Nourish Your Skin From the Inside and Out
Skin creams in all their glory, but the best way to take care of your skin is actually from the inside, by eating a healthy and nutritious diet. Certain substances have an extra beneficial effect on your skin. Here are some of our favourites.
Recommended skincare supplements
Beautiful tan with beta carotene
Beta carotene is a precursor of vitamin A and is found naturally in foods such as carrots, kale, spinach, and sweet potatoes. As needed, your body can transform beta carotene into vitamin A, a vitamin that helps maintain normal skin.
Beta carotene as a dietary supplement is very popular to take 2–3 months before planning to be out in the sun. What happens when you take beta carotene for a longer period of time is that it is stored in your body's fatty tissue, providing a healthy complexion and contributing to a faster and more even tan. The benefit of taking beta carotene as a dietary supplement is that it is much more concentrated than in foods. It would require quite a lot of carrots on a daily basis to achieve the same effect.
Youthful skin with Q10
Q10, or ubiquinone, is an antioxidant that helps protect the body's cells against oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is considered to be a cause of aging and means that your body produces too much harmful oxygen, which damages the cells. The protection against oxidative stress is what we call antioxidants.
So, it’s not for nothing that Q10 is popular to add in anti-aging creams. Q10 is found in all the body's cells, but levels are lower in places that are exposed to oxidative stress, for example in the skin when we are sunbathing. In addition, the natural production of Q10 starts to decline when we’re in our thirties. So an additional supplement may be preferable for those who want to help their skin stay youthful longer.
Healthier skin with pantothenic acid
Pantothenic acid, or vitamin B5, is a water-soluble vitamin found in all the body's cells. Pantothenic acid as a dietary supplement has become popular to improve skin and hair quality, especially with those suffering from acne. Foods rich in pantothenic acid include eggs, legumes, whole grains, meats, fish, and shellfish.
Biotin for healthy skin and beautiful hair
Biotin, or vitamin B7 or vitamin H, is a water-soluble vitamin that helps maintain normal skin and hair, and is also needed for fatty acid metabolism. The health benefits of biotin on skin and hair make it popular to use in the beauty industry and a common ingredient in skin creams, shampoos, and conditioners. Biotin is found naturally in most foods and among those that are ultra-rich in biotin are liver, egg yolk, oatmeal, and wheat grits. If you want an additional boost of this skin and hair vitamin, a dietary supplement in addition to your diet can be recommended.
Collagen for youthful skin
Collagen is a protein, a so-called fibre protein, found in abundant amounts in the body's supporting tissue, which includes bones, skin, tendons, and blood vessel walls. Your body produces collagen by itself and about 30% of your body's proteins are collagen. Collagen is an essential building block for smooth and youthful skin and not many products have been more popular in the beauty industry lately than collagen. And not without reason, as large amounts of collagen are found in the dermis, the middle layer of the skin. As early as at the age of 25, collagen production starts to decline, while the breakdown continues at the same rate. Signs of reduced collagen levels are that your skin becomes thinner and that wrinkles and lines become more prominent. It is therefore not surprising that dietary supplements in the form of capsules, powder, and tablets containing collagen have become so popular in the battle against aging.