SKIN-TASTIC Vitamins — Learn Your ABC

In the beauty community, the loudest buzz these days is about the power of vitamins, tailor designed to your benefit they can give your skin a more radiant, healthy, and yes! youthful glow. The excitement is focused not only on creams, lotions and potions you put on your skin but what you put into your body as well. Health experts universally agree that vitamins and minerals in all forms play an integral role in a healthy complexion, whether the source is food, supplements, or a jar of cream.

If following latest scientific researches is your thing, I am sure you know there is a lot of important new research showing tremendous power of antioxidants in general, and some specific nutrients in particular that can make an important difference in the way your skin looks and feels and even in how well it ages. Experts say if you feed your skin from the inside and out, you can't help but benefit. Combined with a good diet, the right dietary supplements can help keep your skin looking not only healthy, but also years younger.

Sifting Through A Long List OF Alphabets — Which Vitamins Have The Strongest Impact On Skin?

Studies show that the vitamins C, E, A, K, and B complex all play special role in your skin health and appearance.

Vitamin C — Among the most important new dermatologic discoveries is the power of vitamin C to counter the effects of sun exposure. It works by reducing the damage caused by free radicals, a harmful byproduct of sunlight, smoke, and pollution. Free radicals gobble up collagen and elastin, the fibers that support skin structure, causing wrinkles and other signs of aging. Vitamin C also helps smooth and firm skin and fade brown spots. In one study, women who treated sun-damaged skin with a C cream for six months saw significant improvement in fine lines and discoloration.

Make sure your diet includes plenty of vitamin-C rich foods (citrus and vegetables, among others), which can replace the loss of the vitamin through the skin. You can also take vitamin C supplements, up to 500 to 1,000 milligrams of per day. Word of warning - over dosing of vitamin C has been linked with kidney stones.

You can also try a topical vitamin C cream to encourage collagen production, just as your body does naturally when you are young. The trick here is to use a formulation containing the L-ascorbic acid form of vitamin C, the only one that can penetrate skin layers and do the job.

Vitamin E —A slew of skin care studies document its superstar status. In one, E significantly reduced the number of these unstable molecules created after exposure to cigarette smoke. Others show that when it's used before UV exposure, skin is less red, swollen, and dry.

Vitamin E can also help reduce wrinkles and make your skin look and feel smoother.

According to studies published by the AAD, taking 400 units of vitamin E daily appeared to reduce the risk of sun damage to cells as well as reduce the production of cancer-causing cells. Some studies show that when vitamins E and A are taken together, people show a 70% reduction in basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.

Golden rule of caution applies strictly as far as vitamin E dosage is concerned. Recent research has raised red flags reporting large doses of vitamin E can be harmful, so please stay within 400 international units per day or less to be on the safe side. Used in a cream, lotion, or serum form, vitamin E can soothe dry, rough skin. When combined with vitamin C in a lotion, it's highly protective against sun damage.

Vitamin A — If your vitamin A levels are up to snuff from the foods you eat, adding more probably won't do much more for your skin. That said if those levels drop even a little below normal, you're likely to see some skin-related symptoms, including a dry, flaky complexion. That's because vitamin A is necessary for the maintenance and repair of skin tissue and if you are deficient, you'll notice the difference. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamin A.

Topical vitamin A is the form that makes a real difference in your skin. Medical studies show a reduction in lines and wrinkles, good acne control, and some psoriasis relief, all from using creams containing this nutrient. The prescription treatment is called Retin A, and it's used primarily as a treatment for acne. The less potent, over-the-counter formulations are sold as retinols and used as anti-aging treatments.

Vitamin B Complex — When it comes to skin, the single most important B vitamin is biotin, a nutrient that forms the basis of skin, nail, and hair cells. Without adequate amounts, you may end up with dermatitis (an itchy, scaly skin reaction) or sometimes even hair loss. Even a mild deficiency causes symptoms.

Most people get enough biotin without even trying. It's found in many foods including bananas, eggs, oatmeal, and rice, plus your body also makes some biotin on its own.

But recently, greater attention is being paid to topical preparations containing B vitamins. These creams can help give skin an almost instant healthy glow while hydrating cells and increasing overall tone. Niacin, a specific B vitamin, helps skin retain moisture, so creams containing this nutrient can help your complexion look plumper and younger in as little as six days. Niacin also has anti-inflammatory properties to soothe dry, irritated skin. In higher concentrations it can also work as a lightening agent to even out blotchy skin tone.

In one study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2003, a topical form of vitamin B was shown to dramatically improve aging in human skin.

Vitamin K — Studies presented at the American Academy of Dermatology in 2003 showed that topical vitamin K works well to reduce circles under the eye as well as bruises. In research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2002, doctors from the University of Miami School of Medicine found that skin treatments with vitamin K cream after laser surgery significantly reduced bruising. When combined with vitamin A in a cream, vitamin K can be even more effective for those dark circles. In a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, doctors from the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo found that the topical application of a gel containing a derivative of vitamin K, as well as vitamins A, C, and E, was effective in reducing dark under-eye circles while also decreasing wrinkles.

Follow The Golden Rule While Supplementing — Too much of a good thing can be bad, over dosing on vitamins can have serious side effects, so while supplementing it’s vital to stay within the recommended dosages.