There is no doubt that a healthy glowing skin is the first indicator of attractiveness that most people will subconsciously take notice of, and anyone who has ever battled a bad acne outbreak can attest to this. There’s something about a blemish-free skin that even the most expensive outfit, jewelry or accessories cannot make up for, especially if you have a public image to project.
Fortunately, the foundation of a gorgeous and flawless skin can be built easily by adhering to a few basic nutritional and lifestyle rules. Speaking of which, here’s how to get clean skin naturally by upping your intake of the following supplements.
1. Vitamin A
Vitamin A contributes to the handsomeness of your skin by decreasing the average size of the pores and underlying sebaceous glands. This, of course, would mean that you will have less oil production to contend with and, consequently, fewer breakout episodes. What’s more, research shows that vitamin a retinyl palmitate is more effective in combating, preventing, and treating severe cases of acne than other topical applications that are not infused with this micro-nutriment.
In addition to this, dermatologists believe that regular application of retinoids – another derivative of vitamin A – can improve acne symptoms and slow down the manifestation of signs of aging and skin damage.
2. Vitamin C
You probably already know that vitamin c ( ascorbic acid ) is one of the fundamental components of a robust immune system. What you may not know, nonetheless, is that ascorbic acid has unique antioxidant properties that shields the skin from progressive deterioration caused by air pollution, free radical damage , cigarette smoke, exposure to UV light and the likes. But there’s a catch – you cannot synthesize vitamin C naturally, as you do with vitamin D aka the sunshine vitamin. It has to be obtained either from quality supplements or a diet rich in it.
3. Collagen Supplements
Collagen is a special type of protein that forms the basic foundational structure of skin, bones, and other connective tissues in the body. Collagen production naturally declines with age, which explains the wrinkles, sagging, and fine lines associated with advanced age. In fact, scientists believe that after the age of 25 years collagen deposits in the skin might decline exponentially by about 1% each passing year.
Knowing this, it shouldn’t come as a surprise then that ingesting collagen can contribute immensely to boosting of the skin’s overall elasticity, youthfulness and plumpness. If anything, it is advisable to start supplementing regularly with collagen if you have already started seeing tell-tale signs of aging.
4. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is one of those important vitamins that work alongside ascorbic acid to provide an extra layer of photoprotection from the harsh ultraviolet rays by the sun. As such, it cannot be recommended enough to people who often spend hours outdoors as the combination of these two essential vitamins is believed to strengthen the integrity of the skin cells. This, in turn, makes it easier for them to weather the damaging effects of continuous exposure to UV rays thereby keeping sagging and wrinkling at bay. Vitamin E supplementation is also thought to be instrumental in staving off the progression of skin cancer.
5. Zinc
Zinc is one of those often-overlooked minerals that play an integral role in the healthy appearance of your skin. You see, zinc is involved in a series of biochemical reactions that characterize the healing process after an injury. Hence, a deficiency in this micronutrient will mean that your skin will take longer than usual to heal and acne outbreaks will also take forever to clear. Besides, zinc has useful antioxidant properties that are necessary for protection against UV rays damage.
6. Magnesium
Just like zinc above, adequate magnesium intake is also associated with fewer acne breakouts. The nutrient plays a significant role in lessening the harmful knock-on effects that cortisol has on the state of your skin during a stressful period. In the absence of magnesium, cortisol which is released in massive amounts by the adrenal cortex when you are stressed, can stimulate the excessive production of oil by the skin’s sebaceous glands. As you already guessed, this often ends up in a debilitating acne breakout and/or an inflamed skin that could take weeks to clear.
Into the bargain, magnesium also improves hydration of your skin thus making it easier to sport that elusive glowing complexion.
7. Selenium
It is estimated that close to 40% of Americans are deficient in this important mineral and, unfortunately, are hardly aware of it. Selenium is needed for that extra protection against damage from the free radicals in our diet, water and even the air that we breathe everyday. While there are many delicious sources for selenium, they are mostly confined to animal sources such as turkey, free-range chicken, cold-water fish and crab. That implies that vegans and people on a strict vegetarian diet are often at a risk of being deficient in this nutrient and, thus, have to consider external supplementation to keep their skin in top shape.
The Bottom Line
As much as supplements and vitamins are critical to your quest of how to get clean healthy skin and keep it, don’t forget the importance of an overall healthy lifestyle. Supplementation will only make sense if you are already adhering to other golden rules of having flawless skin such as regular exercise, constant hydration, cutting back on alcoholic drinks and getting enough sleep every night.