Vitamins to Prevent Wrinkles
The largest organ in the body is the most visible: the skin. What you eat (and don't eat) can affect its appearance, elasticity and overall health. But skin health may also be determined by the vitamins you apply directly to it.
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Topical Vitamins
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Even if you are ingesting the maximum recommended dosage of essential vitamins, your skin receives a flat percentage of the benefits. And if you want to target problem areas, such as wrinkles, the vitamins don't know to travel to one spot over another. Therefore, a topical treatment may be the best approach. Lotions and creams containing certain vitamins can help boost your skin's appearance, including texture and tone.
Vitamins A, B3 and C
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Vitamin A, whose derivatives are also known as retinoids, can be found in over-the-counter lotions and creams, as well as in prescription ointments. A well-known age fighter, vitamin A, helps smooth wrinkles and soften rough areas, making skin look younger.
Vitamin A products are best used at night because sunlight can render them inactive. Prescription-strength retinoids can cause red, flaky skin, so try an over-the-counter version first, to test your skin's reaction. Use once every two or three nights, working your way toward nightly use.
Vitamin B3, or niacinamide, hydrates the skin and helps decrease redness as it builds up the production of fatty acids and ceramides, both of which are essential to moisturizing the skin's outer layer. B3 also slows down pigment transfer to skin cells, which can prevent dark spots. B3 products should be used in the morning and evening and can be used with retinoids or vitamin A.
Vitamin C can be an excellent anti-aging booster, but only if the lotion contains 5 percent or more concentration. (To be sure, vitamin C should be listed halfway through the ingredients.) Vitamin C works to improve skin's elasticity and tone by working against the free radicals that promote wrinkles and sags that commonly accompany aging. Using vitamin C along with retinoids, or vitamin A, provides a double shot of wrinkle prevention and repair. Vitamin C is best used in the morning, beneath sunscreen, which helps block the free radicals generated by UV rays.
Vitamins E and K
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Vitamin E is found in many skin products and is best known for moisturizing, as well as defending the skin against ultraviolet rays. Look for products that contain 1 percent or more of vitamin E, usually listed in the middle of the ingredients.
Vitamin E boosts the skin's ability to maintain its own moisture and is best used before and immediately following sun exposure. Sunscreen and sunblock containing vitamins E and C can be especially beneficial, and vitamin E lotion can work as an anti-inflammatory after sun exposure.
Vitamin K is often used in eye creams to lighten or diminish circles visible in the thin skin under the eyes.
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