Although we are becoming more aware of the dangers of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, many continue to dismiss warnings from physicians and public health authorities and the rates of skin cancer continue to increase. Over 1.1 million cases of skin cancer are estimated in 2003 including approximately 54,000 melanomas. In addition to causing cancer, ultraviolet radiation and other environmental pollutants cause photoaging of the skin that results in wrinkles, sagging skin and “liver spots.”
How can we prevent damage to our skin and maintain its health? It is very important to avoid overexposure to the sun. This includes avoiding the sun during the peak hours of 11 am and 3 pm, using sunscreen and wearing protective clothing. The three common UV rays are UVA, UVB and UVC. UVB causes damage that may result in skin cancer, while UCA penetrates deeper and is responsible for photoaging. UVC is almost completely absorbed by the earth’s atmosphere.
UV radiation causes direct damage to the genetic material (DNA) of our skin cells and produces free radicals that also damage DNA and other critical components of cells in our skin. In addition, UV radiation can oxidize lipids and produces harmful free radicals, causes inflammation, disrupts cell communication, causes expression of stress response genes and weakens the immune responses of the skin.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that scavenges free radicals and functions as a natural sunscreen. Vitamin E works via other mechanisms to inhibit inflammation, cell proliferation and immune suppression and has been shown to reduce DNA damage and tumor formation in mice.
What many people do not realize is that the form of vitamin E in their skin cream is very important. Most typical skin cream formulations contain an esterified form of vitamin E such as tocopheryl acetate or tocopheryl succinate. The acetate and succinate compounds, that have been attached to the vitamin E act as a muzzle over the antioxidant portion of the vitamin E and inhibit its normal function. For vitamin E to regain its antioxidant properties it has to undergo a chemical reaction known as hydrolysis. Research shows that esterified vitamin E is not hydrolyzed on the skin. Thus most of the vitamin E in typical commercial preparations is underutilized.
There are four tocopherols and four tocotrienols that make up the complete family of vitamin E and each member has a unique and important function. Skin care products which do not include all of the members of the vitamin E family may be ineffective, or only partially effective.
The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: Vitamin E can provide significant benefit to your skin when applied topically, both in protection against UV damage and photoaging. Research has also shown that oral vitamin E supplementation cannot achieve the levels of epidermal and dermal penetration that occurs with topical administration. Remember, however, that you should avoid the sun during peak hours, use sunscreen and wear protective clothing. If you choose to use a vitamin E cream, try to find one that contains the whole vitamin E family in its natural, unesterified form.
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