Vitamins A, B-complex, C and E help you maintain a youthful appearance because they keep your skin clear and supple and destroy toxic substances that can damage skin cells over time. You can take these vitamins in supplement form or apply vitamin-rich cosmetic formulas directly to your skin, but the best way to get these nutrients is from fresh fruits, vegetables and other natural sources.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A, in the form of beta-carotene, can help clear up blemishes, renew skin tissue and prevent premature wrinkling. Carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, spinach, papaya, mango, cantaloupe and other orange, yellow, and dark green fruits and vegetables are all rich in vitamin A.
B-Complex Vitamins
The B vitamins, collectively known as B-complex, are essential for healthy skin because they can help clear up acne, prevent dryness and keep skin supple. Legumes such as black beans, red beans, split peas and lentils, fortified breakfast cereals, whole-grain foods, dairy products, eggs and meat are all good sources of B vitamins.
Vitamins C and E
Both C and E are antioxidant vitamins that help destroy skin-damaging free radicals that are formed when unprotected skin is exposed to the sun. Vitamins C and E also help your body produce collagen, a protein that fortifies your skin cells and keeps your skin smooth.
Most fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin C, and a diet that includes lots of whole-grain foods, fortified cereals, wheat germ, avocado, nuts, seeds, nut butters and vegetable oils will provide ample amounts of vitamin E. Many of the foods that supply vitamin E, especially nuts, flax seeds and vegetable oils such as soybean oil, also contain linoleic acid, a fat that helps prevent your skin from drying out as it ages.
Why Get Skin Vitamins From Food?
There is much speculation about the benefits of vitamin supplements to prevent premature aging of the skin, and a lot of research is being done in the cosmetic industry to develop skincare products with anti-aging potential. Everything that is known about vitamins and skin health, however, is based on deficiency studies, or what happens when you don't get enough of a particular vitamin.
Currently, there is no science to support the notion that taking vitamins in excess of what is required to prevent a nutritional deficiency will do anything to improve the health or appearance of your skin. No professional recommendations have ever been made with regard to vitamin supplements and skin health.
What is known is that vitamins plays important roles in maintaining the health of all body cells, including skin cells. A deficiency of vitamin A, B-complex, C or E will have a detrimental effect on your skin. By eating a wide variety of foods, you're likely to get all the vitamins you need, in the amounts you need, plus a host of other healthful substances that are found in food but not necessarily in vitamin supplements or beauty products.
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