Vitamin E

Xerosis or Dry Skin – Causes, Symptoms and Self care

Xerosis, also called dry skin is rough, cracking, scaly skin. It is a condition of normal hardening of aging tissue. Dry skin mostly occurs during the winter months, when heating systems dry the air. In this process, healthy cells of skin are shrivel and this leads to the formation of wrinkles and fine lines. It is most common on the legs, but often affecting the entire skin surface. Severe xerosis is common in the elderly, and can cause eczema.

Causes of Xerosis

- Central heating of home and other buildings is very drying to the skin.
- Less of essential oil in the outermost layer of epidermis due to which the water content fail to stick to the skin.
- Low humidity and cold temperatures make winter xerosis.
- Genetic defect in skin barrier function.
- Anemia, HIV, Liver and biliary disease, Diabetes mellitus, Medications
- Use of harsh soaps.
- Vitamin A deficiency
- Hormones abnormality from the thyroid gland may lead to xerosis.
- Weight loss.
- Increasing age
- Alcohol and caffeine can visibly dry your skin.

Symptoms of Xerosis

- Tightness of the skin after bathing.
- Wrinkles and crack on the skin.
- Shrunken-ed and dehydrated skin.
- Itching and redness of the skin.
- Most of the symptoms are worst in winter due to low humidity.
- Develop fluid-filled sores that can ooze fluid or crust over.

Self Care for Xerosis

- Keep the skin lubricated.
- Soap should not be used as it irritates and dries the skin.
- Moisturize oils or lotions, using mild soaps when bathing, and avoiding rubbing the skin dry after a shower or bath. Instead, pat gently with a towel.
- Maintaining a balanced diet, exercising, and drinking plenty of water contribute to healthy skin.
- Emollients are creams that can be applied to the affected area.
- Use lukewarm water in winters, not hot water for bathing.
- Alpha hydroxyacid lotions work very well for treating and preventing dry skin.
- When you have finished swimming, rinse off the chlorine with cool to warm water.

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What are different benefits of Vitamin E for the skin ?

Vitamin E is actually a family of fat-soluble vitamins that are active throughout the body. Vitamin E can be used in a variety of ways to improve the overall condition of your skin. It protects your skin from ultraviolet light and prevents cell damage from free radicals. It allows your cells to communicate effectively. It also helps to protect against prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
The need for more high-vitamin E foods is indicated when the person starts having digestive system problems, especially mal-absorption. Tingling or loss of sensation in the arms, hands, legs, or feet and liver or gallbladder problems. Toxicity symptoms for vitamin E includes intestinal cramps and diarrhea, fatigue, double vision, and muscle weakness.

Smoking, exposure to air, chemical pollution, and sunlight induce the formation of free radicals. These molecules, in turn, can age and damage cells over time.
Vitamin E can be found in everything from nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, leafy green veggies, fruits and whole grains.

Benefits of Vitamin E for Skin

- Acts as an antioxidant.
- Acts as a regulator for Vitamin A.
- Helps in anti-aging of skin.
- It can be used as sun protection.
- Treatment of various skin diseases can be done with Vitamin E.
- Skin cancer can be prevented.
- Reduces the appearance of stretch marks.
- Maintains the skin’s oil balance.
- Vitamin E can also help reduce wrinkles and make your skin look and feel smoother.

WHAT ARE VITAMINS AND MINERALS ?

WHAT ARE VITAMINS AND MINERALS –

Vitamins are organic substances (made by plants or animals), minerals are inorganic elements that come from the soil and water and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals.

A vitamin is a small molecule that your body needs to carry out a certain reaction. Your body has no way to create vitamin molecules itself, so the vitamin molecules must come in through food that you eat. The human body is known to need at least 13 different vitamins:

• Vitamin A (fat soluble) – Retinol; comes from beta-carotene in plants (When you eat beta-carotene, an enzyme in the stomach turns it into Vitamin A.)

• Vitamin B (water soluble)
  B1-Thiamine; B2- Riboflavin; B3- Niacin; B6- Pyridoxine; B12- Cyanocobalamin;

• Folic acid

• Vitamin C (water soluble) – Ascorbic acid

• Vitamin D (fat soluble) – Calciferol

• Vitamin E (fat soluble) – Tocopherol

• Vitamin K (fat soluble) – Menaquinone

• Pantothenic acid (water soluble)

• Biotin (water soluble)