The skin is one of the largest human organs. It protects the body from negative environmental influences. Initially, it is the skin that encounters various bacteria, viruses, chemical and physical factors. Unfortunately, often due to a lack of vitamins, the skin can be susceptible to various diseases, including various types of dermatitis. In this case, not only the appearance is violated, but also the protection of all internal organs. In the online store, vitamin preparations are sold in a large assortment.
What is vitamin A
Vitamins are regulators of biological processes, without which the biochemistry of the body and the functioning of organs are disrupted. Most of them come from food, and some are synthesized by the body or intestinal flora. Vitamins are divided into water-soluble and fat-soluble. The former do not stay in the body for a long time and are excreted with metabolic products, while the latter accumulate in the liver. We wrote about vitamin D - the only one that affects the body's immune defense. But C turned out to be not as useful as dietary supplement manufacturers write about it.
Vitamin A is fat soluble. A person receives it from food in the form of precursors - retinoids and carotenoids. They are contained in the fatty depot of the liver, and when needed they are converted into retinol and sent to the tissues. Vitamin A regulates embryogenesis, the functioning of reproductive organs, skin glands, inflammation, the creation of new cells and their death. A retinol derivative is one of the components of rhodopsin. This is an eye pigment responsible for color perception.
External retinoids are used in dermatology: they treat acne and are prescribed to prevent age-related skin changes. It has been proven that isotretionine prevents the enzymatic degradation of collagen, the main structural component of the skin. Vitamin A derivatives are added to sunscreens for antioxidant protection.
“Vitamin A is used externally for many dermatoses, especially those associated with impaired keratinization, sebum secretion and healing,” says Nina Sergeeva, a dermatologist at the Fantasy children’s clinic. “It accelerates the restoration of skin integrity, reduces sebum production and regulates keratinization.”
Systemic retinoids are treatments for severe acne, psoriasis, rosacea, precancerous lesions, and nonmelanoma skin cancer. They normalize the formation of cells in the upper layer of the epidermis, reduce sebum secretion and inflammation, providing long-term remission. They are prescribed in cases where external therapy is ineffective or gives temporary results.
Basic recommendations
The skin on the hands is softer than on the face. It contains five times less lipids, and the palms have absolutely no sebaceous glands. This means that hands often suffer from moisture deficiency and require care treatments on a daily basis.
The minimum program includes:
- Hydration. You should always keep the cream at hand: on a shelf in your room, in the living room, in your car and in your bag with you, at work. It should be used every time your hands are washed, and when applying, perform gymnastic exercises - slightly pull each finger in turn. Cosmetologists advise using a product with glycerin elements, aloe juice, herbal extracts (at least twice a day). It is not necessary to buy a specialized cream; a traditional one will do. The main thing is that it is not overly greasy. The cream should be well absorbed.
- Peeling. Twice a week it is recommended to exfoliate the skin using scrubbing and a special exfoliant. After the procedure, be sure to apply the cream, and massage the aroma oil into the cuticle area. It is recommended to take care of the cuticle every day, this will make the nail bed softer.
- Nutrition. If the skin is excessively dry and sensitive, reacts painfully to wind and low temperatures with peeling, and after washing the skin feels tight, then at night you need to use a rich cream or a special balm. Masks have a beneficial effect on the dermis - they should be applied twice a week, in a thick layer, for 10 - 15 minutes, then washed off under the tap.
- Protection. To prevent the early formation of age spots, it is necessary to protect your brushes from ultraviolet radiation using special products with SPF. In the period April-October - in the southern regions, in May-September - in the middle zone of the country.
This is a minimum program for caring for the skin of your hands; you must follow it, then your skin will be soft, healthy, and young.
How to understand that vitamin A is low
Every year, 500 thousand children around the world die from a lack of vitamin A, and 250 thousand go blind due to corneal opacity. Residents of Asia and Africa are mainly affected - this is due to early weaning and lack of vitamin A in the diet. At risk are people who have impaired absorption of zinc and fats, as well as those who abuse alcohol.
Vitamin A deficiency is visible externally. A person’s eyes and mucous membranes “dry,” he has difficulty finding his way in the dark and often gets sick. The skin becomes “toad-like” - strewn with small tubercles due to follicular hyperkeratosis - an accumulation of horny scales at the mouths of the hair follicles. If you do not replenish the vitamin A balance in time, you can go blind: the cornea will “dry out” and become opaque.
“Since vitamin A and carotenoids play a large role in the growth of cells and tissues, insufficient intake of the substances can lead to weakening of the skin,” says GMS Clinic dermatologist Nadezhda Nabatnikova. “Dryness, irritation and acne occur, after which the skin heals worse or slowly, and scars appear.”
