Vitamins for your healthy, bright and youthful skin

Every food we eat will be reflected in the current skin condition. One of the steps to prevent skin disease is to take vitamins. What are the vitamins for the skin, to keep it healthy and look young?

Types of vitamins needed every day for healthy skin

In fact, there are many types of vitamins that your skin needs to stay healthy and bright. Here are the types of vitamins for the skin that you must fulfill every day.

1. Vitamin E

The benefits of vitamin E are well known for maintaining healthy skin. The main thing is to protect the skin from sun damage. Vitamin E can also help treat rough and dry skin, maintain skin softness, and prevent dark spots and wrinkles on the skin.

According to the AKG from the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the average adult needs 15 mg of vitamin E per day. Usually the body produces vitamin E through sebum, which is the oil that is released through the pores of the skin. If the amount is balanced, sebum can help keep the skin from drying out.

You can get your intake by eating foods rich in vitamin E such as spinach, nuts, sunflower seeds, and olive oil. You can also find Vitamin E in various beauty care products.

You can also take a multivitamin or vitamin E supplements. If necessary, consult your doctor before starting taking them.

2. Vitamin A

Source: Dr Weil

Vitamin A is known to be useful for maintaining eye health. However, vitamin A is also good for maintaining healthy skin. There have been many studies that state that vitamin A has many benefits for skin health, such as:

• repair damaged skin tissue and maintain healthy tissue,
• reduce wrinkles and fine lines,
• overcome dull spots on the face,
• smooth skin, and
• helps control acne.

Adults need 600 micrograms of vitamin A each day. You can get your daily intake through a variety of foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and dark green leafy vegetables.

This vitamin is also found in some skin care products, such as face creams or eye creams. One of the vitamin A derivatives that are widely used in these products is retinoids.

Retinoids help to speed up the rate of cell turnover which in turn can make skin tone look cleaner and brighter. Retinoids are also effective acne medications and can slow down the signs of aging.

However, be careful when you want to use products that contain retinoids. The reason is, this substance is very sensitive to sunlight. Therefore, always use sunscreen when going out of the house after applying retinoids to facial skin.

3. Vitamin B complex

Vitamin B complex is found in a variety of foods such as oatmeal, rice, eggs, and bananas. Vitamin B complex contains biotin, which is the basis for the formation of nails, skin and hair cells.

Some of the B complex vitamins can also improve skin health. A 2018 study showed that B-complex vitamins can help the body produce new, healthier skin cells. Conversely, deficiency of vitamin B complex can cause dermatitis.

Vitamin B3 or niacinamide is widely used to help reduce the appearance of age spots and skin discoloration. Meanwhile, vitamin B-5 or pantothenic acid helps treat acne and aging skin.

There are different types of B vitamins and each vitamin is needed in a different amount, such as:

• Vitamin B1: 1-1.2 milligrams
• Vitamin B2: 1.3-1.6 milligrams
• Vitamin B3: 12-15 milligrams
• Vitamin B5: 5 milligrams
• Vitamin B6: 1.3-1.5 milligrams
• Vitamin B12: 2.4 micrograms

On the market, there are many supplements that contain all the needs of the B complex vitamins in just one grain. You can just take these supplements.

Keep in mind that the need for vitamin B complex also depends on the age and health condition of each person. So, to find out the needs of the B vitamins you need, you should consult a doctor.

4. Vitamin C

This type of vitamin for the skin is often referred to as an antioxidant. Yes, vitamin C can not only make you immune from infection, but it is also good for skin health. In the body this vitamin is found in the epidermis (outer layer of skin) and dermis (inner skin layer).

This vitamin also contains collagen, which is useful for increasing skin elasticity and moisture from within. That's why vitamin C is often one of the main ingredients in antiaging skin care products (anti aging).

As for some of the benefits of vitamin C for the skin are as follows.

• Prevent premature aging.
• Reduces wrinkles on the face.
• Prevent and treat dry skin.
• Helps disguise black spots on the skin.
• Protects skin from harmful rays of the sun.
• Reduces cell damage and helps the wound healing process.

In one day, vitamin C that should be consumed by adults is 90 milligrams for men and 75 milligrams for women. Apart from supplements, vitamin C can be found in various types of fruits and vegetables such as oranges, peppers, strawberries, cauliflower, and green vegetables.

