Skin cancer runs in my family. It’s not surprising. We are a family of mixed European descent including Irish, English and German, and none of us is anything other than what you would call fair skinned. I’m no exception, with my mother being 100% Irish and my father being a mixture of German and English with a little bit of everything else European mixed in.

My grandfather, who has been gone for many years at this point, actually passed away from melanoma skin cancer that was caught too late. While that linkage doesn’t mean anything hugely significant when it’s one generation removed and on the male side (I've been told by my dermatologist), it still has not gone unnoticed that most of our family has had basal cell carcinomas over the years.

While those are the least harmless and most treatable of skin cancers, it is nonetheless concerning and must be dealt with. It shows that the skin cells are prone to damage by UV radiation. Even with the utmost care taken, and applying sunblock regularly I’ve had a few instances of basal cell carcinomas. Related: B Vitamins for Hair, Heart, Brain and More

After Most Recent Dermatologist Checkup, I Started Researching

I was long overdue for a skin cancer screening so I booked one with a new dermatologist. I came away having a few suspicious spots frozen off. They accomplish this by spraying a liquid nitrogen substance on the affected area.

This is also called cryotherapy. It is used when the basal cell growth is suspected to be very shallow or small in size, and it is sometimes used in conjunction with scraping the affected area first, then freezing the remaining affected skin. It’s relatively painless. But the fact remains that it feels pretty uneasy that your skin is prone to rapid cell division and mutation. Related: Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5) Excellent for Hair and Skin Health

So I set about researching some natural ways I can maybe boost my nutritional profile in certain vitamins or minerals. I figured if there were studies done on this, I might be able to at least lessen the occurrences of these lesions growing on my skin and help to nutritionally build my defenses against them as much as possible.

Vitamin B3 – Can It Help Protect Against Recurrent Basal Cell Carcinomas?

Vitamin B3 is one of many offshoots of the well-known family of B vitamins. It’s not talked about as often as Vitamins B12 and B6 though, so I will admit I really didn’t know much about it and was surprised it was named in my quest for anti-skin cancer vitamins.

And yet there it was. It was one of the first vitamins that came up in multiple searches. And there is apparently a small study that supports vitamin B3 as being somewhat therapeutic in the prevention of these types of recurrent skin cancers.

Only Helps in Recurrent Basal Cell, Not to Prevent First Occurrences

There’s one catch though, and I’m not really sure why. It only helps those who have already had basal cell carcinoma cancers. It apparently did not show any benefit in prevention in those who had never had a previous occurrence.

So that part is unclear to me and I’m not a scientist so I can’t really speak to the rationale or even hypothesis behind that conclusion. Especially since the mechanisms behind the skin-health supporting benefit would seem to benefit anyone in preventing sun damage, not just those that have already experienced it.

Vitamin B3 is Cheap

The other good news is that Vitamin B3 is very cheap. One person can essentially supplement with this vitamin for about three months as a nominal cost of around $15 (depending on which brand you choose).

The recommendation is to take the nicotinamide version of the vitamin for the particular purpose we’re discussing, not the niacin version. Niacin can actually cause flushing in sensitive people, and is generally not recommended for those with rosacea or who easily flush to begin with. Related: Cheap Topical Basal Cell Remedies

Vitamin B3 Other Skin Care Benefits

Vitamin B3 may also help suppress the appearance of sun damage since it helps to modulate your body’s inflammatory response to UV exposure. What can this mean for your skin’s appearance? Less age spots, liver spots, and other dark or discolored areas on the skin.

It can translate in to a more even skin tone, which also can mean less redness and a clearer, generally more luminous complexion. Some other reported benefits are small boosts in energy levels, and it reportedly is also a supportive brain health vitamin.