Daily care
Home care should be systematic. The rules are as follows:
- after the hands have been wet, dry them well and use cream to moisturize;
- Wash your palms only with warm water, not ice or boiling water, especially if the skin is constantly peeling, drying, cracking;
- Brushes should be washed with cleansing agents with a pH no higher than 5;
- after working in the country, you should not wipe off dirt with a hard cloth, wash it carefully several times, and even better, work with gloves;
- When cleaning the house, you should wear rubber gloves - they will protect the dermis from the action of chemicals.
You need to apply the cream every day, morning and evening.
What to do
If you are concerned about the quality of your skin, order vitamins early. First you need to go to the doctor and find out what the reason is. Maybe the body does not have enough iron, or the person has hypothyroidism - only an examination will determine this. If the indicators are normal, the doctor will prescribe a test for vitamin levels in the blood. When there are few of them, the diet is first changed. Supplements are prescribed only to those who have digestive problems.
“Most vitamin A comes from foods rich in beta-carotene and provitamin A carotenoids. These are powerful antioxidants. They neutralize the effect of free radicals, which break down collagen and contribute to the appearance of wrinkles, explains Nadezhda Nabatnikova. “The substances also reduce skin sensitivity to ultraviolet rays, providing natural protection against redness and pigmentation caused by the sun.”
The norm for a person from the age of four is 5000 international units of vitamin A. He should receive it from food of animal and plant origin. The best source is cod liver. One teaspoon of its oil contains 150% of the daily requirement. A lot also contains beef liver, salmon fillet and tuna. The plant richest in vitamin A is sweet potato, one hundred grams of which covers the daily requirement. Kale, winter squash and turnips contain it in abundance, with carrots only coming in sixth. Important: heat-treated root vegetables are taken into account, not raw ones.
Some people, tired of acne, buy systemic retinoids and take dosages from the Internet. This is dangerous - if the dosage is exceeded, these drugs cause fetal malformations - auricular atresia, underdevelopment of the limbs, atrial septal defect and displacement of large vessels. Therefore, a dermatologist prescribes systemic retinoids after a pregnancy test and the patient’s commitment to use double contraception - hormonal pills plus a condom.
“When using systemic retinoids and other vitamin A preparations, a teratogenic effect on the fetus is possible. Therefore, even before taking dietary supplements, and even more so medications, it is worth consulting with your doctor,” says Nina Alexandrova. “The unfavorable effect of high doses of vitamin A persists even after stopping its use, depending on the drug - from 1 month to 2 years.”
Daily regimen for vitamin deficiency
Compliance with the daily regimen for a disease such as vitamin deficiency, in any form, is of great importance. Getting enough sleep, walking in the fresh air, playing sports, sunbathing - all these factors will help prevent the disease or cope with it if it already exists.
Giving up bad habits will also help overcome vitamin deficiency, improve overall health, increase immunity and resistance to seasonal respiratory diseases.
What is vitamin E
This is a family of tocopherols and tocotrienols - eight antioxidants that protect body cells from free radicals. This is the name given to oxygen atoms that are missing one electron. They strive to take it away from everything they reach, damaging surrounding cells and causing their death. Vitamin E absorbs free radicals, reducing the harmful effects of solar radiation and improving antitumor protection.
Getting into skin cells, it reduces the synthesis of prostaglandins and nitrogen oxides - mediators of inflammation. Its wound healing properties are known. Therefore, vitamin E is used to treat inflammatory skin diseases - psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, ulcers and pustular dermatosis. The anti-inflammatory effectiveness of tocopherol for acne has been proven. A study on mice showed that tocopherol prevented skin cancer, but this did not work in humans.
The magical effects of vitamin E are the result of taking it orally. When used externally, it does not treat wounds, burns and scars - this is what the study showed. But in combination with retinol, phytonadione and vitamin C, it sometimes helps remove circles under the eyes. It is often added to anti-aging creams, but it is not yet clear whether it will help protect skin from aging. But it is known that in some people the external use of this vitamin causes an adverse reaction in the form of contact dermatitis.
Causes of vitamin deficiency
The causes of this form of vitamin deficiency may be the following factors:
- unbalanced diet;
- abuse of refined foods;
- monotonous diet;
- stress, emotional turmoil;
- bad habits (smoking, alcohol abuse);
- physical inactivity;
- prolonged physical and mental fatigue;
- improper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- chronic lack of sleep;
- use of antibiotics.
