In many winter climates, the frigid temperatures and chilly winds take a harsh toll on our skin. Heated air in homes, cars, and workplaces also zap moisture, evaporating it into the air from the skin’s surface. Furthermore, if you don’t drink enough water throughout the day (we often forget to keep ourselves hydrated in the winter), the body pulls water reserves which dehydrates it from the inside. With so many factors, uncomfortably dry, chapped, and even cracked skin may seem inevitable. Fortunately, you can maintain smooth, supple skin all year long by using natural products enriched with full-spectrum vitamin E.
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant, helping protect cells from damage throughout your body. It’s found in our sebum (skin oil), which creates a natural barrier to keep moisture in your skin. So oilier skin surfaces, like the face, contain greater amounts of vitamin E. And since people with oily skin have more sebum, they also have more vitamin E on their skin.
Deeply Therapeutic Power to avoid dry skin
Skin maintains a natural barrier function that keeps moisture in and harmful agents out. But with time and environmental exposure, this barrier can become compromised—and it can become drier and more susceptible to damage. Vitamin E can help restore and maintain its natural barrier function, which enables it to regain its natural ability to lock in moisture, prevent dehydration, and defend itself against elemental stress. That’s why topically applied vitamin E is an excellent intensive moisturizer that helps keep it soft and healthy.
Topical application of vitamin E has been used in a wide variety of forms throughout history, ranging from the application of oils to the skin surface to the use of modern cosmetic formulations. Topical applications of vitamin E permeate the epidermis and dermis.
Multi-Faceted Benefits
You will find that the vitamin E used in most skincare products is usually in the form of alpha-tocopherol. But vitamin E actually exists in eight different forms: alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherol as well as alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocotrienol. When all forms of vitamin E are combined, new research shows that the mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols together offer superior antioxidant activity, unparalleled moisture, and healing benefits. Therefore, full-spectrum vitamin E is exactly what your skin needs for potent protection and maximum winter skin relief.
The Importance of Tocotrienols for Skin
Do you know what tocotrienols actually are. They come in alpha, beta, delta and gamma forms, together making up vitamin E. Because vitamin E is an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radicals, which can cause inflammation. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that can penetrate into vital cell membranes, protecting the integrity of your skin. Studies have shown that both tocopherols and tocotrienols effectively fight free radicals (highly reactive atoms that damage cells in your body), but new research shows that tocotrienols perform better and are actually stronger antioxidants than tocopherols.
Skin scientists believe tocotrienols are beneficial for our cells because of their antioxidant properties. This means they could help keep skin looking younger for longer by slowing skin damage from free radicals. To start, the skin recognizes and readily absorbs tocotrienols better than tocopherols. They are also more evenly distributed throughout cell membranes and lie closer to the surface, allowing them to act quickly as the first line of defense against free radicals. Plus, depending on the type of free radical, tocotrienols can demonstrate antioxidant activity up to 40 times higher than tocopherols—powerfully shielding skin from environmental aggressors like harsh winds and cold temperatures.
The Full-Spectrum Vitamin E Solution
Just as winter calls for more clothing, our body needs more layers of protection during this season. People with dry, flaky skin are more likely to see a benefit from using vitamin E because it enhances moisturization. But if you have oily, acne-prone skin, you don’t need extra vitamin E. You’re getting enough in your sebum production.
Topical vitamin E oil penetrates the surface and protects the top and middle layers of the skin. For people who need their skin to be less dry and itchy, vitamin E seems to do a good job of that. Whether you want to maintain the soft skin you’re in or need to more intensively nourish dry, flaky, itchy skin, choosing natural skincare products fortified with full-spectrum vitamin E will support smooth, supple, healthy skin today and all year long.
Vitamin E oil can be the new bestie for your skin. It has a diverse range of benefits to offer if incorporated into your regular skincare regimen. If you are new to vitamin E oil go slow with your vitamin E oil experiment and do not forget the patch test before the actual application. Remember, precaution is always better than the cure.
Dr. Linda Miles is associated with dermae. Her columns address issues regarding natural skincare solutions, natural skincare ingredients, and skincare issues. Visit Dr. Miles online at dermae.com.
Suirgisrnply well-written and informative for a free online article.