Caring for your skin includes using beauty products such as cleansers, exfoliating agents, face masks and other skin care products. In addition to all of this, your skin also needs nutrients such as vitamins to stay and look healthy. Overexposure of your skin to the environment and pollutants can affect the health of your skin and lead to early aging. Having the right vitamins in your body along with other nutrients may combat these environmental effects.
Vitamin C
Your body produces free radicals when it is overexposed to the sun. They can attack and destroy cells needed to keep your skin healthy, resulting in signs of early aging such as age spots and wrinkles. The antioxidant nature of vitamin C helps it to destroy free radicals in your skin and reduce their aging effects. Vitamin C protects against sunburn. It is also important in wound healing and the production of collagen, which keeps your skin resilient and wrinkle-free.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that is also a potent antioxidant and removes free radicals from your skin. It also has the ability to reduce skin damage caused by sun exposure because it absorbs the rays emitted by the sun and enhances the efficacy of sunscreen. Vitamin E helps your skin look and feel smoother and reduces the amount of wrinkles on it as well.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin like vitamin E. It is important for the overall health of your skin. It helps with the health, function and repair of skin cells. Vitamin A is needed for skin elasticity and thickness because it increases the natural moisturizer hyaluronic acid, collagen and elastin contents of your skin. It also removes layers of dead skin that can block your pores and decrease your pore size in the process. A deficiency of Vitamin A causes dry hair, nails and skin.
Other Vitamins
Biotin is a type of B vitamin that is found in lentils, cauliflower, egg yolks and salmon. A deficiency in this vitamin leads to itchy, scaly skin or dermatitis. Biotin also helps in strengthening the skin.
Vitamin D is obtained from limited amounts of sunlight and helps promote the healthy and rapid healing of the skin.
References
- "Milady's Standard Cosmetology" Arlene Alpert, Margrit Altenburg; 2002.
- Discovery Health: Supplements for Healthy Skin
- "You: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty" Michael F. Roizen, Mehmet C. Oz; 2008.
- "Simple Skin Beauty: Every Woman's Guide to a Lifetime of Healthy, Gorgeous Skin" Ellen Marmur, Gina Way; 2009.
