Summer acne care with vitamin E
Summer is synonymous with sunshine, and chances are you may be getting a bit more sun yourself over the next few months. As I’ve expressed before, the sun is not at all the enemy of healthy skin that it is often made out to be. In moderation, getting some sun exposure can actually help your skin in a number of ways, such as maintaining your body’s supply of vitamin D and promoting healthy circulation. If you’re like most people, the real threat to your health is not overexposure, but rather not getting enough sun. That said, UV radiation can still have negative effects along with the positive, and for countering those, you need vitamin E.
Excess UV radiation can result in the formation of free radicals - unstable molecules that can form negative chain reactions within your cells. Vitamin E is one of the most noted vitamins in defending against these free radicals forming, and is often recommended by dermatologists for those who spend time under the sun. It’s kind of like nature’s sun screen for protection that’s more than skin deep. Vitamin E won’t stop you from getting a sun burn, but it will minimize that damage that UV radiation inflicts under the surface. If you are suffering from a burn, vitamin E can still help in aiding the healing process, since it plays a direct role in the skin healing process, enhancing your tissue repair.
Like all of the main vitamins, vitamin E is an antioxidant. Free radicals are often associated with oxidation - the loss of electrons from atoms and their associated molecules. Vitamin E is helpful in preventing the oxidation process, and is particularly helpful in protecting polyunsaturated fats from being oxidized.
So if you’re planning to spend some time outdoors this summer, don’t forget to take some vitamin E. Common food sources include cold-pressed vegetable oils, dark green left vegetables and whole grains. Vitamin E is easy to find as a supplement as well, and often just as helpful in supplement form. Because it usually comes in gel caps, vitamin E supplements have a higher absorbance rate than many traditional tablets. Taking one 400 IU capsule per day is a good idea to keep your skin safe, without blocking the helpful aspects of sun exposure as typical sun-block products do.
