Overview
Cosmetic shelves are loaded with goods that contain vitamin E that claim to reverse age-related skin damage. The real benefits behind vitamin E are found in the seesaw balance of free radicals and antioxidants.
Free Radicals And Antioxidants
These unstable molecules interact with cells in the body in a way that can cause damage.
Antioxidants are found in many foods and are also made in our bodies using the vitamins and minerals found in foods.
How Much Vitamin E Do You Need?
Unless your diet is very low in fat, it’s likely that you’re getting enough vitamin E. But smoking, air pollution, and even exposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays can deplete your body’s stores of the vitamin. According to the National Institutes of Health, teenagers and adults should get about 15 mg of vitamin E a day. Women who are pregnant should get the same.
You don’t need capsules and oil to get vitamin E. Many processed foods, especially cereals and juices, are fortified with vitamin E. It’s also found naturally in many foods, including: vegetable oils, especially wheat germ, sunflower, and safflower oils
nuts and seeds
avocados and other fats
Exposing the myths Since their identification, vitamin E, and other antioxidants have been subject to research for their ability to prevent a number of diseases. Heart protection It’s believed that people with higher levels of vitamin E are at reduced risk of heart disease. Cancer Another study that followed 35,000 men for 5 years found that taking vitamin E supplements had no effect when it came to reducing the risk of developing any type of cancer.
A 2011 follow-up found that study participants who had taken vitamin E actually had a 17 percent higher risk of developing prostate cancer. One study found that slathering vitamin E oil on your skin can actually worsen the appearance of scars or simply have no effect at all.
Vitamin E On Face As Overnight Treatment
If applied in the morning, you may have difficulty putting makeup or serums on top of it.
Typically, you can apply a serum or oil mixture containing vitamin E as an all-over treatment on your face. Look for a product with a high concentration of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol is often the ingredient name), or search for pure vitamin E oil. Rinse your face afterward with lukewarm water, and pat your skin dry.
If you’re using pure vitamin E oil, mix one or two drops of it for every 10 drops of a carrier oil, like jojoba oil, almond oil, or coconut oil. Rub your face in small circular motions as you apply the treatment so that you stimulate circulation and spread the product out as far as it will go.
Diseases & Conditions
Read about 20 benefits
Vitamin E is one of the fat-soluble vitamins.
It is popular because it is an antioxidant and has moisturizing properties. Antioxidants are substances that help the body get rid of free radicals. Vitamin E oil works as a moisturizing agent when applied topically, and it may be helpful as an antioxidant when taken orally.
Dry skin conditions Due to its moisturizing properties, vitamin E has been used in many moisturizers. Vitamin E improves the efficacy of moisturizers. Patients who want to avoid prescription creams for their mild psoriasis might consider using vitamin E oil.
Wounds Some reports suggest oral vitamin E helps heal wounds. However, there is mixed research on the benefits of vitamin E. Vitamin E may moisturize the dried wound area and prevent the formation of scar. However, if a person is allergic to vitamin E, their scar may worsen.
Vitamin E oil can have anti-aging effects on the skin. Because vitamin E is an antioxidant, it may delay the signs of aging on the skin but sufficient evidence to claim the same is inconclusive. Melasma (pigmentation of pregnancy) When taken orally, vitamin E has been shown to cause depigmentation in patients with melasma.
Only vitamin E may not be very effective in melasma management. Ataxia
Ataxia associated with vitamin E deficiency is an inherited condition that affects balance and muscle control. It mainly affects the balance and coordination of body movements.