Best supplements for skin

barginboyrob

Hi, i was just wondering what people think the best vitamins are for clearer skin. I have quite clear skin with a few spots now and again

I am catered at uni, and i swear i don't get enough vitamins because the food is like school dinners!

Is it vitamin c
and Zinc?

someone has also mentions cod liver oil for the omega acids.....?


Thanks for you help

shokadelika

Cod Liver oil will give you important Omega 3 plus excellent levels of EPA/DHA for brain function too plus skin vitamins A (Retinol) and D and E but only Healththspan https://www.healthspan.co.uk have these naturally occuring oil based vitamins in the UK!(their St Clements cod liver oil liquid is excellent) Seven Seas use synthetic vit A+D (not good!) as well as getting skin nutrients you are getting joint beneftis too plus important vitamin D.Also Vitamin C 1gramm daily, Zinc and vitamin E and evening primrose oil for Efa's will all help.

I take a good high strength multi vit and mineral extra vitamin C and 5 to 10ml of the Healthspan cod liver oil.

My skin is excellent considering I had rampant Acne was on antibiotics which did nothing for three years before discovering the nutrition route. I Also drink lots of water to flush toxins out my system eat butter and extra virgin olive avoid all fried foods margarines and sunflower,soy,grapeseed,rapeseeed oils and anything "Hydrogenated" and as such rarely get a blackhead which i used to get a lot and I treat myselfself to a sun shower once a week (6 mins) not only does this help with the dreaded zits but will helps the complexion and gives me some important vitamin D which we are nearly all lacking this time of year.The benefits of the aforementioned vitamins and minerals not only help skin health but lots of other conditions too.

kavakava

One of the best supplements for skin is Pantothenic Acid. If you have serious problems with spots, 1-3 grams a day for a couple of weeks will clear it up.

Also, add some EFA's - Hemp or Flax seed oils are much higher in Omega 3,6 and 9 than fish oils. Cruelty-free as well.

elisebutt65

Hi,
I'm at college as well and use the canteen for lunch but we have a choice of veggies with meals and also a help yourself salad bar.

Isn't there anyway you can prepare yourself small meals, even if it's just making a small salad occasionally?? Most halls have cooking facilities - works out cheaper and more nutritious to cook for yourself than buy it from canteen, then have to take vitamins as well.


You can also turn it into a social thing, make a big pot of chili to share with your mates and get then to do a meal once a week as well???

Getafix

Is it possible to get cod liver oil without the added Vitamin A?

SnowyOwl_2

Hello Barginboyrob

The best and cheapest thing you can do for your skin is to drink lots of plain water - tap water is just fine. And of course you can buy fruit and keep it in your room, and snack on that any time. The nutritionists who have ever crossed my path all rave on about having a glass of hot water in the morning, with the juice of half a lemon. It'll make your eyes water but is v.good, easy on the sugar though. They do go on about sunflower seeds too - a small handful every day is all you need.

It sounds to me like your skin is ok anyway. I guess you are in or around the 20 years mark considering you are in university halls. I'm around the 40 mark (OMG I hate it...) and still get occasional spots, usually prompted by either eatings crisps, especially Pringles, or by putting some irritant or other on my face which has been cunningly disguised as a beauty product. If you were in dire need of supplements you'd be feeling ill, possibly have dog's breath, probably be pale, weak and tired, have rather dry greyish skin and lifeless hair...ie always look and feel a bit rough and below par. TBH if you can manage to supplement your diet with raw fruit (and veg if possible) that will probably be better for you and your pocket in the long run rather than relying on supplements (which may or may not be synthetic and may or may not be cruel, if that is of significance to you). The "five a day" campaign may actually make a bit of sense.

Smiley_Mum

Drink plenty water, get enough sleep as that is when the skin repairs itself. Also, first thing in the morning before you eat anything, drink a big glass of warm water with juice of a lemon in or just get one of the jif lemon things and put a squirt of that in. Drink that before eating a thing and that will clear your system out if you know what I mean. Don't drink cold water as it will shock your system, warm water and lemon juice first thing.

Ted_Hutchinson

The role of omega3 has already been mentioned in respect of skin condition. You may be interested to know that Linseed/flaxseed is a particularly good source of the precusors to omega3 fatty acids and has demonstrated it's effect on skin and hair condition.

It also works on your pets if their coats/skin look out of condition.

I buy a 5kg bag of natural brown linseed from the healthfood store (£5.75) and grind some into meal (coffee grinder) to keep in the fridge so I can add it to my porridge, muesli, baking, casseroles, yoghurt, crunchy toppings etc during the week. If you add a couple of tablespoons a day I think you will notice a difference by the end of the month.

But do tranfer the linseed from the plasic bag to a solid container. I found my bulk pack was attractive to mice and when caught they had the most beautiful shiny glossy coats you could imagine. Still the cat enjoyed them.

A similar effect would be seen if you used the flaxseed oil, but you would be spending more money and missing out on the soluble fibre and lignans that flaxseeds provide. You could also use hemp seed oil for a similar effect.

Ted_Hutchinson

Changing from drinking brown tea or coffee to drinking Green Tea as you main drink would have beneficial effects on your skin. It's known to be protective of UVB rays and helpful for those with skin conditions. It has many other health benefits listed here Green tea

I found it a little difficult to acquire the taste for it initially but now I prefer it to ordinary tea or coffee. I wish I had known initially that if you put a slice of lemon in the mug it is even nicer. One of the benefits I find is that if you forget to drink a mug while hot, and come back later and find it cold, it's just as nice cold so it's never wasted.

If you did find that you'd bought your bags of green tea (cheapest own brand from Tesco) and couldn't get on with it you could add the bags to your bathwater. If you wash in it the effects on your skin are as good as if you drink it. However I prefer the leaf variety (tesco's is also cheapest for Clipper Green Leaf tea) but you may find the Green leaf tea cheapest in a Chinese Supermarket if you are lucky enough to have one near you.

Ted_Hutchinson

There has been from dermatologists a dogma that any suntan is a bad suntan and that any exposure to sunlingt without sunblock sunscreen is harmful and will lead to skin cancer.

However look at
Cancer mortality rates and multiple sclerosis prevalence rates for U.S. states compared to UVB doses for Julyand you will see the consequences for those in the north that arise from not having sufficient direct exposure to sunlight. It may be helpful to look at google earth and see what colour latitude the UK matches up with. Multimap will do the same if you haven't broadband.

Taking vitamin d tablets (or the modest use of a suntan light) in the Winter when the sun isn't strong enough to cause Vitamin D synthesis will mean that your skin is primed to respond quickly to direct sunlight when you do get the opportunity from April onwards to go outside with your skin uncovered for a short (10-20) minutes each day.

Regular modest exposure to sunlight will improve the condition of your skin providing you don't get to the burning or even preburning stage. You skin will make sufficient vitamin D to improve your general health in a quarter of the time it takes to start burning so there is no need for there to be an increased risk of skin cancer.

People with dark or brown skins NEED SIX TO TEN times longer in direct sunlight without sunscreen to generate the same amount of vitamin d so it is very important they are aware of the dangers of keeping their skin covered.