The Top FIVE Vitamins to Make Your Skin Glow

While there isn’t a magic pill or lotion that can give you flawless skin instantly, by taking care of yourself from the inside out you can help ensure that your skin stays youthful and glowing. Part of healthy skin is eating a well-rounded diet full of nutrient-dense foods and drinking lots of water; another part is staying consistent with your skin care routine; staying out of the sun and staying away from harmful pollution like smoke will help too. If you’re really looking to keep your skin in tip-top condition, you can take things a step further with specific vitamin supplements. Below are some of the best vitamins you can add to your daily regimen to ensure beautiful skin.

1. Vitamin D – While it’s important not to expose your skin to too much sun because of damaging UV rays, the sun isn’t all bad. One of the best vitamins for our skin is Vitamin D, which is produced when sunlight is absorbed into our skin. Vitamin D is utilized in making healthy cells and plays an important role in skin tone. All we need is about 10-15 minutes exposed to the sun per day to get the amount of vitamin D our bodies need. This can be problematic if you live in an area that doesn’t get a lot of sunlight or has long winters, but you can also get vitamin D through fortified foods or taking a vitamin D supplement.
2. Vitamin C – We are most often told to take vitamin C to help boost our immune system, but it is actually also found in high concentrations on the outer layer of our skin. It has antioxidant properties that can help fight cancer and also plays a role in collagen production, which is a protein that helps keep our skin firm and wrinkle free. Vitamin C can help repair damage done to the skin by sunlight and may even help reduce wrinkles! To get an added boost of vitamin C, try eating fruits like oranges or strawberries, vegetable like broccoli and spinach, or find a supplement you trust.
3. Vitamin E – Just like vitamin C, vitamin E has many antioxidant properties – in fact when applied directly to the skin it will absorb harmful UV light from the sun helping prevent dark spots and wrinkles from forming. Vitamin E is naturally produced by our skins oil glands, which in the right balance makes sure our skin isn’t too oily or too dry. If you have especially dry skin, try applying Vitamin E topically for added moisture and protection.
4. Vitamin K – This vitamin is essential in the blood’s ability to clot and helps your body heal wounds, bruises, and incisions from surgery. Vitamin K is also thought to help certain skin conditions such as stretch marks, spider veins, scars, dark spots, and stubborn circles under your eyes. Vitamin K is found in many foods, especially green/leafy vegetable like spinach and kale, but is also available in many topical creams that can be directly applied to a specific area.
5. Omega 3 Fatty Acids – Okay, so this technically isn’t a vitamin, but it’s so important that I have to include it anyway! Omega 3 fatty acids play a crucial role in the development of our cell membranes, which influences the cells’ ability to hold fluids and moisture. If our cell membranes aren’t intact, then that fluid leaks out of our cells causing increase in wrinkles and sagging skin. While there are many supplements you can take in capsule form, you can increase your intake of Omega 3’s by adding more walnuts, salmon, flax seed, and olive oil to your diet!

If you’re eating a healthy diet, drinking plenty of water, and keeping up with a good skin care routine and still having issues with your skin, it may be time to consider additional supplementation. Making sure that you’re giving your skin all the vitamins it needs is just as important as all the other steps to your skin-care routine. When choosing a supplement, look for one that offers you a range of essential nutrients such as vitamins C, D, and E that have been shown to benefit the look and feel of skin. Before starting new supplements, always talk to your doctors first as vitamins can interact with some medications.