FOR a healthy, glowing complexion, what goes in your body matters just as much as the products you slather on your skin.
What you eat will have a big impact on how your skin looks like.
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But you can also give it an extra boost by taking vitamins and supplements, dermatologists reveal.
Dr Azadeh Shirazi, a California-based dermatologist, shared five cheap supplements she takes to make her skin glow and stave off the effects of ageing.
1. Vitamin D
Dermatologists often emphasise the benefits of staying out of the sun, as its rays can cause sun damage, expedite the appearance of wrinkles and even put you at risk of skin cancer.
Dr Shirazi is no different, making a point of avoiding sun exposure to protect her skin.
After discovering that her vitamin D levels where low three years ago – our bodies create it using direct sunlight on the skin – the dermatologist told Insider she started taking a supplement to make up for it.
The multivitamin she takes daily contains vitamins D and E, but she also takes supplements of each, she said.
Vitamin D tablets mean you don’t need to spend too long in the sun to make the essential nutrient.
But Dr Shirazi claimed the supplement can also slightly lower the risk lower the risk of melanoma in women with a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer, citing a 2011 study.
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She that people also benefit from taking vitamin D as they get older.
“As we age, our skin becomes less efficient at making vitamin D from the sun and our kidneys’ ability to convert vitamin D to its active form is less effective,” Dr Shirazi told Insider.
In fact, the NHS advises that everyone should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the autumn and winter, as the sun isn’t strong enough for the body to make it.
You can nab a bottle of 120 tablets at Holland and Barrett for £2.99, or for £4 at Boots.
2. Vitamin E
Dr Shirazi said she takes vitamin E as well to boost her bone strength and prevent bone loss.
She said the supplement was especially important to women in their 40s and 50s who are at greater risk of loss in bone density as their levels of oestrogen decline.
According to the NHS, vitamin E can also help maintain healthy skin and eyes.
It said you should be able to get enough vitamin E from your diet, by eating plant oils, nuts and seeds and cereals.
It cautioned against taking too much of the vitamin in supplement form.
You can find it at Holland and Barrett for £3.99.
3. Nicotinamide
Dr Shirazi takes500mg of nicotinamide twice daily.
This is a form of vitamin B3, which she said is currently popular in the skincare world.
“It helps improve skin barrier function by increasing ceramides, which is the glue that holds our skin cells together strengthening our skin barrier,” Dr Shirazi said.
As a result, it can help reduce redness and irritation caused by conditions such as acne and rosacea, she claimed.
But the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health emphasises that too large doses of the supplement could cause unpleasant side effects.
It said it’s usually possible to get enough of the nutrient from foods such as:
- Red meat: beef, beef liver, pork
- Poultry
- Fish
- Brown rice
- Fortified cereals and breads
- Nuts, seeds
- Legumes
- Bananas
4. Resveratrol
Dr Shirazi takes resveratrol, a plant compound she said is present in foods like grapes and peanuts.
Like nicotinamide, it has antioxidant properties and “also helps brighten the skin’s complexion and boosts elasticity”, according to the dermatologist.
But WebMD notes that while experts agree that while resveratrol might have anti-ageing benefits, there’s still not enough data to confirm how well it works.
It added that the supplements are also not recommended for children or for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
5. A multivitamin
Finally, Dr Shirazi shared that she takes a multivitamin daily.
Hers includes zinc, which she said can improve skin conditions like rosacea, acne and eczema due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
It also has vitamin A, which Dr Shirazi said can help reduce skin texture and smooth over fine lines while helping your cells turn over and regulate oil production.
According to a 2018 study, taking a multivitamin could improve skin appearance in people who have deficiencies or insufficiencies in certain nutrients that impact skin health, such as vitamin C, vitamin A, certain B vitamins, and zinc.
All this being said, supplements can’t – and shouldn’t – take the place of a nutritious diet.
The best thing you can do is drink lots of water, add plenty of fruit and veg into your diet, eat healthy fats and limit consumption of sugary and ultra-processed foods.
Nutritionists have shared with The Sun which foods can help boost your skin health.