23/05/2024
Taking 500mg of Vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) twice a day may help with reducing the number of pre-cancer skin lesions that patients develop, however, there are a few things to consider:
Whilst we have a good quality study to support this, the researchers focused on people who had experienced non-melanoma skin cancer before—What dermatologists would consider “high risk” patients.
It doesn’t tell us anything about using nicotinamide in a low risk setting or whether it is helpful to prevent melanoma skin cancers.
We recommend starting the vitamin (500 mg twice a day) to all our patients with a history of a basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma, or with extensive skin damage due to sun exposure. One caveat is that the vitamin must be taken continuously, as the benefits are lost once stopped.
Using nicotinamide to prevent skin cancer is a high-dose treatment rather than a supplement. If you have pre-existing health conditions or are taking other medications, speak to your dermatologist for guidance.
It is important to remember that nicotinamide or vitamin B3 does not protect against sunburn and should never be used as a substitute for a broad-spectrum, SFP30+ sunscreen and following sun safety guidelines. Nor is it a substitute for having a regular skin check or mole check every year, especially if you’re high risk and/ or have had skin cancer before.
