Assessing the Relationship between Vitamin D ₃ and Stratum Corneum Hydration for the Treatment of Xerotic Skin

Abstract

Vitamin D ₃ has been called the “sunshine” vitamin since the formation of vitamin D is mediated by exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D ₃ is linked to many health benefits, however serum levels of vitamin D ₃ have been decreasing over the last few decades and the lower levels of vitamin D ₃ may have consequences on normal physiology. We investigated the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and stratum corneum conductance as well as the effect of topical application of cholecalciferol (vitamin D ₃) on dry skin. Eighty three subjects were recruited and blood serum levels and skin conductance measurements were taken after a one week washout. A correlation was observed between vitamin D levels and skin moisture content, individuals with lower levels of vitamin D had lower average skin moisture. Subsequently, a 3-week split leg, randomized, vehicle controlled clinical study was conducted on a subset of 61 of the above individuals who were identified with non-sufficient vitamin D serum levels. Topical supplementation with cholecalciferol significantly increased measurements of skin moisturization and resulted in improvements in subjective clinical grading of dry skin. Taken together our finding suggest a relationship between serum vitamin D ₃ (25(OH)D) levels and hydration of the stratum corneum and further demonstrate the skin moisture benefit from topical application of vitamin D ₃.