People skin is the largest organ in the body. It protects people from disease and infection, regulates temperature and also aids in vitamin production. Keeping your skin healthy is important for beauty and general health, even though most of us are interested in knowing how to keep skin healthy rather than what it actually is.
The best way to keep skin looking healthy – young, fair, radiant, supple, soft and wrinkle free – is to keep out of the sun.
You ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun bring a healthy looking tan, but also do a lot of damage to the skin in terms of pigmentation, sunburn and loss of elasticity. You can have these premature aging in the form of wrinkles, fine lines, loose skin, darkening of the skin, uneven skin tone, lack of translucency, enlarged pores and dryness. Even the best genetics, topical skin lightening treatments and oral skin supplements will be of little use if someone mercilessly and regularly tans you.
It helps to protect you from the sun, but if you can't avoid it, you have to make sure you use sunscreen. This is especially important if the sun exposure occurs for an extended period of time.
Assuming that one is already savvy about sun exposure, how can you further improve the condition of your skin? You know that some oral supplements are effective for good skin health, but which are these supplements and how effective are they?
Supplement From Within
The first group would be vitamins and minerals, essential for proper functioning of every organ.
Vitamins and minerals that affect your skin include the B-complex, especially B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin) and B12 (cyanocobalamin). Your apparent deficiency of vitamins B1 and B2 is known to cause certain types of dermatitis (a type of skin inflammation). Your B12 deficiency is especially damaging to rapidly dividing cells, including neurons and skin cells.
Apart from B vitamins, deficiency of vitamin C, iron and copper also affects your skin. All three are important for the synthesis of collagen, a key structural protein in the skin, which plumps and tones the skin.
Vitamin A is important for the normal life cycle of your skin cells. Due to your vitamin A deficiency, your skin becomes dry, fragile and wrinkled. On the other hand, excessive vitamin A consumption can lead to severe toxicity and should be avoided.
Vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene are known to be anti-oxidants in the body that reduce free radicals. However, while free radicals and the role of anti-oxidants are beyond doubt, clinical results have not conclusively proved if supplementary vitamins and other micronutrients improve the skin quality and defy the aging process.
People: Excessive dosage can be just as harmful as deficiencies, so it is best to follow the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).
Topical Help
Oral supplements should go hand-in-hand with topical applications – sunscreen of at least SPF 30, creams (preferably with skin whitening agents) and moisturizer (preferably with skin lightening agents). Compared to topical applications of it, the effects of oral supplements are slower and more subtle. Consumers have to be realistic about their expectations as surely the result will not be seen in 7 days or 2 weeks.
We recommend a holistic approach to your skin health, which includes:
* A healthy balanced diet comprising all food groups as well as vitamins, minerals and micronutrients.
* Always have a happy positive mood. It is well documented that some skin conditions – such as acne and eczema – are more prevalent among the stressed.
* If You Smoke Daily, Please Quit Smoking. Smoke causes free radicals, damages your skin's microcirculation and causes staining and other discoloration of teeth.
* People minimize sun exposure and use a good sunscreen daily.
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