Do you know the top 4 vitamins to promote skin health and give anti-aging benefits?
If you guessed Vitamin D, C, E and K, then you are correct!
We all want to wake up with beautiful, healthy skin with minimal maintenance in the morning.
So key tips to creating this reality is knowing that anti-aging starts with self-care:
Getting enough sleep
Avoiding too much sun
Reduce exposure to pollution
Don't Smoke
Reduce stress
Good nutrition
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for good health and your skin! Did you know the cholesterol in our skins cells makes vitamin D from sunlight? The vitamin D is later transformed again in the liver and kidneys, but cholesterol is needed for the first step. This plays an important role in skin tone and texture. Getting plenty of Vitamin D could also help prevent psoriasis. You can get Vitamin D from foods and supplements. However, most of the Vitamin D you get comes from sunlight. A minimum of 10-15 minutes of daily sun exposure is enough to produce your needed vitamin D daily intake. It works synergistically with C, E and K to reduce brown spot, redness, wrinkles, rough skin and excessive dryness.
Dosage: Recommended 600 IU’s daily is needed.
Food Source: fortified cereal, yogurt, orange juice. Dairy alternative yogurt alternatives with D in it, Omega 3- salmon tuna and cod.
Vitamin C
High levels of Vitamin C are found in the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin) as well as the dermis (the deeper layer of the skin). It is an antioxidant and a cancer fighting. Vitamin C helps the skin with elasticity and resilience. Vitamin C can be found in many of the foods we eat, taken as supplements and directly applied to the skin through creams and lotions.
TIP: Did you know that taking vitamin C orally will enhance the absorption of SPF in sunscreen to protect against harmful rays?
Vitamin C decreases cell damage and increases healing of damaged cells. It helps repair and prevent dry skin thus reducing the appearance of wrinkles. It is very important to apply Vitamin C after sun exposure to help collagen production and repair any damaged cells.
Dosage: Recommended 1000mg per day
Food Source: citrus fruits, broccoli, strawberries and spinach- organic is always best!
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a powerhouse antioxidant used to protect against sun damage. Remember not ALL sun is bad. You can safely get 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure to boost your vitamin D levels. More than that can lead to skin damage and photodamage of the skin. Vitamin E absorbs harmful UV rays from the sun, minimizes damage caused by the skin, preventing photoaging, and dark spot. Our bodies produce Sebum which transports Vitamin E from our blood to our skins surface through secretion from the hair shaft.This helps prevents skin dryness. It's important not to strip your skin of oil for this reason. Topical serums that combine Vitamin C and E appear to work synergistically together.
Dosage: Recommend 15 mg daily
Food Source: Nuts and seeds (sunflowers are a great source)
Vitamin K
In this article I am referring to Vitamin K 1 (Do NOT confuse this with K2, which has protective benefits for bone loss). Vitamin K1 is essential in aiding in blood clotting, stretch marks, spider veins, scars, dark spots, dark circles under the eyes. Use a cream with K1 to reduce swelling and bruising. Vitamin K deficiencies are common in United States.
Dosage: Recommended: 90-120mg daily
Food Source: Kale spinach lettuce cabbage, green beans.
If you are taking blood thinners speak to your physician first about consuming certain foods along with your medication.
Vitamins are important for the health of our bodily function and are extremely crucial to providing natural aesthetic anti-aging benefits. They are vital for the treatment of skin conditions such as psoriasis, rosacea, acne, inflammation, blood clotting disorders, bone loss, collagen formation, and elastin production. Make sure you are getting your vitamins daily whether it be naturally through supplements or the food you eat.
I would love to assist you on your skin health needs. Give me a call 980-207-0575 to schedule a private consultation to discuss your personal skin care!
Tammy Ryan MSN, FNP-C
Nurse Practitioner
Sharon Office Park
421 South Sharon Amity, Suite B
Charlotte, NC 28211
980-207-0575
