If you're looking to achieve perfect, glowing skin, then you need to look beneath its surface.
Diet plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and wellness of your skin, and whilst nothing can replace the correct intake of vitamins and minerals from a healthy, balanced diet, there are certain supplements you can take to support this.
From improving elasticity and promoting the natural production of collagen to regenerating cells and protecting against sun spots, vitamins are an integral part of maintaining healthy skin.
At Discount Supplements, we want to educate you on the best vitamins and supplements to take for your skin. From why it needs them to what benefits they can bring, follow our recommendations on the best vitamin choices and supplements to take for healthy, happy skin.
Table of contents:
What are the best vitamins for keeping skin healthy?
What are the five best vitamins for your skin?
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
What are the best supplements for healthy skin?
What are the best vitamins for keeping skin healthy?
Our skin is our body's largest organ, so it's important to take care of it. Whilst there is no substitute for a healthy, balanced diet enriched with vitamins and minerals, there are some vitamins that are all beneficial to the skin, which can be supplemented orally in capsule form if you're finding it hard to absorb them through your normal diet.
Vitamins A, C, D, E and K are all vital for boosting and maintaining your skin's health. Alongside Biotin and other important supplements such as collagen and fish oil, each offers different healing and preventative properties to help keep your skin at its best.
However, it's important to remember when taking supplements to stick within the healthy daily allowance guidelines for each vitamin, as taking on too much of certain vitamins can be detrimental to your health.
What are the five best vitamins for your skin?
Whilst many vitamins, minerals and supplements have skin-enriching benefits; some are more beneficial than others. Here are our top five recommendations for healthy skin and why we'd suggest you factor them into your diet or supplement intake.
1 Vitamin A
Also known as retinol, Vitamin A has many vital functions, such as helping the immune system to work properly and keeping the skin healthy. It also helps keep the lining of some body parts healthy, such as the inside of the nose.
Vitamin A is naturally found in eggs, oily fish, and most dairy products, including cheese, milk, and yoghurt. Your body can also convert beta-carotene from red, green and yellow leafy vegetables and yellow fruits such as papaya and apricots into retinol.
Retinol is utilised by the upper and lower levels of the skin to help prevent sun damage. It disrupts the process that breaks down collagen and offers mild protection against sunburn (although you should always apply SPF to the skin to guarantee full protection from UVA and UVB rays).
Vitamin A also increases the speed at which skin heals itself, helping scrapes and cuts to heal efficiently.
According to the NHS website, women aged 19-64 need 600 micrograms (mcg) of Vitamin A per day, whereas men need 700 micrograms, which you can obtain from your diet. The body can easily store vitamin A, which means you don't need an intake of it every day.
Although Vitamin A is vital to skin repair, it's important to stay within the recommended daily guidelines when taking it. Too much can be detrimental to your health later in life, causing bones to become more brittle. Too much vitamin A can also be harmful if you're pregnant, so if this is the case, always consult your doctor before taking supplements and reduce your intake of vitamin A rich products such as liver and liver pate.
2 Vitamin C
Vitamin C is found at high levels in the epidermis and dermis, otherwise known as the outer and inner layers of the skin. Found in many foods such as citrus fruits, peppers, strawberries, broccoli and spinach, it's an easy vitamin to fit into your diet.
A great antioxidant, Vitamin C has cancer-fighting properties and helps with collagen production, all vital to keeping your skin healthy. Helping to heal damaged skin, Vitamin C builds collagen and helps to prevent sun damage by decreasing cell damage and increasing the skin's healing process.
In adults, the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C is 40 milligrams (mg) per day, and because the body can't store it, it's worth fitting into your daily diet or supplements.
Too much vitamin C (over 1000mg daily) can cause stomach pain and diarrhoea, so take care when upping your intake. However, this should soon pass as you lower it again.
Bruising or bleeding to the gums can signify that you are vitamin C deficient. If you notice these signs, consult a health professional to rule out any other problems before upping your intake.
3 Vitamin D
Vitamin D is made naturally in the body when the skin absorbs sunlight. This action causes cholesterol to convert to Vitamin D, which is absorbed by the liver and kidneys and distributed throughout the body to create healthy cells and skin cells.
To get a healthy intake of Vitamin D from the sun, your body needs at least 10 minutes of sun exposure per day. However, too much sun can bring its own health risks.
If you're worried about exposing your skin to the sun, the good news is that Vitamin D is also present in fortified foods such as breakfast cereal, oranges, yoghurt, and fish, including salmon, tuna, and cod.
Vitamin D is important for bone health, immune function and glowing skin, so if you're not getting your recommended daily intake from sun exposure or Vitamin D enriched foods, it's worth considering Vitamin D supplements.
