Oral vitamin B3 derivative protects water loss from the skin

Nicotinamide, a derivative of vitamin B3, significantly reduces water loss via the skin, especially in winter, according to a data just released by Australian dermatologists, to be published in the British Journal of Dermatology. The reserachers, from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, noted that oral nicotinamide reduced transepidermal water loss by a magnitude equivalent to approximately half of the TEWL variation observed between the extremes of summer and winter, compared to placebo.