Achieving youthful, firm, and glowing skin doesn’t always require expensive treatments—sometimes, the answer lies in proper nutrition. Anti-aging and skin-tightening can often be supported by incorporating certain vitamins into your daily routine. Some vitamins are known to promote collagen production, reduce fine lines, and protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals. These nutrients can enhance elasticity, hydration, and repair, giving your skin a more vibrant, lifted appearance over time.
Chris Gibson, a holistic wellness coach, former esthetician, and creator of two skincare lines, recently shared the five “shocking” vitamins you should be taking because they can do wonders for anti-aging. Gibson says these can “truly help tighten your skin.” He agrees that skincare ingredients can help maintain your skin’s appearance, but eating these “skin-saving” nutrients can give you that inside-out glow!
1. Vitamins A
Vitamin A is not only important for your skin but for organ health as well.
“Vitamin A in particular helps your cells produce healthier replacements. It staves off rogue cancerous cells and helps tremendously with the moisture balance in your skin,” he says.
2. Vitamin C
Vitamin C “helps feed that collagen production and protect that elastin from hardening, [and] it also protects your organs." It can also protect your skin from free radical damage.
His favorite foods that offer great amounts of vitamin C are berries and citrus fruits.
3. Vitamin E
Vitamin E can “improve blood flow, leading to better superficial circulation;” therefore helping oxygen and nutrients actually make it to the cells. Gibson says this will “give you better protection from sun damage and a much longer skin cell life, leading to healthier skin” over time.
You can find vitamin E in sunflower oil, flaxseeds, avocados, fish, and spinach.
He adds that you can certainly get these “powerful” vitamins through supplementation, but sourcing them from your diet is best.
4. B9 (Folate/Folic Acid)
Vitamin B9 “helps with collagen production” and can also help with strengthening your hair, skin, and nails. This is also great for those with dry skin, as Gibson says, “It helps improve dry skin issues by providing an extra boost to the moisture level in the upper layers of your skin.”
Vitamin B9 can be found in beans, peanuts, and Gibson’s favorite: sunflower seeds. He also recommends fresh fruits, whole grains, and seafood.
5. Vitamin K2
Gibson says this vitamin “can do the most to keep that elastin from hardening, help that collagen keep producing,” and is good for bones, brain health, the heart, and skin.
“Vitamin K comes in two different forms, vitamin K1 and K2,” Gibson reveals. Vitamin K1 can be found in dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, etc.). These can help with blood clotting and “reducing things like varicose veins.”
Vitamin K2 is a little different but very powerful, especially when combined with vitamins A and D.
One big anti-aging benefit is that it can “help reduce bone loss as we age, which is a leading issue behind that droopy, sagging skin because as our bones shrink, our skin doesn’t shrink with them. So as we age, that exacerbates that particular issue.”
Gibson shares that the reason we don’t hear about vitamin K2 is because it's not found in high amounts in the Western diet. But, he notes that egg yolks (from pasture-raised chickens) and cheeses like Gouda and Brie are good options if you follow the western diet.
This vitamin is also abundant in fermented foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, and natto. You could also take a vitamin K2 supplement if you wish. Gibson notes that if you’re taking vitamin K2 along with A and D, “make sure you’re not overlapping it with other vitamins or a diet with lots of vitamin A because too much vitamin A can actually be harmful.”
