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What Supplement Can I Take to Make My Skin Look Better?

Having great skin doesn't just happen, and sometimes no matter how much time and attention you pay to your skin with cleansers, moisturizers and other topical products, you won't get the best possible skin you could have. That's because great skin, like the functioning of all the other organs in your body, depends on nutrition. Luckily, many skin-care supplements are available that can help your skin glow from within.

  1. What to Look For

    • Recently, skin-care product manufacturers have started to address the role of diet and nutrition in the skin by offering their own lines of nutritional supplements. These supplements usually contain a combination of vitamins and minerals that you would find in a multivitamin. Olay Total Effects, a vitamin and mineral supplement marketed for healthy skin, for example, contains 100 percent or more of your daily value of vitamins A, C, D, E and B-complex, folic acid, zinc, copper, manganese and chromium, all of which are found in a typical multivitamin. These are all great for your skin and your whole body. In addition, skin supplements usually also contain ingredients such as CoQ10, omega-3 oils and antioxidants, which have been shown in clinical tests to improve skin, or at least your overall health.

    What to Avoid

    • When purchasing a skin-care supplement, it's important to look at the ingredient list for things you've already heard of, avoiding anything claiming to have a "proprietary blend" of ingredients. "Propriety blend" is just fancy marketing language that producers use to say that their ingredients are specific only to their company, and when it comes to skin care, your better bet is sticking to common nutrients that research has shown to be beneficial for skin. Also, check labels to avoid overdosing on any vitamins or minerals, as some products may contain ingredients well over the daily recommended value, which in certain cases can be dangerous.

      When buying a supplement for your skin, you should also consider the following question: Can I get all these nutrients from a regular multivitamin and a healthy diet? In many cases, the answer is yes, and you may save yourself a lot of money by using a plain old multivitamin. As with all supplements, you should talk to your doctor about what you're taking. Bring the bottle in on your next visit to your primary-care physician and ask her opinion.

    Getting Help From a Pro

    • One great solution to figuring out a total skin-care regimen is to ask an expert. When most people think skin care, they think of dermatologists, and dermatologists are the people to call with serious skin diseases when you want a prescription medication. An aesthetician, on the other hand, can work with you to teach you how to care for your skin on a daily basis, based on your individual skin. She can assess the problems you have with your skin and determine the best supplements (and facial washes, and skin-care routines, and so on...) for you. Determining what product you want to take depends a lot on your skin and what problems it's experiencing. For instance, a supplement for dry skin may contain flaxseed oil, but if you have extra-oily skin, you may want to consider something with B-12 instead. An aesthetician will identify these problems and give you advice. When looking for a reputable aesthetician, ask about credentials and licensing, and when you sit down for a consultation, be sure to mention you'd like to take a supplement to help your skin look its best from the inside out.

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