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Years ago, vitamins A
and D were included in a formula for baby ointment, and many
adult skin creams have continued to use the same vitamins.
In contrast to this traditional view, more recent scientific
literature has indicated that Vitamin E has specific
benefits for the skin. One theory is that Vitamin E reduces
oxidation of lipids found on the skin surface and in the
horny layer. Oxidation of the skin lipids destroys the oil
moisture balance of the skin. Studies conducted for the
United States space program showed that Vitamin E markedly
inhibits lipid peroxidation.1
As early as 1957,
Vitamin E was described in a Canadian medical journal as
highly beneficial in the treatment of resistant pressure
sores.2 The use of Vitamin E in ostomy skin
care is described in a 1975 article in Prevention.3
An Enterostomal Therapist studied the uses of Vitamin E in
skin care with Dr. Evan Shute of the Shute Institute,
London, Ontario. She then put this information into practice
in her own hospital in Pennsylvania, with notable results.
To be effective, the
vitamin content of a product should be at least 1%. If
vitamins are listed on a label after such ingredients as
fragrance and preservatives, the reader can be reasonably
certain that the vitamin concentration is less than 0.2%
(0.002 gms/100 gms), since this is the legal limit for
preservatives. If the vitamin content is 1.0% or more, and
absorption is not prevented because of the presence of a
pure lanolin base, then it is reasonable to assume an
effective concentration of vitamins.
1. Kann, C.E.,
Mengel, C.E., M.D., Smith, W., M.D., and Horton, B., Oxygen
Toxicity and Vitamin E. Aerospace Medicine. (Sept. 1964)
2. Hauch, J.T., A
New Treatment for Resistant Pressure Sores, Canadian Medical
Assn. Journal, Vol. 77. (1957)
3. Kinderiehrer,
J., Vitamin E in Action, Prevention, p. 55, (August 1975)
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