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Feeding Your Skin from the Inside

News & Tips | Skin Care Tips
By Patricia G. Achay, PA-C
Is there such thing as a magic pill for your skin? Researchers are always on the hunt for the newest discoveries in skin health. Several discoveries have shown some promising results at improving skin from the inside. Though we don’t think there is one perfect pill for skin health, here are a few supplements that are convincing.

Heliocare

UV exposure is the single biggest culprit in damaging our skin, resulting in aging and skin cancer.  Applying sunscreen is the most important thing you can do to safeguard your skin. However, are there other ways to help boost our skin’s ability to protect itself? Heliocare could be what your skin needs. Heliocare is a potent antioxidant that cleans up the damaging free radicals that are produced by the sun in our body. This supplement, derived from a South American fern was shown in Harvard Medical School studies to dramatically reduce the incidence of sunburn as well as damage to collagen and elastin, the fibers that keep skin smooth and firm. That’s because Heliocare is particularly effective against the “aging” UVA rays that most sunscreens don’t protect against completely.

Vitamin B3

Vitamin B3 may reduce skin cancer recurrence in patients with a history of non-melanoma skin cancers. A study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) 51st Annual Meeting found that an over-the-counter form of the vitamin significantly reduced rates of new non-melanoma skin cancers in high-risk patients. This, along with sun protection, could help to decrease the health and economic burden of skin cancer. This research supports previous findings suggesting that vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) may enhance DNA repair in skin cells damaged by sunlight and offer protection to the skin’s immune system against UV light.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Not only are Omega-3 fatty acids beneficial for heart disease prevention but they are also a key component of the lubricating layer that keeps skin supple. These supplements are commonly recommended in dermatology to help heal dry skin and the rough, red, scaly patches of psoriasis and eczema. Omega-3s are crucial for skin health because they are an integral part of the membranes that surround our skin cells. Our bodies cannot produce omega 3s, so it is essential to get them from diet and supplements.  Omega-3s also aid in the production of hormones that improve skin texture and help combat the inflammatory damage from free radicals—one of the culprits in causing wrinkles.

Biotin

This B vitamin may be the answer to thin and brittle fingernails. Several studies show that a daily dose of 2.5 mg of biotin will significantly improve nail strength resulting in nails that are less likely to chip or crack and can also possibly lead to thicker hair.  It is still unclear why big doses of biotin help improve nails but this idea originated from veterinarians who gave it to horses to harden their hooves.  Since most diets wont achieve the high dose of biotin needed to see nail improvements this is something that needs to be supplemented.

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