Nourish your skin from the outside in: what's the best way to keep wrinkles at bay? Vitamins A, B, C, E, and K

Natural Health, Nov, 2004 by Karyn Repinski

WHAT TO EXPECT: Because topical vitamin C has known anti-inflammatory properties, it's less likely to irritate the skin than vitamin A. In fact, dermatologists often use it to help treat a variety of inflammatory skin problems, including acne and eczema.

PRODUCTS TO TRY: SkinCeuticals C E combination antioxidant treatment ($115; skinceuticals.com) with 15 percent L-ascorbic acid (the form of vitamin C that's most active in and best absorbed by the skin) and 1 percent vitamin E; Renee Rouleau Vitamin C & E Complex ($59.50; reneemuleau.com), which contains time-released vitamins C and E for all-day antioxidant protection; and Murad Essential-C Daily Renewal Complex ($80; murad.com), a serum with pure vitamin C as well as E.

insider tip: A study published last year in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that vitamin C appears to provide superior protection from sun damage when used in conjunction with vitamin E. One reason that the two antioxidants work better when applied together is that C helps regenerate E. Neither vitamin C nor E absorbs the sun's harmful rays, so both should always he used in addition to sunscreen, never in place of it.

vitamin e

WHAT IT DOES: Prevents oxidative damage, inflammation, and dryness.

HOW IT WORKS: Vitamin E has earned the moniker "the protector" due to its potent ability to guard cells from free-radical damage and to inhibit inflammation. Research conducted over the past 20 years has documented this vitamin's antioxidant abilities. In one study, it reduced by nearly half the number of free radicals created after exposure to cigarette smoke. Other research has shown that when vitamin E is used before sun exposure, there is less redness and swelling, less destruction of lipids, and fewer sunburned cells. Further investigations have found that vitamin E's anti-inflammatory action can kick in to reduce damage after sun exposure. Also, because it's an oily material, vitamin E prevents moisture loss that leads to dryness and irritation.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Pure vitamin E is well tolerated.

PRODUCTS TO TRY: Aveeno Positively Radiant Anti-Wrinkle Cream ($14; at drugstores), which contains vitamin E, vitamin [B.sub.5], and a soy complex to soften and hydrate skin; and Chanel Hydra Serum Vitamin Moisture Boost ($55; gloss.com), a gel-like cream that boosts skin's moisture with the help of vitamins E and [B.sub.5].

insider tip: The types of vitamin E most commonly used in skin-care products are alpha-tocopherol (which is the form most easily used by the skin) and tocopheryl acetate (which is more stable and converts to alphatocopherol) Peter T. Pugliese, M.D., a skin physiologist and biomedical consultant based in Bernville, Pa. recommends using skin-care products that are formulated with at least 2 percent of these Es. (They should be listed within the first five ingredients.)

vitamin k

WHAT IT DOES: Reduces bruising and dark under-eye circles.

HOW IT WORKS: "Topical vitamin K slightly reduces the amount of time it takes some patients' bruising to heal," says Leslie Baumann, M.D., chief of the division of cosmetic dermatology at the University of Miami. "But it's ineffectual when used to prevent bruising." A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2002 found that using vitamin K for two weeks following laser therapy significantly diminished the severity of bruising, especially in the days immediately after treatment. According to Baumann, this reaction is possibly due to vitamin K's ability to break down hemosiderin, a brownish pigment derived from hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of blood.