Acne blemishes occur when the pores of your skin become blocked with an oil called sebum and bacteria start to grow. The blemishes range from barely noticeable whiteheads or blackheads to red and painful inflammatory acne with redness and pimples. While the foods you eat may not prevent acne breakouts, getting enough zinc and selenium can improve the health of your skin to help the acne to heal faster.
Zinc
Zinc is a dietary mineral that your body needs in small amounts for a variety of chemical reactions to occur. Getting enough zinc from your diet is necessary for healthy skin because it's needed for normal immune system function, wound healing and for cells to divide properly. Teen and adult males need about 11 mg per day, while females need about 8 mg.
Sources of Zinc
Zinc is found in a variety of dietary sources, usually in foods that are also high in protein. Oysters have the most zinc, at about 77 mg per serving. Beef, crab, lobster, pork, chicken and fortified breakfast cereals are also good sources of zinc. Lesser amounts of zinc are found in legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy products and oatmeal. Zinc deficiency is uncommon, but may occur in conjunction with alcoholism or in people who eat vegetarian diets.
Selenium
Selenium is another mineral your body needs in small amounts. Selenium combines with proteins to form selenoproteins, which are antioxidants that help prevent damage to your skin from free radicals that occur from exposure to sunlight, chemicals and as a part of normal metabolism. Teen and adult males need about 55 mcg per day and females need about 60 mcg per day.
Sources of Selenium
Selenium is found in both plant and animal sources of food; however, the amount of selenium varies based upon the selenium content of the soil where the plants were grown, or in the feed used for the animals. Brazil nuts contain the most selenium, about 540 mcg per 1 oz. of nuts. Tuna, beef, cod, turkey, whole grain or enriched flour, eggs, walnuts and rice are also good sources of selenium.
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