Vitamins Series: Let’s Discuss Vitamin E!
What Is Vitamin E?
Vitamin E, also known as tocopherol in skin care, is a lipid soluble antioxidant naturally found in the skin’s dermis and epidermis. It accumulates in our sebaceous glands over time and surfaces on our stratum corneum through sebum production. An increase in sebum results in an increase in this vitamin. Thus, oilier skin types tend to have increased tocopherol content in their skin. It is very unstable when exposed to sunlight, which makes it easy to be lost from the skin.
What Does it Do?
Applying it topically increases photoprotection, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and protects the skin from free radical damage.
FAQs
Can vitamin E help acne? Yes, it acts as an anti-inflammatory which means it can reduce inflammatory acne.
Will it treat my scars? There are misleading studies that claim it heals scars, but a clinical trial done by the NIH proves it does not treat scars.
Will tocopherol smooth my wrinkles? Free radical damage perpetuates the formation of wrinkles. It will protect your skin against free radical damage, which means it can also help with wrinkles.