Does Vitamin E Factor Into The Prevention And Treatment Of Stretch Marks?
Vitamin E is the kind of substance that has been credited with almost magical powers by some and is cited as being a cure-all for a wide variety of conditions, ailments, and skin problems. Yet does this humble vitamin really deserve this reputation or is there more hype involved than real power? At the same time, is it possible to have too much of a good thing? Here are some interesting facts on vitamin E:
Vitamin E may be ingested as part of your daily diet. Foods known to be rich in this vitamin are wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, fish, whole grains, and even leafy green vegetables. Generally speaking, a dose of about 15 mg per day for a healthy adult is considered adequate, while 1,000 mg per day is considered the absolute upper limit of what a healthy adult should ingest. If you cook with healthy vegetable oil, you are probably adding enough vitamin E to your daily food intake to not need supplementation. On the other hand, if you do not cook with oil, are currently on a low fat or even non-fat diet, or do not eat fish, you may quite possibly benefit from vitamin E supplementation. Speak to your doctor to review your diet and your daily vitamin E needs.
When used in conjunction with a high quality lotion or cream, vitamin E spread directly onto the skin will encourage surface healing and thus aids in the lessening of skin surface blemishes. Furthermore, when used as part of a daily skin care regimen, liquid vitamin E worked into any lotion will increase the suppleness of the skin and thereby reduce the risk of getting stretch marks in the first place. Yet since the topically applied vitamin E will only work with the surface layer of the skin and not directly impact the dermis – the tearing of which actually causes the stretch marks – there is precious little treatment that this vitamin will offer to already existing marks.
While high doses of this vitamin are sometimes sold as part of convenience store pick-me-up packets, it is imperative to stay away from such mega doses. Since elevated vitamin E has shown to prevent proper coagulation of the blood, an overdose may actually do more harm than good.
There are a number of different incarnations in which vitamin E may appear and unless explicitly stated, most creams and lotions will contain tocopheryl linolate ester which, although essentially little more than a synthetic form of the vitamin, is not as effective as the semi-synthetic form known as d-alpha tocopherol.
For a quick fix at home, simply mix a high quality skin lotion or cream with the liquid vitamin E found in organic high quality vitamin E supplements. Be sure to not overdo the vitamin E, for the simple fact that you want to ensure that your skin reacts positively to the substance and does not break out in a rash or other sign that perhaps the vitamin E you are applying is too pure for your skin. As a stretch mark prevention and overall skin care conditions, vitamin E is an amazing substance!
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