natural vitamin E form). This is the “raw” form of E that is found in natural sources. The natural vitamin E complex actually consists of eight fat soluble compounds! This is why more and more people are turning to natural vitamin supplements, also known as whole food vitamins.

Q:

A: This is a very important issue to address, as many people seem to assume that vitamins are always safe, regardless of the dosage… nothing could be further from the truth. Before we discuss this, I would like to mention that I am in no way a medical professional, so please realize nothing I say on this site should be misconstrued as medical advice. Rather, you should view this information as simply talking points you can bring up with your doctor – only they can tell you the proper dosage.

Fact #1: It is possible to overdose on vitamin E
Vitamin E is fat soluble, which means it dissolves in fat and can sometimes accumulate there. This is the opposite of water soluble vitamins, like C, which exits our body in the same way food and beverages do. Therefore, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to conclude that taking excessive doses of vitamin E is not a good idea. Since vitamin E 400 IU is a high dose, it’s one you have to be particularly careful with.

Fact #2: Vitamin E 400 IU is over 17x the RDA
Did you know the adult recommended daily allowance is only 22.5 IU?  There are some people who allege that the RDA of 22.5 IU is outdated and that number needs to be increased. Since the Tolerable Upper Intake Levels is reportedly 1,500 IU for adults according to the NIH, many claim that vitamin E 400 IU is an optimal choice. However on the flip side, there are bodies of research which suggest taking massive doses per day might be extremely dangerous. According to the UK National Health Service, they advise against pregnant women from taking vitamin E supplements, due to usage possibly being linked to heart defects in newborns. But whatever your opinion may be, it’s important to go along with your doctor’s dosage recommendation.

Conclusion
Vitamin E 400 IU is an extremely strong strength of this nutrient, so it’s important to use with caution and only under the supervision of your doctor. Also, rather than taking the artificial version (DL-alpha tocopherol) which is used in the vast majority of supplements, it may be better to talk to your doctor about using natural vitamin E.