The Best Vitamins And Minerals For Acne
Dr. Cara Downey is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Houston with over 12 years of experience, who is passionate about serving her community. She had pursued her craft at several medical centers across Texas, including Sugar Land and North Houston.
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Pratima Ati is a postgraduate in International Business from Staffordshire University. After working in Marketing and Business Development for a few years, she jumped ship to pursue two things she loved – fashion and writing.
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Did you know that about 85% of individuals between the ages of 12 to 24 experience acne at some point in their life? Typically, it starts early and can continue until you are in your late 40s. Can you do something about it? Yes.
Lifestyle, hormonal imbalances, and nutritional deficiencies are significant contributors to acne. We all like to think that we are leading a healthy lifestyle and that it is the magic potion to spotless skin. Alas, the alarmingly high numbers indicate the contrary. The highly processed foods we eat these days lack nutrients, further contributing to our acne problem. The world is turning towards vitamin supplements to get some of the nutrients they are missing out on, and you need to hop on this train as well.
How can you tackle acne with vitamins supplements? Which vitamins explicitly fight acne? Before we get into the heavier questions, let’s answer the biggest one of them all – can vitamins really treat acne? Read on to find out.
In This Article
Are Vitamin Supplements For Acne Worth It?
Vitamin supplements are a great way to get to the root of a lot of underlying problems that occur inside your body and skin that you have no control over. The food you eat is a direct source of vitamins, but it needs to be broken down before your body can use it to battle different skin issues. When you take a supplement, the specific vitamin is directly drawn into your bloodstream and is ready to be used in its potent form. Hence, vitamin supplements are worth a shot.
Fascinating, isn’t it? Let’s take a look at the vitamins that are great for treating acne.
What Are The Best Vitamins And Minerals For Treating Acne?
1. Vitamin A
What Is It?
Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A. It is a highly effective antioxidant and is found in most topical acne treatment serums. It benefits the overall health of your skin by protecting you from the harmful UV sun rays.
How Does It Help Treat Acne?
A study conducted in Turkey showed that patients with acute acne had considerably lower levels of vitamin A (1). Isotretinoin (a derivative of vitamin A) is known to decrease oil production, which is a significant trigger for acne. Consult your doctor about the dosage because an overdose of vitamin A can cause nausea and hair loss.
2. Vitamin C
What Is It?
Ask any skin expert and they will suggest adding a vitamin C-based serum to your skincare routine. Vitamin C can work wonders by treating skin problems at the root. It is a potent antioxidant that is highly soluble in water, and it repairs damaged skin tissues (2).
How Does It Help Treat Acne?
Vitamin C is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and is used extensively to treat skin concerns like acne and rosacea and reduce hyperpigmentation caused by inflammatory issues (2).
3. Vitamin E
What Is It?
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that has been a big part of dermatology for the longest time. It prevents fat from oxidizing in the body, which indirectly helps reduce and battle acne.
How Does It Help Treat Acne?
Acne is caused by excess sebum production. The oxidation of sebum enables bacteria to spread and cause acne. Vitamin E helps control sebum production. It is also well-known for protecting your skin from sun damage. Even though there is no direct link between vitamin E and reduction in acne, reducing the effects of free radicals controls acne indirectly.
4. Selenium
What Is It?
Selenium is a mineral that is found in foods that come directly from the soil. It started gaining popularity in the cosmetic industry because of its anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties (3). It protects your skin from photodamage and improves its overall quality.
How Does It Help Treat Acne?
Selenium fights skin infections, reduces inflammation, protects your skin cells from damage, strengthens skin structure, and decreases the effects of UV rays and stress. All of these make your skin susceptible to clogged pores, dead skin accumulation, and redness that eventually triggers acne. While selenium-rich foods can help you meet your daily recommended levels, oral supplements in combination with vitamin E can be more effective in dealing with acne.
5. Zinc
What Is It?
Zinc is a mineral that is naturally found in fruits, vegetables, and meat. It is vital to our growth, development, and skin health.
How Does It Help Treat Acne?
Zinc is known to transport vitamin A and promote the metabolism of omega-3 fatty acids (4). It breaks down the chemicals that your nervous system produces when your body is stressed, which often cause inflammatory acne. Studies showed that people with acne had lower levels of zinc (4).
6. Vitamin K2 MK-4
What Is It?
Vitamin K2 MK-4 is more than just vitamin K. It is also known as menaquinone. It promotes cell growth, improves bone health, and helps with blood clotting.
How Does It Help Treat Acne?
It improves blood circulation, boosts cell growth, and reduces inflammation that causes acne, hyperpigmentation, and excess oil secretion.
7. Choline
What Is It?
Choline (vitamin B4) is a nutrient that can be produced in your liver and is also available in eggs, wheat germ, milk, lean meat, spinach, and nuts. It plays a big role in the proper functioning of your nervous system, metabolic activity, and skin’s cellular structure.
How Does It Help Treat Acne?
Choline helps maintain your vitamin B levels that is essential for collagen production. Lack of collagen leads to skin sagging and elasticity issues. Choline keeps everything under control, works on smoothening out your skin, and fights acne.
8. Calcium/Magnesium Blend
What Is It?
Magnesium is a mineral that your body readily absorbs and works on many levels. Whether ingested through foods and supplements or used as a topical application using Epsom salt, magnesium should be a big part of your routine. Combining it with calcium that is responsible for cell renewal and production of antioxidants will increase your body’s capability to absorb what it exactly needs.
How Does It Help Treat Acne?
Magnesium’s primary function is to keep hormone production under control. It works on your nervous system to relieve stress. Stress stimulates excess oil production and causes acne. Magnesium also reduces inflammation and prevents all the skin issues it causes (5).
9. Niacinamide
What Is It?
Niacinamide is a part of the vitamin B family and is highly soluble in water. It is good for your skin and contributes to the healthy functioning of your gut and nervous system. As you age, your body’s ability to produce, retain, or break down ingredients that protect your skin from damage, aging, and sun exposure goes down. Reduced levels of niacinamide have a role to play in this. Thus, adding niacin to your diet in one form or another is absolutely necessary.
Niacinamide improves your cellular energy, cell turnover, and microcirculation, heals and protects your skin from environmental damage, and improves your skin’s barrier function. It also has antibacterial properties that prevent infections caused by excess sebum production. This, in turn, helps clear clogged pores, reduces unwanted hair growth, and prevents acne.
While it is imperative that you eat healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle, taking vitamin supplements has also become just as important in today’s day and age. It helps tackle different deficiencies, which eventually improves your skin health. Have you been planning to take the plunge with vitamin supplements yet? Or are they already a part of your diet? Let us know by commenting below.
References
Articles on thebridalbox are backed by verified information from peer-reviewed and academic research papers, reputed organizations, research institutions, and medical associations to ensure accuracy and relevance. Read our editorial policy to learn more.
- “Evaluation Of Serum Vitamins…”, U.S National Library Of Medicine.
- “Vitamin C In Dermatology…”, Indian Dermatology Online Journal, U.S National Library Of Medicine.
- “Selenium, ultraviolet radiation…” U.S National Library Of Medicine.
- “Zinc Therapy In Dermatology..”, Dermatology Research And Practise, U.S National Library Of Medicine.
- “Effects of oral magnesium supplementation…”, Journal Of Research In Medical Studies, U.S National Library Of Medicine.
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