Vitamin E

Overall for skin care, more benefit is obtained from topical application of Vitamin E through creams or lotions rather than taking Vitamin E orally. Skin is able to absorb natural Vitamin E effectively. However, taking Vitamin E orally is important for the good health of other areas of the body.

The recommended skin lotions and creams by many experts are those that contain the alcohol form of Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) instead of the acetate form (alpha-tocopherol acetate). The acetate form does not penetrate the skin’s surface well and provides less of the benefits of Vitamin E such as antioxidant activity for the skin.

Anti-Aging Benefits of Vitamin E
Vitamin E added to lotions, creams, and other skin care products, as well as taken orally, plays a role in the anti-aging of skin. It helps skin look younger by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Also, free radicals are believed to play an important role in skin aging and therefore the antioxidant activity is quite valuable for this skin problem.

Sun Protection and Sun Burn Treatment
Vitamin E lotions provide some benefit in preventing and treating sunburns. These lotions protect the epidermis layer of the skin from early stages of ultra violet light damage. Vitamin E preparations also increase the effectiveness of sunscreens. Such lotions do not work immediately. They must be applied about 20 minutes before sun exposure in order to allow the vitamin E to be absorbed deep into the epidermis layer.