Vitamins for Healthy Skin
A balanced diet will give you the vitamins and nutrients you need for healthy skin. Many vitamins contribute to your well-being, and they're all important for beautiful skin and overall health. Here's a list of some of them, along with a few of the benefits they provide.
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Vitamin C
Maintains skin collagen, protects skin from UV rays, combats stress, lowers cholesterol, heals wounds.
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Vitamin E
Reduces inflammation, protects skin from UV rays, regulates vitamin A, helps skin retain moisture, slows hardening of the arteries.
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Vitamin A
Reduces inflammation, repairs damaged tissues, improves vision, strengthens the immune system, supports cell growth.
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Vitamin B
Increases skin hydration, removes toxins, improves blood circulation.
All of these vitamins are beneficial when they're part of a healthy diet. They're also good for maintaining healthy skin when they're used in facial products like cleansers, scrubs and lotions. For maximum dietary absorption, it's best to get your vitamins by eating healthy food as opposed to taking supplements. The only exception to this is vitamin B, which isn't absorbed as well in its natural form as it is in a supplement.
The Role of Water
Your skin needs lots of moisture for many reasons. Dry skin is more prone to damage such as scarring from acne. Not only does the top layer of skin retain water, but it also acts as a barrier to infection. You also need enough hydration to be able to sweat, an effective way of cooling off the body. Water carries nutrients to the skin, and for cells to grow and reproduce, they need enough water to be healthy.Skin is especially dry when the moisture level in it drops to less than 10 percent, but you need never let that happen. You can give your skin the moisture it needs by drinking plenty of water, and there are also a number of products available to help keep skin hydrated. Moisturizing daily will keep your skin dewy, and it's especially vital to moisturize in the winter months because there's less humidity in the air.
Moisturizing Ingredients
Humectants and Emollients
There are two classes of moisturizer that will help your skin attract and keep moisture. Humectants draw water into the skin, and emollients form a moisture barrier that keeps it there. You need both because if a humectant can't find water somewhere, it will take it from healthy skin cells. Your emollient moisturizer provides the water and the humectant beneath it helps your skin absorb that moisture.Occlusives
These are the big guns of trapping moisture in your skin. When you have exceptionally dry skin or have to be in an extremely dry environment, oils, silicones and petroleum products like Vaseline form an impenetrable barrier to dryness. They're not as appealing in everyday cosmetics, though, so they should be held in reserve. The exception is lip balm since you want to have shiny lips anyway, and occlusives are great for preventing chapped lips.Trends in Skin Care
Oil is Making a Comeback
For a long time, oil got a bad reputation in skin care products because it was believed that it kept skin from breathing and promoted acne. The trick to using oil in your healthy skin care routine, however, is to use it sparingly. All oils are not alike, and some have healing properties, like coconut oil. Using oil is also a means of delivering vitamins and nutrients to your face.
Dewy Skin is In
Moist, dewy skin is healthy-looking skin. The old trend of creating a flawless mask of foundation and powder is passé, and a glowing complexion is the newest style. This is good news for your skin since too much powder can clog pores and encourage acne. The new ethos in 2018 is that healthy skin is as important as beautiful skin.