Diet for Smooth Skin

Your skin is an organ that, along with your hair and nails, provides a layer of protection for your body. Its condition reflects your health and your age, according to the American Skin Association. While you can't alter your age or genetic factors associated with your skin, you can make healthy lifestyle changes, including altering your diet, that may enhance its smoothness and vibrancy. For best results, seek specified guidance from your dietitian or dermatologist.

Function

Dietary changes won't likely cure or prevent all existing skin conditions. Eating a well-balanced diet can help ensure that your body and skin reap necessary nutrients, however, which may help prevent or reduce the severity of conditions such as skin cracks, acne, skin dryness and wrinkles. Vitamins A and D, for example, help your skin maintain smoothness and overall health, according to the ASA. B-vitamins, including riboflavin, vitamin B-6 and niacin, may help prevent skin disorders and those that affect your mouth, lips and nose and cracks near your mouth. The antioxidant vitamin C promotes skin smoothness.

Helpful Foods

Colorful fruits and vegetables, such as berries, citrus fruits, apricots, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli and leafy greens, are prime sources of antioxidants, including the A-vitamin beta-carotene and vitamin C. For ample B-vitamins, eat whole grains, such as oatmeal, whole grain breads, brown rice and barley, lean meats and low-fat dairy products. For reduced skin inflammation and dryness, author of "Cosmetic Dermatology: Principles and Practice" Leslie Baumann recommends eating fatty fish, such as salmon, albacore tuna, mackerel and flounder. Ground flaxseed, walnuts and canola oil may provide similar benefits. Fish and dairy products also provide valuable amounts of vitamin D.

Dietary Habits

In addition to choosing primarily nutritious foods, you dietary behaviors may also influence the health and smoothness of your skin. A low-glycemic diet, or a diet that has a significant impact on your blood sugar, has been linked with reduced risk for acne, according to a "Skin Therapy Letter" report published in 2010. To lower the glycemic impact of your diet, avoid high-glycemic foods, such as instant rice, sugary sweets and white bread, and aim for balanced meals containing fiber-rich and protein-rich foods. If you do consume a high-glycemic food, eating a low-glycemic food, such as legumes, whole grain bread or vegetables, can help reduce negative consequences. Staying properly hydrated is also important, so incorporate water, herbal tea, low-fat cow's or soy milk, broth and other hydrating fluids into your diet routinely. If you suspect that particular foods worsen skin-related symptoms, avoiding these "triggers" may also improve your skin's condition.

Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements may provide benefits, particularly if you have difficulty meeting your nutrient needs through food alone. Taking 30 mg of zinc once or twice daily may help reduce acne symptoms, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Excessive zinc intake in supplement form can cause toxic effects, however, so discuss its use with your doctor. An omega-3 fatty acid supplement may prove useful if you don't consume fatty fish, flaxseed, walnuts or canola oil regularly.