However, anecdotal evidence suggests vitamin C might increase melanin levels. Eating vitamin C–rich foods like citrus, berries, and leafy green vegetables may optimize melanin production. Taking a vitamin C supplement may help as well.
During the long-ranging human exodus from Africa, says anthropologist Nina Jablonski, Vitamin D levels in the body played a key role: driving the evolution of our species' skin color.
Although vitamin D is essential for skin health, its primary role is the promotion of melanin formation, which may cause more skin darkening.
In the absence of SPF, you may notice at times that your skin is easily tanned. Either tan or your skin may have turned into a funny orange or peach-ish color. It is because Vitamin C is extremely potent but it can easily react with the air, light and heat in the environment to only make your skin appear darker.
Type of Vitamin A
This is why eating excessive amounts of beta-carotene-rich foods or taking high amounts of beta carotene supplements can give your skin a yellow color.
The hyperpigmentation related to vitamin B12 deficiency is more common in darker-skinned patients. Few other cases of skin hyperpigmentation due to vitamin B12 deficiency have been reported in the literature.
Canthaxanthin is the most common tanning pill ingredient . Canthaxanthin itself is a red-orange carotenoid that occurs naturally in certain foods, such as fruits and vegetables. It's also used as a food additive for orange and red colors.
If your body makes too much melanin, your skin gets darker. Pregnancy, Addison's disease, and sun exposure all can make your skin darker. If your body makes too little melanin, your skin gets lighter.
Vitamin C-based skin care products may lighten patches that are darker than the rest of your skin, called hyperpigmentation. In one study, vitamin C applied to the skin for 16 weeks significantly cut down on these spots.
Vitamin D is known to enhance the rate of melanin synthesis; and this may concurrently regulate the expression of furin expression.
It doesn't. The bulbs used in tanning beds emit mostly UVA light; however, your body needs UVB light to make vitamin D. To get vitamin D safely, board-certified dermatologists recommend eating a healthy diet. If you're still not getting enough vitamin D, consider taking a supplement.
Concerning skin color, our results concur with previous data [30,32,33,34] showing that vitamin D deficiency varies by light and dark skin phototypes, i.e., dark skin color was significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency.
4) Does vitamin D brighten skin? A. The cholesterol in your skin converts to vitamin D when it absorbs sunlight, and further helps make your skin and cells healthy and happy. This way, vitamin D helps in determining your skin tone and in turn, make it radiant and bright when exposed correctly.
8. Brightens skin. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin): B12 encourages cells to reproduce, evening skin tone, and brightening dull and dark spots. It also helps reduce inflammation, acne and can treat skin conditions like eczema.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is used as a treatment modality in depigmentation of hyperpigmented spots on the skin and gingiva.
Melanin is a substance in your body that produces hair, eye and skin pigmentation. The more melanin you produce, the darker your eyes, hair and skin will be. The amount of melanin in your body depends on a few different factors, including genetics and how much sun exposure your ancestral population had.
In their quest for the perfect tan, some people may look for a "magic pill" that will help them achieve this with minimal exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. There are no such pills approved for this purpose.
Exposure to UV rays: Overexposure to the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun may lead to skin tanning. This causes overproduction of melanin, which in turn results in skin darkening.
Darker areas of skin (or an area that tans more easily) occurs when you have more melanin or overactive melanocytes. Bronzing of the skin may sometimes be mistaken for a suntan. This skin discoloration often develops slowly, starting at the elbows, knuckles, and knees and spreading from there.
Topical prescription medication can treat some cases of hyperpigmentation. This medication usually contains hydroquinone, which lightens the skin.
Deficiency of vitamin B-9 (folic acid) and B-12 (cobalamin) can cause pigmentation problems leading to patchy skin. Deficiencies of vitamins that occurs due to reduced intake of vegetables and fresh fruits can therefore make you skin appear dull and dark.
People With Darker Skin
However, it also reduces the body's ability to make vitamin D3 from the skin, which can make you prone to deficiency ( 31 ). People with darker skin can benefit from consuming 1,000–2,000 IU (25–50 mcg) of vitamin D daily, especially during winter months ( 32 ).
[8] The cutaneous manifestation of vitamin B12 deficiency is skin hyper pigmentation, vitiligo, hair changes, and recurrent angular stomatitis.