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Vitamin K Skin Creams - Do They Work?

Women buy creams with vitamin K, hoping it can alleviate under eye circles and spider veins on legs. Perhaps they can. But it depends on what kind of circles you have under your eyes, and on what creams or gels you use.

But the short answer is yes, some creams containing vitamin K do claim to actually alleviate spider veins and under eye redness.*

First, though, you have to decide if your under eye problems are the type that topical vitamin K can fix. There are two types of under eye situations: bags, and dark circles.

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Under-Eye Bags

Bags can be soothed by topical applications of cucumber slices or cool tea bags. DERMAdoctor Wrinkle Revenge Rescue & Protect Eye Balm has caffeine and white tea to help reduce swelling. But these remedies don't get rid of the capillaries.

Under-Eye Dark Circles

With dark circles, the capillaries are there because they are showing through skin that has become thin. Some capillaries may be broken. This is the under eye problem targeted by vitamin K creams.

What is Vitamin K and What Does It Do?

There are basically two kinds of vitamin K.

1 - Phylloquinone, or vitamin K1 is fat-soluble; found in green leafies (lettuce, spinach, kale, broccoli, parsley, peas) and other foods (cabbage, cauliflower, soy, even some cereals and dairy, soybean oil, canola oil, and olive oil); and is not damaged by cooking. The body stores very little of it, so we actually need to eat that broccoli.¹

2 - Vitamin K2, aka menaquinone-n (MK-n), is mainly produced in the body's digestive system².

Here's where the beauty angle comes in. Together, the vitamin Ks play a large role in blood clotting. The coagulation systems that need vitamin K come mainly from the liver - which is why liver problems increase a person's risk for hemorrhaging. And possibly why heavy drinking lowers a woman's bruising threshold.

Vitamin K also aids in the body's use of calcium. So many scientists believe it's important for bone strength and density.³

But you can't just run out and take supplements, because vitamin K works in tandem with so many other systems. The balance and integration of the body's chemistry is something we don't want to mess with. If you take medications, there can also be contraindications. Not to worry, though: in normal healthy adults, getting enough vitamin K through diet is not a problem.

Topically Applied Vitamin K Creams

Here is where the science voices split. According to Dr Trisha Macnair⁴, it may be more effective to "hide" the under eye circles broken capillaries, and melasma with cosmetic concealers. Cutting back on sun time, smoking, and drinking may also make eyes look better

She says the best way to "cure" dark circles is to get more sleep. If that doesn't work, the dark circles may be genetic, and just part of the natural aging process. That's why a simple light-reflecting concealer is her recommendation.⁵

Dr. Audrey Kunin of DERMAdoctor adds a third type of under eye problem to our list - under eye circles that are a result of true skin discoloration. This can be hereditary or caused by allergies. It could also be a result of rubbing your eyes.

Products that Could Work on the Capillaries

But there are a few topical vitamin K creams and gels that do claim to actually "fix" the problem. K-Derm Cream, made by Donell, has 2% vitamin K that may help heal bruises. It can be used on spider veins and also on rosacea. It takes one to 10 weeks for effects to show. Other products to try might be K Creme Plus by Jason Natural Cosmetics or advanced resKue's Eye Lightening Gel with Vitamin K.

According to Dr. Kunin⁶, age-related thinning skin may respond to some topical creams or gels containing vitamin K and / or hesperidin methyl chalcone⁷ (a plant extract).

Every place I've researched, though, has this warning - don't use any vitamin K cream or supplement if you're pregnant, taking a blood thinner, or haven't checked with your personal doctor.

The Bottom Line

You're safest using a concealer. Be sure to check out the article Concealing Melasma at the website MyMakeupMirror.com. It's got lots of ideas for all kinds of concealing.

Some doctors claim the vitamin K based products actually heal, and some disagree. If you want to try the vitamin K route, and you promise you've checked with your doctor, you might find the K creams to be preferable than applying concealer every day.

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Footnotes
¹ Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, written by Jane Higdon, Ph.D
² From MEDLINE PLUS (the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health)
³ Linus Pauling Institute
⁴ From BBC's Ask the Doctor (Dr Trisha Macnair)
⁵ Ibid
⁶ DERMAdoctor: Audrey Kunin, M.D, dermatologist
⁷ Ibid

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