Should I take vitamin E supplements?
If a person eats more or less normally, he needs 4 years of extreme diet to use up all the vitamin E reserves in the liver. Therefore, tocopherol deficiency is rare. It usually appears if a person has impaired lipid absorption.
“Without fats, normal absorption of vitamin E is impossible, so it is important to include oils in your daily diet,” explains Nadezhda Nabatnikova. — Wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and soybean oil are rich in vitamin E. Nuts such as almonds and peanuts are also suitable sources.”
Only your doctor can decide whether you should take vitamin E supplements. If you self-medicate and drink “for health”, you can get hypervitaminosis. It is manifested by nausea, vomiting, weakness, headache and blurred vision. Particularly persistent ones lead themselves to disorders of the blood coagulation system.
Taking a multivitamin complex
Taking multivitamin complexes can provide quick help in the fight against vitamin deficiency. Today the market offers a huge number of high quality and effective products. These complexes are pure synthetic chemical compounds containing the necessary balanced set of vitamins and microelements. A specialist should recommend such drugs to each individual individually.
Important to remember
- Vitamins A and E are fat soluble. They accumulate in the liver and enter the tissues that need them. Fats are needed not only for their preservation, but also for absorption
- Vitamin A is needed by humans for normal vision, skin condition, and even fetal development in a pregnant woman.
- A lack of vitamin A affects not only appearance, but also vision. If hypovitaminosis is not treated in time, you can go blind
- Systemic retinoids should not be taken during pregnancy - they cause serious fetal malformations
- Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects the skin from free radicals
- Most people are not at risk of vitamin E deficiency. But hypervitaminosis with a tendency to bleeding is easy.
Hand massage
The most affordable thing that can be done for care is a hand massage. It will provide the following effects:
- eliminates swelling;
- improves blood circulation;
- softens the skin.
Such procedures are especially indicated when there is a feeling of cold in the hands and in the warm season. After applying the cream, you should move very gently, without pressing, in a circle from the ends of your fingers to your wrist. Massage until the cream stops slipping under your fingers.
Hand care is an important part of a woman’s life, and today also a man’s. If you follow the simple recommendations of cosmetologists, your skin will remain young and beautiful for much longer.
When is the best time to see a dermatologist?
Healthy skin has a healthy appearance and does not cause any discomfort. Symptoms that do not go away within a few hours or days should be a reason to be wary:
- increased dryness
- itching
- peeling
- redness
- rashes
- edema
- pustules
- soreness
- weeping and blistering neoplasms
All these manifestations require the attention of a professional. Only a cosmetologist in collaboration with a dermatologist can:
- establish the true cause of the disease
- prescribe adequate treatment
- choose the right skin restoration products
- provide detailed advice on how to further care for your skin
At the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a dermatologist will help solve the problem much faster and more efficiently. In addition, in some cases, independent attempts to choose skin care can lead to a worsening of its condition.
Get rid of products that dry out your skin
The skin on your hands is called dry for various reasons. Dryness also has various manifestations. In some places it “only” becomes rough and itchy, in others it has unpleasant peeling and redness. In the worst cases, painful cracks, swelling, and skin diseases appear.
Up to 40% of all dermatological problems are associated with too dry skin!
Sometimes it is enough to eliminate junk food from your diet, and in the coming days your hands will become beautiful again. What is it advisable to pay attention to when creating a menu, what foods to limit in order to eliminate dryness?
- sugar;
- salt;
- fast food;
- canned food;
- sausages and other animal fats;
- alcohol;
- cigarettes.
Although xerosis (as excessively dry skin is known in professional circles) is not only caused by a lack of vitamins, the condition of the skin can significantly worsen due to nutritional deficiencies. On the contrary, when you eat the right foods or supplements, it improves significantly.
Clinical researches
Conducted clinical studies prove the high efficiency, safety and tolerability of the products. The products are suitable for daily care of adult and children's skin with mild to moderate forms of atopic dermatitis and during remission. As a result of therapy, a decrease in the activity of the inflammatory process, a decrease in dryness, itching and flaking was noted.
The brand's products are recommended by the Union of Pediatricians of Russia.
Sources:
- Yukhtina N.V., Modern ideas about atopic dermatitis in children
- Kamasheva G.R., Khakimova R.F. Valiullina S.A., Methods for assessing the severity of atopic dermatitis in young children, Dermatology journal, 2010
- Kovyazina N.A., Fedosimova N.A., Illek Ya. Yu. Diagnosis of atopic dermatitis in young children, Vyatka Medical Bulletin, 2007
