Much of our skin’s appearance is determined by genetics. And while a vitamin deficiency might make your skin appear less healthy, taking a supplement won’t necessarily help unless you are deficient in a vitamin involved in skin health.
Your whole body needs vitamins to function, not just your skin. Someone who is vitamin deficient can have all sorts of health problems. Sometimes, a deficiency can be very noticeable because it affects the appearance of the skin.
The benefits of topical vitamin-based skincare are somewhat unclear. There’s some evidence that certain vitamin serums may help reduce signs of aging due to sun exposure, pollution, and smoking. However, like with supplements, there’s no guarantee that you’ll see results if you use them. What works for you may not work for someone else.
This article will go over five vitamins for skin health. You’ll also learn what research says about taking vitamins for your skin.
What Are Vitamins for Skin Care?
Not all vitamins affect skin health. However, some, like vitamin E and vitamin C, play an essential part in the skin’s ability to repair itself.
Most of the research on vitamins for skin is inconclusive or limited. The reality is that the most important way to support skin health is to eat a healthy diet rich in vitamins. A healthy body, in turn, helps support healthy skin. Your skin can often be a window to your insides. Yellowed, jaundiced skin, for instance, can be a sign of liver damage.
Popping supplements and applying vitamin-infused creams and lotions to the skin can help, especially when a person is deficient. Some topical vitamin-containing serums can also help reduce scarring and sunspots. But a healthy diet is the best way to get the vitamins your body needs to prevent and repair skin damage.
Essential Vitamins for Skin Health
Here’s a breakdown of how different vitamins support skin health. For the most part, more research is required to understand the direct correlation between ingesting or topically applying these vitamins and the health of your skin.
Remember, you can get all these vitamins via a healthy diet. They’re readily available in many whole food sources.
Vitamin A
A form of vitamin A called retinol is one of the most popular skincare ingredients on the market. There’s significant clinical evidence that shows it can help limit the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also can increase the rate at which skin repairs and heals itself.
Unfortunately, topical formulations do tend to cause skin irritation. If you have sensitive skin, do a skin patch test and start with a product that isn’t very concentrated.
Vitamin C
Another key skin vitamin is vitamin C. It’s a well-known antioxidant that plays a role in building collagen. Research on how vitamin C affects the skin is still quite limited, but there’s some evidence that it can limit UV sun damage.
You should not use a vitamin C product as a substitute for sunscreen because it doesn’t absorb UVA or UVB rays. People with a vitamin C deficiency (scurvy) may experience slow wound healing and dry skin.
Vitamin D
Your skin also needs vitamin D. You absorb vitamin D via sun exposure. Because of concerns about how UV rays impact the skin, you probably keep your skin covered or wear sunscreen when you’re outside, which can increase your risk of a vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency can cause problems with calcium absorption and, in turn, affect your bone health. Some studies suggest that topical forms of vitamin D can help people with certain forms of psoriasis.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is vital for healthy skin. It’s an antioxidant that’s commonly included as an ingredient in many skincare products.
Vitamin E may have some protective effects regarding UV rays, but like vitamin C, it isn’t a substitute for sunscreen. However, it may help heal sunburned skin, which is why you’ll see it included as an ingredient in many sunburn relief creams and gels.
Vitamin K
Your body mainly needs vitamin K for blood clotting and bone health, but it’s also an important skin vitamin. Since it helps with clotting, vitamin K is also essential in wound healing. There’s not much research on vitamin K and skin health, but what we do know suggests that it may reduce the appearance of bruises.
How to Use Vitamins for Skin Health
There are various ways to get the vitamins you need for healthy skin.
Diet
The most effective way to get vitamins and minerals that support skin health is by eating a diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. It’s also a safe way to ingest vitamins and should be your first line of defense when attempting to improve your skin’s appearance.
