What are the best vitamins and minerals for treating acne?
A healthy diet and a good skincare routine are the key to keeping your complexion fresh and beautiful, but sometimes we could use a little extra help.
How to treat acne without taking medication?
Even if you’re careful about what you eat, environmental toxins and allergens, poor air quality, too much sunshine, and chemically treated water can do a number on even the prettiest of complexions.
If you make sure you’re getting enough fruits and veggies, then your skin is probably already nicely nourished, but it would also need some hydration from the outside.
Also, treating some skin care issues like acne doesn’t usually come as easy as making sure that your skin stays well nourished. Most of the time, it implies taking some special measures.
What is acne and how can you treat it naturally?
As such it’s not uncommon to find people using supplements to support their already healthy diets.
Acne is a skin condition that is characterized by inflammation caused by clogging of the pores. This rather common skin condition can exhibit itself as whiteheads, blackheads or simply clogged follicles. It mainly affects the face, back, neck and shoulders.
It isn’t the result of a certain cause, many factors can come into play, such as hormonal fluctuations, types of medications or skin conditions that cause glands to produce excess of oil. These oil product combines with dirt and bacteria to clog pores and cause the skin to swell.
Fortunately there are some supplements that can help treat acne and relieve its symptoms.
Vitamins and supplements that help in treating acne and maintaining healthy skin
- Zinc
This fundamental mineral plays a strong role in cell division and regrowth. In other words, it accelerates the development of skin cells necessary for clear skin.
When bacteria gets into a blocked pore it can create irritation that causes your pimples to turn red.
When already suffering from an acne condition, you are prone to have an even worse reaction that if you were to have been blessed with a normal skin type.
Therefore it is important for acne sufferers to include zinc in the diet because it works to reduce the inflammatory response to bacteria.
2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3 fatty acids are one of the heavily touted dietary supplements and nutrients out there.
Not to be surprised, but they also act as one of the best acne fighters out there due to their fantastic anti-inflammatory effects.
Most types of acne and skin conditions are caused by inflammation, both externally and internally. Omega-3s inhibit two chemicals that are responsible for breakouts, and most medications designed to control acne mimic its effects.
A Japanese study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24553997 ) showed that people who supplement their diet with Omega-3s see a significant improvement in their skin.
It was also proven that people who eat a Mediterranean diet, high in antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids, have way lower rates of acne.
Adding oily fish like sardines, salmon, mackerel and anchovies to your diet is a great way to up your intake, but if you prefer to get it from a veggie source, try flax, chia seeds, or walnut oil.
To get optimal results, you could also invest in a quality a supplement with a minimum of 1000 mg of EPA Omega-3s a day.
3. Vitamin E
Vitamin E offers the body with antioxidants and plays a vital role in supporting the immune system. By using vitamin E supplements, your body is able to fight the free radical invasion and bacterial organisms that are responsible for acne. Vitamin E also prevents oxidation which produces the oil that clogs pores.
4. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a vital nutrient for the body.
It plays a huge role in bone formation, cell production and promotes good vision. This vitamin also helps the skin combat bacteria that may cause acne.
You can choose foods that are high in vitamin A, but you can also use it in free for or as a basic ingredients for skin creams and serums.
5. Probiotics
Those who have ever been to a dermatologist for acne treatment might think that this is kind of an odd recommendation given that dermatologists usually prescribe an antibiotic to fight acne.
However, in the last few years dermatologists realized that their patients were not only seeing unsatisfying effects but were also suffering from some antibiotic side effects.
After a while though, they’ve discovered that probiotics actually have unexpected benefits for acne sufferers all on their own.
Probiotics create a healthy or “good” bacteria that helps to digest your food and better absorb the nutrients in it.
An unhealthy gut bacteria can wreak havoc inside your whole body, causing inflammation and ultimately leading to some other disturbing conditions. By taking a probiotic and creating good bacteria you can balance your gut and utilize the nutrients from your food, in return reducing irritation of your skin.