5. Vitamin K

Vitamin K has an important role in the blood clotting process which is needed during the healing process of wounds or bruises. Therefore, vitamin K is often one of the solutions for several conditions related to scars.

Apart from that, vitamin K is also often used in acne medicinal compositions, skin creams, or to treat a variety of other problems including dark spots, brick under circles, and stretch marks.

Vitamin K needed by adults in one day is 65 micrograms for men and 55 micrograms for women. Enrich your vitamin K intake by eating various types of food, one of which is dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, and mustard greens.

6. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is not only good for strong bones and teeth, this vitamin also helps the skin to repair itself by stimulating the growth of new skin cells. Vitamin D also plays an important role in relieving inflammation of the skin.

Inflammation can cause skin irritation and problems such as acne and eczema. A study in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment proves that creams that contain vitamins D and E can relieve symptoms of atopic dermatitis.

Apart from supplements and lotions, there are many natural sources of vitamin D that can be consumed. One of the best known sources is sunlight. When the skin absorbs sunlight, the cholesterol in the body is converted into vitamin D.

Later, vitamin D will be taken up by the liver and kidneys and distributed throughout the body to help form healthy skin cells.

Milk, cereal, salmon, tuna, egg yolk, and beef liver are also good sources of vitamin D for the health of your skin.

Minerals for skin health

Apart from vitamins, there are also various minerals that are good for maintaining the health of your skin. Vitamins and minerals are often equated because they are often referred to together. However, both are different substances with their respective uses.

There is nothing wrong with consuming various minerals along with vitamins, because there are several minerals that are also good for the health of your skin.

Zinc

Zinc can keep cell walls stable as cells divide and grow. Therefore, zinc will help the skin to heal faster when an injury occurs. In addition, zinc can also protect the skin from UV damage. This is because zinc also acts as an antioxidant in the body.

When the body is deficient in this mineral, the skin will appear to have an itchy rash similar to eczema. In addition, people who are deficient in zinc will also experience diarrhea, hair loss, slower-growing nails, and skin lesions on areas that are subjected to repeated stress or friction.

For that, always meet the needs of zinc both from supplements and food. As for various foods that contain zinc, namely oysters, wheat, beef liver, sesame seeds, beef, shrimp, kidney beans, and peanuts.

Selenium

Selenium is a mineral that helps certain antioxidants to protect the skin from UV rays. Antioxidants help ward off free radicals in the body that can make skin older. In fact, selenium deficiency can increase the risk of skin cancer.

No need to be confused, you can eat various food sources that contain selenium such as:

• yellow fin tuna,
• oyster,
• sunflower seed,
• shitake mushrooms,
• chicken,
• eggs, and
• sardine.

But even though it is needed for health, consuming too much of it can also harm the body. The limit for daily selenium consumption is around 55 micrograms.

Usually a person can experience selenium poisoning when taking supplements with doses that are too high. Various symptoms of selenium poisoning include:

• hair loss,
• dizzy,
• nausea,
• gag,
• tremors, and
• muscle ache.

In severe cases, acute poisoning can cause intestinal problems, nerves, heart attacks, kidney failure, and death. To avoid this, always consult your doctor first about dosage and drinking instructions.

Do not take too many vitamins for the skin

Many people choose to take vitamins from supplements because they are more practical. However, consuming too many vitamins will also cause various side effects for your body.

If you consume too much vitamin C, for example, a person can experience diarrhea, nausea, or even develop kidney stone formation in the most severe cases.

To check the levels of vitamins in the body, the doctor will usually perform blood tests. This test is able to determine whether you have a certain vitamin deficiency or not. In addition, the doctor will also provide recommendations about what supplements are suitable and safe for consumption.

Follow the recommendations of medical personnel, especially dermatologists, regarding the dosage and the rules for taking the vitamins given to treat your skin problems.

Do not carelessly take vitamins, especially with deliberately exaggerated doses in order to get maximum benefits. Instead of getting the benefits, you can actually go into an overdose that will harm the body.

Eat the vitamins and minerals your body needs as recommended. The reason is, different ages and sexes also differ in their daily needs for vitamins and minerals.