Research has shown that treating the skin with Vitamin D topically can not only prevent premature aging, but reverse the signs of existing damage.
Vitamin D is also thought to help with fine lines and wrinkles – mostly through its ability to act as an antioxidant. This helps your body to fight off free-radicals which are thought to cause lines on our skin and the general deterioration that comes as we get older.
Research has also shown that vitamin D is effective in preventing premature aging by protecting the skin from ultraviolet light, one of the most common causes of wrinkles and lines.
Due to vitamin D's antioxidant properties, it may help stimulate the growth of collagen and elastin. Healthy vitamin D levels do have the potential to prevent premature ageing, but too much sun can accelerate skin ageing.
Benefits of vitamin D for your skin
If your skin doesn't get enough vitamin D, it can cause wrinkles and fine lines to appear on your face. The antioxidants in this vitamin help fight these signs of premature ageing and protect your skin.
Inadequate Vitamin D in the skin causes it to become thin, saggy, wrinkled, and weak. Your skin is your largest organ, so making sure it's strong and healthy is incredibly important in preventing premature aging.
1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 increases collagen production in dermal fibroblasts.
“Adding an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement can make improvements in just three to four months time. Vitamin D with a strength of 1000-2000 international units daily is the recommended dose for most adults,” Dr. Ropte says.
Whether you want to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, have more moisturized skin, or clear up redness, the best vitamins to meet your needs include vitamins E, C, A, D, B, and K.
Topical application of vitamin D3 has been shown to render protection against damage caused to the skin by UV light. Vitamin D reduces cell death, promotes cell survival and reduces redness due to photodamage of skin caused by UV radiation, to some extent.
If you're lacking in vitamin D, your skin may tell on you. For example, if you're not getting enough vitamin D, your complexion might be dull, lacking that desired glow and you might also experience dry, flaky skin on your face and other areas of your body.
A Vitamin B deficiency can wreak havoc on your skin, causing acne, rashes, dry and flaky skin, cracked lips, and wrinkles.
How Long Does It Take for Vitamin D to Work? If you have a vitamin D deficiency, you may notice improvements within 4-6 weeks of consistent supplementation. However, that timeframe can vary depending on what your baseline vitamin D levels are.
Other than improving your muscle function and energy levels (and avoiding all of the negative side effects mentioned above), magnesium keeps your skin looking glowy, says Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
There's no set time of day that's best to take vitamin D supplements. Some people say taking vitamin D supplements at night is an insomnia risk. There's no research to confirm this, but you might want to take your supplement earlier in the day if you think it's screwing with your sleep.
Yes, getting too much vitamin D can be harmful. Very high levels of vitamin D in your blood (greater than 375 nmol/L or 150 ng/mL) can cause nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, confusion, pain, loss of appetite, dehydration, excessive urination and thirst, and kidney stones.
A daily dose of vitamin D 800 IU should prevent very low vitamin D levels, and should be sufficient to help most aging adults get the benefit — whatever it may be — of vitamin D. Furthermore, vitamin D 800 IU/day is highly unlikely to cause harm to most older adults.
When vitamin D levels are normal, these processes will operate to drive healthy ageing that occurs at a slow rate (Tuohimaa, 2009; Haussler et al. 2010). However, when vitamin D is deficient these ageing processes will be enhanced and this will result in an increase in the rate of ageing.