Overview
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 8 million people see the dermatologist for acne every year. They spend millions of dollars on over-the-counter skin creams, medicines and skin cleaners. However, there are many ways to cure acne using vitamins. A 2007 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 40 percent of all Americans get less than the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables they need every day. If you don’t get enough vitamins, you affect your body’s ability to stay healthy and function properly. Vitamins are essential for clear, acne-free skin. If you suffer from acne, you need vitamins to supplement your diet. By taking the proper vitamins in the right doses, you can help cure your acne.
Step 1
Take vitamin A. The American Academy of Dermatology says vitamin A is essential to the health of your skin. Retinoids are a very powerful type of vitamin A that can help clear your acne. Retinoids come in a topical cream that is applied directly on the acne on your skin. The retinoids make your skin cells grow and die faster, which increases the turnover of your cells. The vitamin A in the retinoid cream eliminates toxins that grow in your skin and form acne. The most popular kinds of retinoid creams are tretinoin and retinol. You can also find vitamin A in foods that are yellow, orange or red in color, such as citrus fruit, carrots, tomatoes and squash. Another option is to get your dose of vitamin A in a capsule form, such as beta carotene. Doctors recommend taking at least 300,000 international units, or IUs, per day.
Step 2
Take vitamin D. Vitamin D, sometimes called the sunshine vitamin, is manufactured in your body after you have been out in the sun. Your skin absorbs the ultraviolet rays and then turns them into vitamin D3. While you can get vitamin D through your diet, a study by the University of California found that a moderate amount of sunshine can actually help clear up your acne. Researchers say that vitamin D3 from the sun helps control the body’s immune response and helps heal wounded skin. If your acne is from a vitamin D deficiency, sun exposure can go a long way to clearing up your acne. However, be careful about getting too much sun. If you burn your skin, it can make your acne worse.
Step 3
Take vitamin E. Vitamin E can help clear up your acne through a process called oxidation. Vitamin E prevents saturated fats from breaking down in your skin and combining with other toxins that cause acne. Vitamin E also helps your red blood cells get more oxygen, which can help prevent acne from scarring your skin. The Mayo Clinic says vitamin E is essential in preventing acne and recommends taking from 8 to 10 mg every day.
Step 4
Take B vitamins. Vitamin B helps maintain healthy skin tone. Vitamin B1, or thiamine, is an antioxidant that can enhance your circulation and help you digest your food properly. Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, also helps digest your food and is probably the most important type of B vitamin. Acne is a symptom of riboflavin deficiency. Vitamin B3, or niacinamide, improves the circulation in your skin and helps your body soak up important proteins that fight off acne. A niacinamide deficiency will also cause acne. The Vitamin and Nutrition Center recommends taking 100 mg of B1 three times per day, 100 mg of B2 three times a day and 100 mg of vitamin B3 three times per day to clear your skin of acne.
