Vitamins for Your Skin

Vitamins for Your Skin

Ever heard the saying, beauty comes from within? Apparently, it doesn't only hold true for every Disney flick. See, our skin actually acts as a "mirror" to what's inside our body. That's because, aside from genetics, our skin's appearance depends on the vitamins we take in our bodies.

Whether that be applied topically (in creams and serums) or ingested (fruit smoothie, anyone?), it's this mix of vitamins that keep our skin glowing, healthy, and young-looking. This also means that if you rely on a steady diet of chips and soda, chances are, you're sporting dull skin and lackluster hair.

So whether you're shopping for beauty products or produce, keep an eye out for these key vitamins and minerals that keep your skin looking radiant.

Vitamin A

If you lack this fat-soluble vitamin, your skin will most likely become dull, itchy, and scaly. You'll also probably look a few years older than you should be. That's because Vitamin A helps in cell development, ensuring new skin cells will replace dead ones. It also maintains and repairs skin—and without it, you'll be left with fine lines and wrinkles. In fact, more than 700 studies have proven how this wonder vitamin can slow down the signs of aging.

Find it in: Most anti-aging creams and lotions as "retionoid". You can also get your Vitamin A fix in the form of egg yolks, oysters, and nonfat milk.

Beta Carotene

Can you say "wonder sun shield"? Our bodies convert Beta Carotene into Vitamin A, and studies have shown that 30 mg a day (roughly a cup and a half of cooked carrots) can help reduce redness and inflammation caused by sun damage. This is because beta carotene likes to accumulate in our skin—and, when combined with Vitamin E, can help reduce skin sensitivity to sunlight! A study done by the British Journal of Dermatology has also found that beta carotene can help reduce the risk of psoriasis.

Find it in: Some sunblocks and sunscreen lotions. Get your daily fill in dark-colored produce, like spinach, carrots, broccoli, and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin C

Every day, we're exposed to free radicals, which are by-products of the sun's rays, pollution, and chemicals in the everyday products we use. Free radicals break down collagen (the underlying support structure of our skin) and elastin in our skin, leaving it wrinkled and sagging. Vitamin C helps by fighting off free radicals in our body while triggering more collagen production. It also helps keep our skin cells' DNA intact: since free radicals can damage DNA, Vitamin C, coupled with Vitamin E, helps reduce DNA damage within skin cells.

Find it in: Moisturizers—but make sure they come in opaque, airtight containers, to ensure the stability of its Vitamin C content. Scan the ingredient list and make sure that it contains L-Ascorbic Acid, which is the only kind of Vitamin C that can penetrate the skin. Also try to find products that list Vitamin C in the middle of its ingredients list, because you want to make sure it contains at least 5% of Vit C in order to reap its benefits. You can also get your RDA of Vitamin C in citrus fruits, strawberries, and tomatoes.

Vitamin B Complex

Did you know that biotin, a kind of vitamin B, is a nutrient that helps form our hair, skin, and nails? If your body lacks biotin, your skin reacts by developing dermatitis (itchy, scaly skin), or you may start to experience an increase in hair loss! Another important type of vitamin B is niacin. It helps increase production of ceramides and fatty acids, which strengthen our skin's protective barrier. Having a strong protective barrier is key to getting younger-looking skin, since it keeps irritants like free radicals out, and keeps the good stuff (that would be moisture!) in. In fact, a study presented at the Annual Meeting of American Academy of Dermatology in 2003 found that, when topically applied, niacin dramatically improves aging on human skin.

Find it in: Many topical creams, especially moisturizers. You can also get your Vitamin B in oatmeal, bananas, and rice.

Vitamin K

This vitamin helps control blood clots, which makes it an excellent ingredient in eye creams. That's because under-eye circles are often caused by fragile capillaries around the eyes that "break" and "leak" blood into the skin, giving you that "bruised" color. A study done in 2004 by the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo found that applying a 2% Vitamin K cream can reduce the appearance of under-eye circles. The University of Miami Medical School also found that patients of pulsed dye laser treatments healed faster when given a topical Vitamin K cream to use. Vitamin K might be able to improve skin elasticity, too—doctors in the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands have found that it helps activate a protein which inhibits further wrinkling in people with pseudoxanthoma elasticum, a genetic disease that causes severe wrinkling of the skin and body.

Find it in: Most eye creams. You can also get them in dark green vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, and brussel sprouts.