The Best Supplements for Healthy Skin
When we think of caring for our skin and maintaining a smooth, youthful complexion as we age, many of us gravitate toward topical skincare treatments like serums, moisturizers, and lotions. These products certainly have a place in any good skincare routine, but the topicals we apply to our skin are just one of many factors affecting our skin’s health, structure, and appearance. Even more important for optimal skin health is our diet and the nutrients we feed our skin each day.
Nutrition and healthy skin: what to know
Like any other organ in the body, the skin — our largest organ — requires sufficient amounts of nutrients such as water, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals in order to maintain its structure, fight oxidative stress, prevent photoaging, and function at its best. Nutrients that have significant impacts on skin health and function include:
- Amino acids like proline, glutamate, and arginine.
- Proteins like keratin, elastin, and collagen — the body’s most abundant protein.
- Antioxidants like lutein, CoQ10, and glutathione — the ”master” antioxidant.
- Vitamins A, C, D, and E.
- Minerals like zinc, copper, and selenium.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
- Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs).
While some skin-nourishing nutrients can be produced naturally in the body — others, like collagen — require sufficient amounts of vitamin C, zinc, glycine, and proline in order to maintain the collagen levels needed for healthy skin. If we’re not consuming the nutrients we need to synthesize collagen in the body, our skin health may suffer — especially as we age.
This is because the body’s natural production of collagen declines with age, meaning we need to work even harder to produce the collagen we need for healthy skin. This can be done by eating foods that help stimulate the natural production of collagen, taking collagen peptide supplements, and supplementing with other nutrients like vitamin C.
Vitamin C: the best vitamin for skin health
Vitamin C is one of the most beneficial vitamins for skin health, helping to synthesize collagen in the body, combat free radical damage, improve skin hydration, and prevent signs of aging. Vitamin C — along with glutathione — is also needed to regenerate oxidized vitamin E in the skin: another antioxidant-rich vitamin that helps produce collagen, fight free radicals, and support skin health.
However, if oxidized vitamin E is not regenerated, it may increase free radical damage and accelerate skin aging. This is where supplementation comes in, particularly vitamin C supplementation and liposomal glutathione. We offer injectable glutathione and vitamin C IV infusions as part of our professional IV therapy treatments at Baltic Beauty Centre.
Let us create a personalized treatment plan for you!
Other supplements for healthy skin
While vitamin C, glutathione, and collagen peptides are some of the best supplements for skin health, let’s not forget about other skin-boosting nutrients like zinc; copper; selenium; and vitamins A, D, and E. These vitamins and minerals play an important role in keeping our skin healthy, youthful, and radiant. They also support our health in many other ways as well!
If the idea of taking multiple supplements each day isn’t appealing to you, there are alternatives to consider. For example, our IV therapy and vitamin injection treatments at Baltic Beauty Centre are a simple, fast, and effective alternative to oral supplementation.
You can also find many vitamins, minerals, and other skin-supportive nutrients like biotin and folate in hair, skin, and nail supplement blends. These vitamins and minerals can also be found naturally in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, eggs, and fish.
We recommend incorporating a variety of fatty acids into your diet as well, including plant sources like nuts, seeds, and olive oil, and animal sources such as fatty fish. Fatty acids such as polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids also promote healthy skin, reduce skin inflammation, and protect the skin against aging.
Healthy skin starts from within
A diet that lacks skin-supportive vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids can cause the skin barrier to become damaged, resulting in abnormalities like dryness, inflammation, UV damage, and premature aging. However, the good news is that increasing your intake of nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes and supplementing your diet with certain vitamins and minerals can help prevent cellular damage, reduce signs of aging, protect the skin from external triggers like UV radiation and air pollution, and improve the overall health of your skin.
A huge part of achieving healthy skin comes from within, as the nutrients we absorb from food, water, and supplements all play essential roles in maintaining the skin’s vibrance, texture, elasticity, and overall appearance. This is just one of the reasons a well-rounded skincare plan is so vital: one that includes aesthetic services; nutrient-rich topicals (e.g. vitamin C serum); quality sleep and regular physical activity; and plenty of vitamins and minerals from food, water, and supplements.
Ready to achieve healthy skin from within? Contact Baltic Beauty Centre to learn about our IV therapies, skin treatments, and wellness services. We offer aesthetic services, massage therapy, IV injections, and more!