Supplements
Taking vitamin supplements is a convenient way to get skin-health-supporting vitamins you may not be getting in your diet. However, with supplements, there’s often a risk of taking too much. Taking too much vitamin A, for instance, can be harmful. You’re better off attempting to improve your diet before relying on supplements.
If you want to try supplements, talk to your healthcare provider. Although they’re “natural," supplements can interact with medications, and it’s easy to overdose if you’re not technically deficient.
Topical
Some vitamins can be absorbed by the skin, which is why you’ll find many skincare products that contain vitamins as added ingredients. That said, just because a lotion or cream says it contains vitamins doesn’t mean you’ll experience magically radiant skin post-application.
Not all lotions and serums with vitamins for skin are created equal. Some have higher concentrations of vitamins. You should also know that some topical vitamins can cause skin irritation, especially those with a high concentration of active ingredients. Apply cautiously and talk to a dermatologist if you’re unsure a product is right for your skin.
Benefits
Here are some of the frequent claims you might see about vitamins for skin health.
Anti-aging: Many claims about vitamins and skin are not backed by extensive research. Studies show that retinol (the synthetic form of vitamin A found in many skin care products) is effective against signs of aging, such as wrinkles. However, the research on vitamin C for skin aging is inconclusive. Improves skin elasticity: Research suggests that topical vitamin C may help improve the skin’s elasticity. Reverses skin damage: There’s conflicting evidence as to whether vitamin E can help with scarring. A 2015 review of studies demonstrated that in some cases, topical vitamin E application helped reduce the appearance of scars, and other times it actually made them worse. Reduces inflammation. Some skin products can irritate rather than soothe the skin. One study from 2009 suggests that vitamin E and D may help with skin irritation due to contact dermatitis.
Risks
If you want to use vitamins to promote skin health, know that there are risks to doing so. It’s possible to experience adverse reactions when taking too much of a specific vitamin. While there’s no risk of overdosing on a vitamin C supplement—because it’s water-soluble and you urinate the excess—it’s possible to have a reaction when using it topically. Some side effects of topical vitamin C use include:
Yellowing of the skinStaining of clothesStingingDryness Hives
Topical retinoids can also cause skin irritation, especially in people with sensitive skin.
Taking vitamin E for your skin can also cause problems. Studies suggest that getting too much vitamin E in supplement form can lead to potential long-term health risks such as prostate cancer and an elevated risk of death in people with existing heart conditions. Vitamin E may also interact with certain medications, like anticoagulants.
Summary
It’s not clear if vitamins for skin health are really backed by science. Most of the studies on vitamin supplements and topical skin care involve small groups of participants. It’s also tough to measure the effects of these vitamins on skin health because there are so many variables and factors at play. How much a person goes out in the sun, for example, can drastically affect the appearance of their skin.
Some people are also lucky to be blessed with great genes that gift them with nearly flawless skin. If you’re seeking a way to improve the health of your skin, your best bet is to talk to a dermatologist—especially if you have a skin condition that’s bothering you, like acne or rosacea.
If you’re concerned about skin aging and the appearance of wrinkles, trying creams and supplements might help, but it’s also an expensive road to go down. Ultimately, a healthy diet is the most effective way to prevent vitamin deficiencies that can lead to problems with your skin.
Some research has shown that magnesium can be soothing for people with certain inflammatory skin conditions like acne, rosacea, and even diaper rash.
Other studies have found that magnesium might help protect the skin from sun damage and help regulate how much oil (sebum) it makes.
Research has shown that zinc, either in the diet or as a supplement, can be a key part of managing many dermatological conditions, including actinic keratosis, oral lichen planus, and seborrhoeic dermatitis.
Some research has suggested that B complex vitamins, but not necessarily B12 specifically, may help reduce signs of aging skin, including by improving the appearance of areas of dark skin (hyperpigmentation).
However, a person who is deficient in vitamin B12 might have hyperpigmentation as a sign of the deficiency. In this case, correcting the deficiency may also improve the appearance of their skin.
