Inside Scoop: Skin issues can come from many places, here is the ultimate list of supplements for glowing skin.

If you suffer from skin issues you may know exactly what it’s like to try everything topically to help soothe your skin or reduce your breakouts. Without spending thousands of dollars on weekly facials, it can be hard to find the right mixture of ointments and therapies that work for your specific skin condition.

But, did you ever consider that your skin is like a mirror into what’s going on internally (especially in your gut)?

Sometimes a skin condition is your body’s way of telling you something, and if you listen closely you may be able to uncover some insight into healing from the inside out.

Here are just some examples of internal issues that can contribute to poor skin health:

• High levels of inflammation (auto-immune diseases, allergies, circulation issues, and compromised detoxification can trigger inflammation)
• Out of whack hormones
• Imbalance of gut bacteria or too much yeast in your system
• Deficiency of certain nutrients
• Poor absorption of nutrients
• I. issues or leaky gut

Doing some dietary work may be beneficial in managing some of these internal issues, but sometimes it takes a little more than just dietary work to get your skin to where you’d like it to be.

Most nutritionists are likely to recommend a gut healing protocol alongside some therapeutic supplements to help your skin glow. With a complete protocol, your skin gets the full benefits it needs to minimize the impurities and heal the inflammation.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP SUPPLEMENTS FOR GLOWING SKIN!

HORMONAL BREAKOUTS

If your ‘teenage years’ acne hasn’t passed by the time you’ve passed your teen years, you could be dealing with hormonal breakouts. You may notice that your skin flares up during hormonal fluctuations or if you have any underlying health issues that haven’t been addressed. Hormonal adult acne tends to appear on the lower part of the face, and can increase overall skin inflammation, oil production and cause the skin cells to become clogged.

Here are our favourite supplements for glowing skin, post teen years:

Maca

Maca helps to balance out your hormones and regulate your monthly cycle. Maca doesn’t actually contain any hormones, but rather is an adaptogenic root vegetable, which helps to support overall healthy hormone balance and your stress response.

Also, cells that produce sebum (the oil that secretes out of the glands in your skin) have stress hormone receptors, and can end up producing extra oil in the cell of the hair during times of high stress, causing the oil production to become unregulated. Reducing your stress response may be beneficial in fighting hormonal acne, and supplementing with, or adding maca to your diet is a great place to start.

Here is our favourite Maca Brand.

Vitamin D3 + K2

Vitamin D3 is essential in the role of our hormones and hormone health (Vitamin D is actually a hormone, not a vitamin), and it’s estimated that nearly 50% of the population worldwide is deficient in Vitamin D. 

Vitamin D is crucial for the absorption of calcium, phosphorus and for bone formation, but not only that, Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to poorly functioning immune system, cardiovascular disease, mental illnesses, and to an unregulated stress response.

All of these issues can cause systemic hormonal imbalances and contribute to inflammation internally and topically. It’s best to get your Vitamin D levels tested before you start to supplement.

One of our favourite brands of Vitamin D3 + K2:

ECZEMA & PSORIASIS

Unfortunately, even in this day and age, there still isn’t a simple solution for healing eczema and psoriasis. It’s still not fully understood how these conditions develop or how to fully heal them, but we do live in times that have developed some natural remedies to reduce your symptoms. Learn more about this topic by checking out our article on Natural Remedies for Psoriasis and Other Skin Conditions.

Both conditions are chronic and inflammatory, and finding the best supplements that help your skin glow when you suffer from these skin conditions means finding supplements that help to mellow out the inflammatory response.

An anti-inflammatory diet is highly recommended in these situations, but supplementing with the following can be a great place to start.

Oregon Grape

Oregon Grape is an herb native to North America that has been used as an herbal remedy to treat stomach issues, GERD, digestive complaints, infections, and to cleanse the bowels. It has also been used topically for inflammatory skin conditions and has been shown to improve mild to moderate psoriasis with little side effects. It inhibits the inflammatory response by slowing down skin cell production.

You can find it here.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3 fatty acid is a natural anti-inflammatory fat, and in some studies people who presented with eczema saw a natural reduction in symptoms after taking it for 12 weeks. 

Omega 3s are not manufactured by the body, and instead must be consumed via the diet. You can get Omega 3 sources from fatty fish, eggs, chia and flax seeds, and if your diet is not rich in foods that are high in Omega 3, you can supplement with a high quality, well inspected fish oil.

Here is one of our favourite brands. 

DRY & RED PATCHES

There are plenty of reasons why you may be experiencing dry or red patches on your skin. Your skin could be dehydrated, you may need more fat in your diet, or just common ageing issues can present with these symptoms. But there are some amazing supplements to help your skin glow and minimize these situations.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3 may help create more moisture within the skin. Red skin patches or dry patches may be a result in dry skin or inflammation, and due to Omega 3’s anti-inflammatory nature, and the promotion of healthy fats, they may be beneficial in overall improvement of dry skin.

