Although there is an abundance of anti-aging serums and creams available, relying solely on products and neglecting proper nutrition may not be the most effective way to improve your skin’s appearance.
Ensuring that your diet consists of a variety of vegetables, fruits, protein sources, and healthy fats is crucial for overall health, but it is also important to assess your vitamin intake for potential anti-aging benefits. Prioritizing a well-rounded diet that includes adequate amounts of these essential vitamins can lead to significant improvements in the quality of your skin.
With that said, in a YouTube video, skincare expert Dr. Anil Rajani, founder and lead researcher at RajaniMD, rounded up four vitamins that are “essential to keep your skin youthful, glowing and vibrant.” If you’re seeing “signs of early aging, some fine lines and wrinkles and lines etched in or brown spots,” it’s best to prioritize vitamin D, C, E and K.
4 Vitamins For 'Glowing' Skin And Reduced Fine Lines & Brown Spots, According To A Doctor
1. Vitamin D
Rajani recommends pursuing vitamin D supplements to keep your skin looking firm and supple, and if anti-aging is your goal. Whether you'd like to "prevent further damage or turn back the clock just a little," this is an "essential" supplement, he notes. While it's best to limit sun exposure to avoid sun damage and skin cancer, he does suggest 15 minutes of daily sunlight time as vitamin D is "good for the skin."
Vitamin D is "often made when sunlight is absorbed by the skin." Cholesterol converts to vitamin D when this happens, he notes. It's then taken up through the liver and kidneys and transported through the body to help create healthy cells. "This includes the skin cells, so it does apply to skin, not just systemically to the body," he adds. In the skin, vitamin D plays an important role in skin tone. It can also help prevent skin conditions like psoriasis, he says.
Rajani also points out that inflammation can lead to aging, and vitamin D is anti-inflammatory. According to the National Academy of Medicine/RDA, as Rajani cites, it is recommended to take around 600 international units per day of vitamin D. "You may need more if you're over the age of 70," he adds. He also suggests getting "ten minutes of sun exposure per day" to increase your vitamin D exposure, along with supplementation.
2. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is found in "high levels in the epidermis, which is the outer layer of the skin, as well as the dermis, the inner layer of the skin," Rajani notes. "It's cancer-fighting, it's an antioxidant, and its role in collagen production helps the skin with elasticity," he adds.
He goes on to say that the collagen gives it "robustness and strength of the skin and resilience." This, he says, is why vitamin C is one of the key ingredients found in many anti-aging skincare products."Vitamin C taken orally can enhance the effect of sunscreen applied to the skin for protection of the sun's harmful UV rays," he continues.
Vitamin C, also found in citrus fruits, helps the skin by "decreasing cell damage and helping the healing process of bodily wounds and irritation," Rajani explains. It can also :fend off signs of aging because of its vital role in the body's natural collagen production."
Adequate vitamin C intake can also help repair and prevent dry skin. "Regular daily intake of vitamin C and topically, is what I recommend most," he adds while saying that the dietary supplements are "usually unnecessary" and that the recommended dose is 1000 milligrams per day."
3. Vitamin E
Just like vitamin C, Rajani says that vitamin E is an antioxidant, and its "main function in skincare is to protect against sun damage." Vitamin E "absorbs a harmful UV light from the sun when it's applied to the skin," he points out. This, he says, is why you often see it as an ingredient in sunscreen products.
Taking this vitamin can also help "prevent dark spots, wrinkles and photo aging," Rajani explains, while also saying it is often a beloved skincare ingredient for anyone with dry skin seeking nourishment and moisture. It also helps "treatment of skin inflammation," and "getting enough vitamin E in the diet," through foods and supplements, is "preferable." Rajani continues, noting that "most adults need about 15 milligrams of vitamin E per day." It is also often found in nuts and seeds.
4. Vitamin K
While Rajani recommends adding vitamin K to your diet, he stresses not confusing K1 and K2. The latter, he says, is one vitamin deficiency that may be "wrinkling your skin." Looking "old," he says, often has to do with "bone," and "vitamin K2 seems to have a protective and preventative benefit from bone loss," and looking "tired," which often has to do with fat pads in the face."
Rajani focuses on Vitamin K1 in the video, which he says "doesn't function on the bone as much as K2, and is more essential in aiding the body's process of blood clotting." Basic functions of this vitamin, he goes on, are also thought to help certain skin conditions such as "stretch marks, veins, scars, dark spots and stubborn circles under the eyes." Vitamin K can also be found in different topical creams for skin, and it can "prevent a variety of skin conditions."
In order to obtain Vitamin K's anti-aging benefits, Rajani says that the recommended dose for adults is "90 to 120 micrograms" per day. He concludes that you can increase your intake by eating kale, spinach, lettuce, cabbage and green beans.
The Bottom Line
Overall, Rajani notes that "vitamins are essential to health and the body functions, and on the converse side, vitamin deficiencies can cause adverse effects on the skin." Vitamin C and E play "such an important role in protecting your skin from the sun, and deficiencies in these can increase the risk of skin damage," he emphasizes.
He recommends visiting your doctor and dermatologist for more information, and to find out which way of benefitting from each vitamin is best for you — whether that be through supplementation, specific foods or skincare products.
