Vitamin E oil is used for a whole host of beauty purposes, but vitamin E oil for acne scars or scarring in general is a common reason more people are looking for a good quality bottle of vitamin E oil.
Acne is unwanted by most people in the first place and is often paired with another unwanted side effect - the scars it can leave in its path afterwards. These scars can linger, reminding someone of both the physical and emotional pain acne brought them.
For smooth skin, using vitamin E oil for acne scars could be a solution to your scar woes. There are also other factors you can take into consideration to speed up the healing of acne and its scars.
Many 'scar removing' products on the market contain vitamin E oil as one of their main ingredients, with medical experts proving its effective scar fading treatment for every type of scar, both old and new.
How Does Using Vitamin E Oil For Acne Scars Work?
Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin required for many daily functions of the body. One reason why using Vitamin E oil for acne scars has shown benefit is due to it's ability to regulate production of skin proteins such as collagen and elastin. It’s also known to help lighten scars and dark spots on the skin, whilst simultaneously promoting tissue repair.
Vitamin E oil is rich in antioxidants, making it a nourishing, healing oil to prevent acne and tackle scarring. The antioxidant content of the oil helps fight free radicals that can make acne scars even worse. Free radicals halt the healing of scars, but the antioxidants, such as those found in vitamin E, fight against this happening. As an ingredient often recommended by dermatologists for skincare, this vitamin is known to improve the skin texture and prevent damage to the skin cells.
There are mixed studies on the effectiveness of Vitamin E oil for acne scars. Some research suggests that vitamin E oil could potentially make acne scars worse, however, other research shows an improvement in the healing of acne scars. As results are varied, it’s important to note that different people have different results.
Nutrition To Support The Healing Of Acne And Acne Scars
Supporting your skin from within supports the natural rebuilding of healthy skin whilst antioxidants reduce pigmentation and the dark appearance of scars.
You can add the following nutrition to your diet to help towards the healing of your skin from within.
Zinc
A board-certified dermatologist, Sejal Shah, told Allure magazine in an interview that ‘studies have investigated zinc alone or zinc in combination with another medication have found that zinc can help reduce acne".
But don’t expect a miraculous disappearance of your acne and scars. This is just one of many factors you can have control over but making sure that you’re getting enough zinc can potentially help relieve some of the redness and irritation associated with moderate to severe acne.
It may help with the healing of acne scars as zinc aids in cell division and regrowth. It accelerates the regeneration of skin cells so that clear skin can form. Irritation is caused when bacteria gets into a blocked pore, and pimples are aggravated, causing them to turn red. Zinc works to reduce the inflammatory response to bacteria that keeps making your acne worse.
Foods rich in Zinc include - Pumpkin seeds, Green Leafy Vegetables, beans and legumes and wholegrains. You can also supplement this essential mineral using a good quality wholefood supplement.
Matcha Up Your day
Green tea is often said to be one of the best things to start including in your diet to help clear up your acne and heal scar tissue. It’s incredibly anti-inflammatory, helping the skin to calm down and clear, and can reduce the frequency and severity of acne breakouts, leading to less scarring. By calming down the inflammation, green tea can soothe redness and irritation, ideal for when acne is painful.
The high antioxidant content of green tea helps fight free radical damage and supports the healing of damaged skin from acne.
Matcha is a more concentrated form of green tea. It is made from finely ground whole green tea leaves and it has 137 times the antioxidants of regular green tea! This is 17 times more than blueberries and 6 times more than goji berries! It will not hurt to start drinking more green tea or matcha or take a green tea/matcha supplement like Fushi’s Green Tea Extract with Matcha.
Add a burst of spice like Turmeric
The golden spice of turmeric has been used in India for thousands of years for its potent anti-inflammatory benefits. Curcumin is the active ingredient present within turmeric that helps to treat acne by decreasing the amount of acne causing bacteria. Turmeric is also beneficial for skin health in general, as it contains curcuminoid pigments, which help the body in synthesizing antioxidants. These then protect the skin cells from free radical damage. This slows down signs of ageing such as fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots, and keeps the skin looking smooth and supple.
Adding the culinary spice to recipes is just the beginning, you can also supplement with high potency formulas and include Fresh Turmeric Juice into your routine.
Cultivate A Healthy Gut With Probiotics
Taking probiotics is now recommended by many healthcare practitioners as a vital supplement for overall health. Whether you get your probiotics from live active culture, fermented food or from a good quality supplement, probiotics are essential for maintaining good digestive health.
More and more research is showing the evidence of the gut is the root of all disease. An unbalanced gut flora (dysbiosis) and an increase in susceptibility to intestinal permeability (leaky gut), caused by a poor diet (without probiotics) and chronic stress, can lead to all sorts of illnesses. For some, this can lead to issues such as IBS, excess gas, heartburn or bloating, all warning signs that your gut needs some more attention. Serious, chronic inflammatory conditions of the skin, joints, bowel, brain and nervous system can occur with a consistently unhealthy gut. This can include Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Kidney Disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, amongst others!