Collagen

Collagen is the main structural protein that makes up skin tissue. If you are ageing and experiencing a loss in skin elasticity, dry skin or wrinkles it could be that your natural production of collagen has decreased. Many studies have proven that collagen is beneficial to increase elasticity, reduce wrinkles and promote an overall healthy complexion. For more information on the best collagen supplements for skin check out our detailed post.

Superfood Blends

There’s a chance your skin is dehydrated, even if your body isn’t. This can be caused by external environmental conditions, diet, nutrient absorption or caffeine/ alcohol consumption.

Increase your water intake, but also consider a fermented superfood blend that contains plenty of highly absorbable whole food nutrients, as well as electrolytes. We love Fermented Organic Superfoods from Genuine Health. 

BROKEN CAPILLARIES

Broken capillaries on the face come from many reasons, the main one being sun damage and circulation issues.

Sometimes called spider veins, these little red marks on the skin can become an annoyance, especially since it seems like there’s nothing you can do about them (without expensive laser treatment). If you experience rosacea, or if you drink alcohol on a regular basis, your skin may experience a lot of broken capillaries.

These are the most popular supplements for decreasing the redness caused by spider veins and preventing them from happening.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C not only helps to manufacture collagen (essential for skin, blood vessels, scar tissue, and elastin), but it helps to keep the vein walls flexible and strong. We would recommend consuming your Vitamin C first and foremost, and only take it if you notice a flare up and want to minimize it, or if you are feeling run down. The best type of Vitamin C supplement to take is one that contains whole food form, like this one here. 

Turmeric/ Curcumin

Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties, and one of the most effective ways it has been used is in chronic inflammatory skin conditions, such as rosacea. You can take this internally, but you can also apply this externally or topically, in the form of a mask as well.

We would recommend taking turmeric with black pepper, as the bioavailability drastically increases when consumed this way. Also, we would recommend taking turmeric in both whole food and supplement form. 

B Vitamins

B Vitamins are thought to help prevent spider veins from occurring. B3 can be effective at improving circulation, and B vitamins have been used in those with circulatory problems. It’s essential to take a B complex, as B vitamins work synergistically with one another. One of our favourite brands of Vitamin B you can find here.

PALLOR SKIN

Paleness or pallor doesn’t seem like it would be a skin condition, but when you are used to having a bit of glow to your skin and suddenly, you’re feeling pallor or pale, to a point where you notice it, it could be an indication that there is an underlying condition present that needs to be addressed.

The most common link is anemia (or iron deficiency), but other issues that could result in pallor are: cardiovascular issues (lack of oxygen flowing to the skin), and low blood pressure. Before supplementing for pallor you should have your blood panels looked at by a medical professional.

Genuine Health Gut Superfood Blend

Gut Superfood Blend is such an amazing supplement for glowing skin, and is a great way to get an adequate intake of highly absorbable whole food nutrients. You can add this superfood blend to a morning smoothie, or to juice. It’s a great way to get an extra bit of nutrients that your body will thank you for. 

Liquid Iron

Liquid Iron is the best way to increase your intake of iron if you are deficient in it. Remember that iron can cause issues if you take too much and you should only supplement if you are deficient. You should get your iron levels tested before supplementation. If you have been tested for iron deficiency anemia and need to start supplementing, this is one of our favourite brands. 

B Vitamins

B Vitamins are one of those supplements that you can take for numerous symptoms. Low energy, metabolism, and even to reduce your risk of death from a stroke or heart attack, Japanese research suggests. If you notice that you have pale skin, have got your blood panels done and the doctors have noticed something with circulation, talk to them about supplementation with B Vitamins.

AGEING SKIN

Ageing skin is inevitable, and something we all experience. It’s also something most of us try to avoid with fancy retinol creams or anti-ageing facemasks. But there are a lot of biological processes that contribute to acceleration of ageing skin, and some supplements may have the ability to increase your skin elasticity, and reduce the appearance of fine lines or wrinkles. Here are our favourite ones:

Collagen

Again, collagen is one of our favourite supplement for glowing skin (but also anti-ageing skin!) It hydrates the skin, reduces the appearance of wrinkles, helps increase elasticity and brings life and bounce back to your skin. It’s one of our favourite top researched anti-ageing supplement for healthy ageing skin.

Omega 3

Omega 3 is an overall anti-inflammatory supplement, but it also has many skin protective benefits for ageing skin. The EPA found in Omega 3s from fish oil helps to regulate oil production and increase your skin’s hydration. EPA can also help minimize the reduction of collagen by blocking the enzymes that eat away at collagen, causing wrinkles and sagging.

If you are looking to step up your skincare game, this list of supplements for glowing skin is a great place to start, and you can find many of them in our Supplement Guide.

If you are looking for other recommendations on our top favourite supplements and brands, be sure to download our Supplement Guide here: