The Main Vitamins and Minerals for Healthy Skin

Vitamins and antioxidants are beneficial for our body that needs complete nutrition to promote healthy skin.
Find out which is best for you according to your skin type!

Vitamin A

When your vitamin A level drops, your hair becomes brittle, your skin dries out easier and starts to peel - vitamin A deficiency can also cause acne. Vitamin A acts as an antioxidant to neutralize harmful elements in our skin, helping to prevent wrinkles, acne as it help reduce sebum production, also repairs sun damage and keep our skin youthful. Liver, milk, egg-yolk, carrots, dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, watercress, broccoli and yellow fruits are high in vitamin A. Retin A based creams - a twisted form of the vitamin A molecule - are highly recommended by dermatologists to treat acne, dark circles and to reduce expression wrinkles, liver spots and sun damage.

Please note that it's potentially dangerous to take a Vitamin A in the form of a supplement without the supervision of your doctor, as it is stored in the liver and an excess can cause severe liver damage. Also that Vitamin A supplements taken while a woman is pregnant may lead to birth defects.

Recommended products
Philosophy Help Me Nighttime Skin Care Treatment ($45.00)
Satura Moisture Cream with Vitamin A by Dorothy Gray ($19.95)

Vitamin B Complex

Another nutrient that seems to be perfect 'skin food' is biotin, a member of the vitamin B complex (also known as vitamin H).
You may have seen "Hair, Skin, Nail" supplements on store shelves - they contain high levels of biotin. A deficiency of this vitamin causes, dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), loss of hair and brittle nails.
Biotin-rich foods include cheese, milk, nuts, soybeans, cauliflower, corn, green peas, lentils, mushroom, meat, fish, eggs, peanut butter, poultry, wholegrain foods (especially oats) and liver.
The body also manufactures its own biotin, through bacteria in the intestines.

Recommended products
Phyto Phytophanere Dietary Supplement Hair and Nails ($50.00)
Topical B Complex Face and Body Moisture Cream ($29.95)

Vitamin C

Vitamin C - another 'super vitamin' - should be in the form of L-ascorbic acid to be useful and effective to the skin. Studies reveal that vitamin C can stay in the skin for up to seventy-two hours, if it is applied on the skin once. Vitamin C based cosmetics that contain L-ascorbic acid - the most stable form of this vitamin that penetrates skin layers, increases collagen synthesis, provides UV protection and neutralizes free radicals. This natural skin care ingredient can also help in healing of minor cuts and wounds.