Just like any other part of the body, the skin also needs some care to keep it healthy and boost your confidence. Most health professionals will advise you to limit your exposure to the sun by wearing a protective sunscreen when exposed, but you also need proper nutrition for healthy and youthful skin. After all, the sun is not that bad as we need some exposure to help the skin manufacture vitamin D. Vitamin D is a crucial vitamin together with other vitamins for skin like E, C and K.
You should ensure that you have enough of these vitamins in your body if you want to maintain healthy and youthful skin. By healthy and youthful skin, we mean less dark spots, fewer wrinkles, no excessive dryness, less redness and many more.
You can get these essential vitamins for skin from your food, in the form of multivitamins and also from some skincare products. Check below for more about the four essential vitamins and how they promote skin health.
Vitamin D
The primary source of vitamin D is sunlight absorbed through your skin. The sunlight helps to convert cholesterol into vitamin D — which is taken up by the liver and kidney for distribution throughout the body to help in the creation of healthy cells. Vitamin D in the skin play an essential role in skin tone, plus it can also help to treat psoriasis.
One can increase their vitamin D levels in the body by eating vitamin D rich diets like salmon and tuna or fortified foods like breakfast cereals and yoghurt, or by getting a daily 10 minutes exposure to the sun. One can also boost their vitamin D levels in the skin through the use of human-made vitamin D products like Calcitriol.
Vitamin C
Our skins have high levels of vitamin C in both the outer layer (epidermis) and the inner layer (Dermis). Vitamin C has antioxidant properties that help fight cancer and also plays a huge role in collagen synthesis for healthy-looking skin. These two properties are the main reasons why you will find vitamin C as an ingredient in most of the antiaging products.
Oral vitamin intake C (through diet or supplements) helps fight the signs of ageing by enhancing the production of collagen in the body and can reduce the appearance of wrinkles. The vitamin also promotes faster healing of damaged skin and can repair and prevent dry skin.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is also an antioxidant like vitamin C. Applying the vitamin on the skin helps in protecting the skin from sun damage by absorbing the harmful UV light from the sun. The protection will eliminate skin problems like wrinkles and dark Spots. Vitamin C in our skin is produced through sebum (an oily substance produced through the skin pores to prevent dryness). According to Oregon State University, vitamin C intake is effective in fighting dry skin and skin inflammation.
Most skincare products have vitamin E as an ingredient, but it may not be as effective as dietary vitamin E. You can get vitamin E from Vitamin E supplements or nuts and seeds like almonds and sunflower seeds.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is a vital nutrient that helps in the process of blood clotting. Studies show that the vitamin promotes faster healing in wounds and bruises. The vitamin can also help heal skin conditions like stretch marks, scars, dark, sports and spider veins. You can increase your vitamin K levels through eating kale, spinach, lettuce, green beans and cabbage as well as vitamin K supplements.