If you opt for supplements, 10 mcg a day of Vitamin D should be enough to supplement your daily intake. The NHS website advises that you should take no more than 100 mcg per day, as too much Vitamin D over a long period can cause a build-up of calcium, weakening the bones, kidneys and heart.
4 Vitamin E
The human body produces Vitamin E through sebum, an oily substance frequently omitted from the skin's pores. Equally, Vitamin E helps to counteract low sebum levels, which helps to keep the skin moisturised, preventing dryness.
An antioxidant, Vitamin E works alongside Vitamin C to strengthen cell walls and helps to preserve your skin's health. Also, a great tool for working alongside Vitamin D, it provides the skin with photoprotection, minimising the damage caused by the sun's UV rays.
Because of this, Vitamin E is useful in preventing the skin from gaining dark spots and wrinkles.
Found in nuts, seeds, plant oils and wheat germ in cereal products, your body is efficient at storing unused Vitamin E, so it's not something you need to have in your diet every day.
Vitamin E is also found in most multivitamins, so if you feel like you aren't getting enough of it from your diet, it's easy to supplement, with men needing around 4mg of Vitamins E per day and women requiring 3mg.
5 Vitamin K
Essential for blood clotting, healing skin and wounds and healing bruises, thread veins, dark circles and dark spots, Vitamin K is used in treating various skin conditions and helps speed up your skin's healing.
Found in most green, leafy vegetables such as kale, broccoli and spinach, and cereal grains and vegetable oils, Vitamin K is essential and easily obtained from a healthy balanced diet.
The liver stores Vitamin K, so although adults need 1 mcg per kilogram of their weight per day (55 micrograms for someone who weighs 55 kilograms), it's not vital to have an intake of Vitamin K every single day.
What are the best supplements for healthy skin?
Although we've already highlighted the five main vitamins that can help boost your skin's health, there are some other supplements that, when paired with essential vitamins, can also improve the health and quality of your skin.
Healthy fats
Healthy fats from your diet are proven to make your skin glow and prevent dryness and wrinkles. The best to choose are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from foods such as nuts and seeds, avocado and fish. Much better for your heart than saturated fats, they encourage hydrated, flexible skin.
Your body obtains essential cell wall-building Omega 3 from fatty acids, which it can't make on its own when you take on healthy fats, so not only will you be healthy on the inside, but you'll also be healthy on the outside!
Protein
The human body turns protein into amino acids, which are building blocks that allow it to make other important proteins such as collagen and keratin - essential for healthy skin.
Collagen is an important factor in skin health, and as we get older, our collagen stores start to decline, which results in wrinkles and sagging skin - collagen supplements are some of the best for anti-ageing, encouraging the skin to stay healthy and supple.
Protein is a skin hero, helping to protect skin cells from UV damage and the free radicals created when your body reacts to cigarette smoke or breaks down certain foods.
Zinc
The skin's epidermis has up to five times more zinc levels than lower layers, and zinc is a key supplement for healing skin after injury.
Biotin
Sometimes referred to as liquid soluble Vitamin B, Biotin supplements are skin and hair heroes. A Biotin deficiency can result in hair loss and skin rashes, so it's important to take on Biotin-rich foods such as eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds and avocado, or add a Biotin supplement to your daily routine if you think you may be lacking. It's worth noting that the body cannot store Biotin, so it's important to have it as part of your vitamin and mineral intake if you're not supplementing it already in your diet.
Multivitamins
If supplementing a variety of vitamins and minerals seems a little daunting, multivitamins are a great way to round out your diet to care for your skin.
Most multivitamins contain a positive mix of good vitamins, minerals and other health-boosting compounds that can ensure you're meeting your quota and preventing nutritional deficiencies.
A great source of goodness for those with restrictive diets and for vegans or vegetarians who may have a decreased food intake, multivitamins are key to supporting skin and overall health.
Vitamins for healthy skin; the key takeaways
Many vitamins and minerals can have a positive impact on your skin and wellbeing as a whole. Getting a good balance of vitamins A, C, D, E and K through a rich and varied, healthy diet is the best way to allow your skin to protect and repair itself and to keep it hydrated, nourished and supple.
For those vitamins that can be harder to absorb through a healthy diet, such as taking in the correct amount of Vitamin D during the winter months, supplements work brilliantly alongside a good diet to ensure your skin and body receive all the essential nutrition required.
Then, by supplementing the main vitamin groups with other feel-good supplements such as Omega 3, Protein, Biotin and Zinc, or with a good multivitamin, your skin will remain at its healthiest.
Always stay within recommended guidelines when upping your intake of key vitamins and minerals, whether from your diet or healthy oral supplements. If in doubt, always consult a health professional for advice before making any significant changes.
Shop vitamins and minerals at Discount Supplements
If you want to boost your skin, browse our extensive selection of vitamins and minerals at Discount Supplements. Or, for more well-being supplements, browse our collection of multivitamins and other wellbeing products.