With so many vitamins on the market these days, it can be difficult to keep up with which ones are the best for your skin, especially for facial scars. It can get quite confusing to the consumer, when dealing with an unpleasant facial scar and not knowing which supplement to take. Besides good wound care and hygiene to the facial scar, using high-quality vitamins can help accelerate healing and reducing scarring.
In this article, we will dive into the ten best vitamins that are proven to heal many scars (not only facial scars) and how they can help you look better and minimize your scar in a short amount of time.
Vitamin A
It is a fat-soluble micronutrient that is available naturally in carotenoids or plant pigments. Vitamin A is essential for epidermal proliferation through the attachment of retinol to cell surface receptors. It can reverse the wound healing process due to corticosteroids and plays a central role in the inflammatory phase of wound healing.
Vitamin A also slows down prostaglandin formation, glycoprotein production, and cell membrane function. Moreover, it inhibits collagenase, so stimulating dermal proliferation.
B1 (Thiamine)
Thiamine was the first of the B vitamins. It facilitates the conversion of glucose into energy, helps wound healing, and is vital for adequate nerve functions. Sometimes known as the “anti-stress vitamin,” it stimulates the health of your skin and soothes the nervous system, facilitating the prevention of stress-related breakouts. Vitamin B1 should be used in the form of a topical ointment or supplement which will diminish blemishes, most wrinkles and any other areas of skin which need healing.
B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B2 helps cell turnover, and collagen regulation saves your skin’s structural harmony, minimizes inflammation, and maximizes wound healing. It also aids in the mucus secretion in your skin, so stopping the dryness causes oil formation (and so, acne) and stimulates zinc absorption, another essential mineral for skin health.
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) stores moisture in your skin that promotes your skin elasticity and helps in getting hydrated looking face. These essential vitamins may help prevent acne and speed the wound healing process to get rid of facial scars.
Iron
Iron (Ferrous Fumarate) is important to reduce scarring. It plays important roles in oxygen transport, the formation of haemoglobin and break-down of free radicals to name just a few important tasks. Iron deficiency impairs wound healing as iron increases the amount of oxygen available to the injury site which allows more cells to migrate.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a critical water-soluble vitamin. It is an electron donor for plenty of different enzymes, a powerful antioxidant, and a cofactor in collagen production. Vitamin C helps in enzyme processes significant in lysine or proline hydroxylation necessary for producing the triple helix available in collagen.
It’s even stated that Vitamin C can regenerate collagen in bones, joints, and the face. This means it is also beneficial for injuries and wounds. This alone can help as an anti-ageing vitamin.
It also helps in enzyme processes significant for carnitine formation needed to transport fatty acids into mitochondria that are utilized in ATP synthesis. Vitamin C also contributes to immune response, iron metabolism, trace metal metabolic reactions, and calcium metabolic reactions for epidermal gradients’ homeostasis.
Vitamin D
It is also a fat-soluble vitamin. Though it is extensively formed from skin exposure to sunlight, it can also be available in egg, oily fish, liver, mushroom, and fortified food. This vitamin helps in calcium absorption and metabolism by preventing calcitonin or parathyroid hormone that plays vital roles in bone remodelling, natural defence function, and neuromuscular activities.
Bromelain
Bromelain has been shown to clean tissues without causing further damage. Bromelain is also good at removing necrotic skin tissues as well. This may increase oxygen levels and nutrient flow and ultimately support scar and wound healing. Bromelain is a complex chemical found in the aqueous extract of many foods like pineapple and is composed largely of proteolytic enzymes. Proteolytic enzymes can effectively “digest” scar tissue” and help with reducing facial scarring.
Good sources of bromelain include pineapple, kiwi fruit, ginger, asparagus and various fermented products like kimchi and kefir.
Zinc (Zinc Glycinate Chelate)
Zinc is a trace element and is the most abundant intracellular metal and the second most abundant in the body overall after iron Zinc serves as a cofactor for numerous reactions vital to healing wounds and helping reduce scar tissue. Low zinc levels have been associated with impaired wound healing, therefore using zinc may potentially increase healing rates.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is a renowned combination of fat-soluble vitamins available naturally in plant-sourced food—specifically leafy vegetables, eggs, and dairy products. It is essential in the modification of proteins needed for coagulation or bone metabolism. Thus it may play a critical role in the hemostasis of wound healing and removing facial scars.
The Takeaway – Optimize Healing and Reduce Scarring
These top 10 vitamins discussed are important for boosting the wound healing process and reducing facial scars. An easy to use all in the supplement that can be utilized with common silicone scar gels are Woundvite. It is considered the most comprehensive wound and scar oral supplement available in the U.S. market and an Amazon Choice product for post-op wound care. The dual product combination is a great way to optimize healing and help reduce scars that have high potency supplements that help significantly reduce with healing time.
