September 25, 2018
3 min read
How Does Niacinamide Benefit The Skin?
In a myriad of miraculous skincare ingredients that pop up each season promising to rid us of all beauty-related headaches ones and for all, niacinamide sticks out as the one that stood the test of time. If you are wondering how come you haven’t heard of it before, look under vitamin B3 or nicotinamide in your cosmetics register. If this still doesn’t ring any bells then you have a lot to catch up. Niacinamide not only proved that it actually works, but it also proved to be very versatile in solving almost any skin concern.
What is niacinamide?
Simply put, it is a combo of niacin, a.k.a. vitamin B3, and nicotinic acid. Vitamin B3 serves in our bodies to support proper functioning of all major organs, including your brain, heart, liver and, of course, skin. It is a water soluble vitamin, which means that our body doesn’t store it and it should, therefore, be supplemented occasionally in order to avoid its deficiency.
How Niacinamide Helps Skin?
There aren’t too many multi-taskers in cosmetics industry such as this one and that’s what makes it so special. Just take a look at the amazing list of things it can do:
1) One of its major benefits (from which all others ensue) is its ability to boost the skin barrier. Niacinamide promotes the production of ceramide - a structural and signaling lipid molecule, which is naturally found in skin cells’ membrane, but which also naturally deteriorates with time. Thanks to niacinamide, it can be restored, keeping the skin barrier stronger. And stronger epidermis means that your skin will retain moisture more easily and defence itself against environmental aggressors more effectively. In the end, you get an improved overall skin structure.
2) When your lipid barrier is functioning as it is designed to, then everything else falls into place. Starting from the sebum production levels. If applied topically on a regular basis, niacinamide can take any excessive greasiness under control. This property, together with the anti-inflammatory benefits that this vitamin brings, is sure to prevent any acne flare-ups, redness and blotches. A must-try for teenagers!
3) There’s a good news for middle-agers as well. Niacinamide helps the synthesis of collagen, thus improving the elasticity of your skin. It prevents the formation of any new signs of aging, but also goes a step further and reverses the damage that has already been done. Goodbye fine lines, wrinkles and saggy eyelids. Hello youthful and plump skin.
4) Niacinamide protects the skin from the damaging effects of the sunlight by protecting its defence mechanism - the Langerhans cells. Prolonged exposure to UV rays causes the Langerhans cells in the top skin layers to die, depriving it of its natural immune system. And when our immune system is down, we are more prone to all kinds of undesirable conditions. Thanks to niacinamide, the invading microbes and free radicals stay powerless.
5) Overexposure to ultraviolet light is also known to lead to hyperpigmentation. While uneven skin tone is not harmful to our health, it is damaging our self-confidence. Niacinamide reduces the appearance of dark spots on your skin by controlling the melanocytes activity. These are the cells that produce melanin, that is the skin pigment, and then transfer it to the surrounding skin cells. Our friend niacinamide simply makes sure that this transfer is not over-exaggerated.
Having in mind all the above-mentioned properties, there is only one possible consequence of using niacinamide - radiant and glowing skin. Niacinamide knows no boundaries when it comes to age or skin type, so there are really no reasons not to include it in your daily skincare routine.
