5 Vitamin Supplements For Healthy And Smooth Skin
The bottom line
You can usually get all your vitamins from the foods you eat, and the best way to get enough is a balanced diet with a variety of foods. In some cases, you may need to take vitamin supplements. It is a good idea to ask your health care provider first, because high doses of some vitamins can cause problems.
Key takeaways
- Taking excess amounts of vitamin A (preformed retinol form, not beta-carotene) during pregnancy has been shown to increase the risk of birth defects.
- If you take a blood thinner, such as warfarin, talk to your health care provider before taking any dietary supplement that contains vitamin K.
- Randomized controlled clinical trials did not provide evidence that dietary antioxidant supplements are beneficial in primary cancer prevention.
- Adults age 51 to 70 need at least 15 mcg (600 IU) of vitamin D each day, but not more than 100 mcg (4,000 IU).
- Smokers, and possibly former smokers, should avoid multivitamin products that provide large amounts of vitamin A.
The skin needs vitamins to stay smooth and glowing, such as vitamin A, C, D, and E. Vitamin-rich foods include orange, berries, leafy dark green vegetables, and other types of fruits and vegetables. Aside from vitamins, the skin also needs healthy fats, protein, selenium, and zinc.
If you’re not eating a balanced diet, your skin may get affected because it lacks the right nourishment to look and function at its best. The best way to get enough vitamins is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods. In some cases, you may need to take vitamin supplements, and it’s a good idea to ask your health care provider first.
In this article, you’ll learn the important vitamin supplements to achieve good skin health all year round.
Vitamin C Supplement
What comes into your mind when you hear the word vitamin C? You may think of oranges. However, you can’t get your recommended daily intake from eating one orange alone, which only contains 51.1 milligrams of vitamin C. If your vitamin C level is low, you may experience bleeding gums, bruising, and slow healing of sores, as well as skin problems, such as a slow wound healing process.
Most men 51 and older should aim for 90 mg of vitamin C each day and most women 51 and older for 75 mg, and fruits and vegetables are some of the best sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps the collagen to hold its shape to prevent rapid aging.
This vitamin is a powerful antioxidant, but clinical trials did not provide evidence that antioxidant supplements are beneficial in preventing cancer. You should take a high-quality vitamin C supplement for your skin that’s made from food sources and suitable for vegetarians and vegans, such as vitamin C supplements available at Supplements Wise.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption, which is essential in bone development, nerve functioning, muscle strength, immunity, and skin health. Good vitamin D levels can help prevent premature aging of the skin. Some studies show that vitamin D aids in treating various skin conditions, such as dry skin, eczema, and psoriasis.
However, too much sun exposure results in skin burn, potentially leading to skin cancer and other complications. That’s why vitamin D supplementation is highly recommended to avoid excessive sunlight exposure just to obtain vitamin D and preserve healthy skin.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A or retinol is one of the essential nutrients that your skin needs. This vitamin can help get rid of cellular free radicals, which can affect the skin and other organs in the body. This anti-aging agent can help promote faster cell regeneration and diminish skin spots, marks, and wrinkles.
Vitamin A-like compounds called retinoids are being studied in the prevention of certain cancers, but these treatments can cause serious side effects, and beta carotene supplements have not been shown to prevent nonmelanoma skin cancer. Vitamin A promotes cell production to strengthen the skin barrier and protect it from harmful substances that attack the surface.
Women should take 700 micrograms, while men need 900 micrograms of vitamin A every day. The foods rich in vitamin A include carrots, spinach, yellow fruits, oily fish, eggs, cheese, and other dairy products. If you’re not eating enough of these foods, you should consider taking a vitamin A supplement.
Vitamin K
This vitamin helps protect the body’s collagen, so the skin looks smooth, plump, and youthful. Maintain the elasticity of your skin and prevent fine lines and wrinkles with a good vitamin k supplement.
Vitamin K has anti-aging benefits. As shown in a study, Japanese women who eat seaweed (macroalgae) regularly have a better skin appearance than other Caucasian women who don’t eat them. Seaweed is rich in vitamin K, so researchers believe that this is the reason Japanese women have healthy and glowing skin.
Vitamin K is usually unnoticed, unlike vitamin C that earned a lot of write-ups and increased popularity. This vitamin helps maintain skin capillary integrity and elasticity, which are important factors promoting healthy skin and preventing skin aging.
Vitamin E
You probably have seen several ads about vitamin E being a potent antioxidant, which can benefit the skin in so many ways. This vitamin helps reduce damage due to excessive ultraviolet rays exposure and free radicals.
Rich sources of vitamin E include nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, and green leafy vegetables. However, if you’re not eating plenty of these foods, you should consider taking vitamin E supplements. Vitamin E supplements help support the body’s nutritional needs and make the skin looks younger, as well as help promotes faster skin healing.
Conclusion
Nourish your skin with the right vitamins and other nutrients it needs to function properly and look smooth, supple, and glowing. Taking vitamin supplements such as vitamin C and D helps strengthen the defense mechanism of the skin to ward off harmful contaminants due to pollution and infection.
