The benefits
of applying vitamins topically are wide-ranging: brightening, wrinkle-reducing,
acne-clearing, and more. It’s just a matter of choosing the vitamins that’s
proven to be best for treating your specific concerns and going slow and steady
as you see what works for your skin.
Most of us
will first think of the ways we care for our skin from the outside. But
we believe that topical skin care works best when it’s one component of a
complete holistic effort, which encompasses important lifestyle factors like a
healthy balance of diet and exercise. By also adding the right vitamins and
other nutrients to your diet, you supply your body with the building blocks it
needs in order to heal and defend itself and you can help take care of your
skin from the inside out.
1. Vitamin
E
Vitamin E has
been a staple in the skincare industry for a long time. It’s a moisturizing
antioxidant, which guards the skin barrier and improves skin hydration. It also
protects skin-cell membranes from oxidation by free radicals, specifically when
the skin is hit by UV rays.
This
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory can also absorb the energy from UV light,
which damages skin and leads to wrinkles, sagging, and skin cancer. It works
with vitamin C to strengthen cell walls.
2.
Vitamin C:
Antioxidant vitamin C is essential to the
health of your skin. It helps to fight skin damage and promote wound healing,
and to protect your skin from environmental stressors. It’s also one of the key
nutrients your body requires in order to create collagen, a building block that
helps to keep your skin healthy and youthful.
You often
see vitamin C combined with vitamin E, that’s because the combination of these
ingredients improves the stability of the vitamins and doubles the sun
protection for the skin. “Vitamin C is water-soluble and vitamin E is oil
soluble, and you have water-soluble compartments and oil-soluble compartments
in the skin, so you need an antioxidant for both.
3. Vitamin
A
Vitamin A
benefits the skin by speeding up cell production, as well as having a number of
anti-ageing effects, such as increasing the levels of natural humectants in the
skin, attracting moisture into the skin.
It’s worth noting that vitamin A was the first
vitamin approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a topical
ingredient that actually changes the appearance of the skin’s surface. It works
by binding to receptors in skin cells, in turn strengthening the protective
function of the epidermis, protecting collagen against degradation, and
stimulating skin cell turnover. For the same reason, vitamin A is a powerful
acne fighter, too.
Read more: 6 reasons to try the Mediterranean diet for better health and easy tips for starting it
4. B
Vitamins
B-vitamins
might be notorious for their mood support properties, but they also play key
roles when it comes to maintaining the health of your skin. Different
B-vitamins have different benefits for the skin. For instance, research has
shown that vitamin B12 helps your body to maintain a healthy balance of
bacteria leading to a reduction in acne-causing bacteria. Some emergent studies
have even suggested a link between vitamin B3 and a decreased risk of skin
cancer.
5. Fatty
Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids help to maintain your
skin’s natural barrier, protecting it against exterior damage. Research has
shown that these healthy, fatty acids can also help to diminish the symptoms of
inflammatory acne, thanks to their anti-inflammatory properties.
6. Collagen
peptides
Studies have
shown that taking collagen peptides will support skin elasticity and hydration
levels and promote youthful texture. Especially type I, as this type is
especially abundant in the skin, where it's responsible for keeping it pliable
and young-looking.
7.
Evening Primrose Oil
Research has
shown that evening primrose oil supplementation in adults can help to improve
overall skin health and appearance. Evening primrose oil contains healthy,
fatty acids, and is thought to help maintain hormone balance. We love evening
primrose oil supplements that combine the powers of this plant oil with other
fatty acids, like Nordic Naturals’ Omega Woman supplement.
Read more: 2 Easy ways to tell if your weight is healthy without scale
If the idea of taking five or six different supplements to support skin health seems like a chore to you, you could simplify your supplementation regimen by opting for a multivitamin that checks off multiple boxes. While it’s recently become popular for non-pregnant women to take prenatal vitamins for the purposes of skin care, we recommend evaluating your diet before resorting to these measures.
Read All Articles Here