The skin is an outward reflection of something that may be out of balance internally, which is why an unbalanced gut can lead to skin conditions like acne, so taking a good probiotic could help clear acne, and it’s worth including probiotics in your diet for long-term health and wellbeing, anyway!
Magnesium And Calcium
Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps regulate the most basic pathways in the body. It increases cell growth and protein production within the body, keeps hormone levels balanced and regulates the nervous system. All important for preventing and treating acne.
By lowering the plasma concentrations of C-reactive protein, (a protein connected to the inflammation process) within the body, skin inflammation is also reduced. Taking magnesium combined with calcium, because then the absorption of the mineral is improved. Taking calcium as well will support cell renewal to help the skin regenerate, heal and look fresher. Many people turn to dairy products for their calcium intake, but be aware that dairy products have been shown to make acne worse in some cases due to it's hormonal and inflammatory action. This is where plant based options such as Green Leafy Vegetables, Edamame, Nuts and Seeds are of benefit as well as a good quality, wholefood supplement.
Vitamin B Complex
The B Complex vitamins consist of a group of eight nutrients including B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12. These all assist with digestion and help convert carbohydrates, proteins and fats into energy. The B vitamins are often recommended by healthcare practitioners in the treatment of conditions such as adrenal fatigue, where energy levels desperately need to be restored. The B vitamins improve immunity and help build the nervous system. They are essential to our overall health, and the full spectrum is needed regularly for the health and integrity of the skin, hair, eyes and liver. This includes preventing and reducing acne. As they work better when taken as a group, investing in a good quality vitamin B complex can ensure that you are getting all eight of your B vitamins daily. This way, you know for sure that none of them are slipping passed your attention.
Fushi’s Whole Food High Strength Vitamin B Complex is made of a plant based and whole food formula to boost absorption in the body. It also contains spirulina powder to support natural energy production in the body.
How To Apply Vitamin E Oil For Acne Scars
Vitamin E oil is thick and indulgent so therefore might be better to use as a night treatment, instead of your day time moisturiser. You can use vitamin E oil for acne scars in a way that is convenient for you. This can mean simply massaging the oil as and when you can or having a routine for when you apply it. Another way to use the oil is to apply it on a cotton swab, dabbing the scar or wound lightly. Then, cover the scar or wound with gauze. Leave it there for at least 4 – 5 hours before washing with water.
Scars can take a few months to heal using this method, but persistence is key! Before you start this method, make sure that the area of the scar is cleaned with antibacterial soap and completely dry. This will avoid contamination.
Vitamin E oil can also be used on open wounds that have formed a blister. Make sure that the area is clean with anti-bacterial soap to avoid contagious diseases. Massage the oil on the affected area to increase the speed of the healing process.
Additional Benefits
May heal and prevent stretch marks – nourishing to heal stretch marks, as well as dark scars.May help in the healing of smaller burns – if you happen to burn yourself on the oven (it happens) or in any other way, wait for the burn to cool down after running it under cold water. Then you can apply vitamin E oil to soothe and speed up the healing process.
May aid in the treatment of eczema and psoriasis – vitamin E oil has been shown to be effective in treating certain cases of these unpleasant skin conditions.
May aid in fighting wrinkles and age spots – boosts the production of collagen to increase the elasticity of the skin
May help remove brown, age spots – can repair and lighten these spots, to fight against the production of melanin and aging that causes them.
May strengthen cuticles and nails – has the power to add shine to nails, making them healthy and strong.
May encourage hair growth and shine – massage vitamin E oil into your scalp to increase circulation of blood and nourish the scalp for hair that grows luscious and strong.
May help in preventing grey hair – a healthy supply of blood stimulates the hair to grow strong and massage the vitamin E oil in helps the scalp to receive the optimal nourishment. It has been known to help treat premature greying.
Finding A Good Quality Vitamin E Oil
Not all oils are created equal. Some will not just have the pure, fresh-pressed oil, because there might be added parabens, petrochemicals and other potentially harmful synthetic ingredients.
Synthetic sources can commonly be used as they have a longer shelf life and are much cheaper. They are very widely used, but are less effective - having little to no benefit for your skin goals. Additionally, synthetic Vitamin E can actually react with sunlight and the chemicals which are in other skincare products, and this can lead to unsafe compounds for your skin.
Finding a company that you can trust, certified by organic certifying body, The Soil Association, will ensure that your Vitamin E oil is of top quality and created sustainably and ethically.
You can check if the company you’re purchasing from is certified organic to the high standards of The Soil Association by searching them in their directory.
