If you have a dry skin type, you are more prone to suffering from flaky, itchy skin on your face. The good news is you can take measures to moisturize your dehydrated skin, giving you more supple skin that's less prone to irritation and flakiness. Consuming certain vitamins can help your skin grow healthier from the inside out, and applying lotions or creams with skin-friendly vitamins can also give your face a glowing radiance.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A helps your skin cells maintain and repair themselves, which can help you ward off dry skin. If you don't get enough vitamin A in your diet, your facial skin can become dry and flaky. The National Institutes of Health advises adult women to consume 700 mcg -- or 2,310 IU -- of vitamin A per day, and adult men 900 mcg -- or 3,000 IU -- daily. Vitamin A-rich foods include carrots, papaya, broccoli, sweet potatoes, eggs, apricots, pumpkins, collard greens and liver. If you take a supplement with vitamin A, choose one with the beta-carotene form of vitamin A, Harvard School of Public Health advises, as the retinol form can be toxic in large doses. Vitamin A can also help moisturize your face and reduce signs of aging such as wrinkles and sun spots when applied in cream or lotion form, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which helps protect your skin from damaging elements in the environment such as pollution, the sun's rays and smoking. Consuming vitamin C helps your skin stay armed against drying environmental factors, helping prevent excess moisture loss. You can get vitamin C from citrus fruits, tomatoes, kiwi, broccoli, cauliflower and leafy greens, or by taking supplements. Vitamin C can also help moisturize your skin in lotion or cream form.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is another antioxidant that can help protect your face from drying factors in the environment. Vitamin E-rich foods include vegetable oils, nuts, spinach and broccoli, or you can take a supplement with vitamin E. Lotions with vitamin E can help add moisture to your skin. Creams with vitamin E, especially in the form of alpha tocopherol, reduce skin roughness, facial lines and wrinkle depth, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
B Vitamins
The B vitamin biotin is the main component of skin cells. If you don't get enough biotin in your diet, your skin can become dry, and you may even get dermatitis. Foods with biotin include carrots, nuts, eggs, milk, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, halibut, cauliflower, oatmeal, rice, onions and cucumbers. You can also take supplements with biotin. When used in facial lotion and creams, the B vitamin niacin can add moisture to your skin.
