Do Skincare Vitamins Actually Work?

They're everywhere now. From the trendy blogger proclaiming that an acne supplement cured her, to the Kourtney Kardashian swearing that a scoop of collagen powder in her coffee every morning does wonders for her skin. So do I need to jump in on this skincare vitamin craze? Do they actually work? before you go popping gummy vitamins like they're fruit snacks, read this, first.

First: What the heck is a skincare vitamin?

Despite their claims, these “beauty supplements” (as most brands refer to them) are essentially just…gussied-up vitamins. They will have the usual suspects like magnesium, zinc, calcium, and vitamins C, A, and E. Basically it's a modified multi-vitamin. So do you even need them? Let's dive in because there are some exceptions.

So do they actually work?

While it is true that vitamins play an important role in skincare, most people get the majority of nutrients beneficial to the skin from the foods they’re already eating. So what's the point? Well, ideally the beauty supplement would contain something that you can't or don't get much from food. Such as collagen, alpha lipoic acids and many many more obscure natural ingredients found in topical beauty creams/serums.

Now don't get us wrong, taking collagen isn't going to reverse aging. However, it will and does help to:

• promotes skin elasticity
• hydrates the skin
• holds together your bones and muscles
• protects your organs
• provides structure to joints and tendons

Outside of collagen, there is no real evidence that regular ole vitamins do anything for someone who is otherwise healthy and have no deficiencies (because you get a majority of it from food). Unless you've been tested and have confirmed vitamin deficiencies, they probably won't do too much extra for you.

So do they work in general?

I know it sounds like we're contradicting ourselves, but it's tough to say that they definitively don't work. Nobody diet is perfect and everyone's body absorbs nutrients are varying effectiveness levels. So you could eat very healthy and still have low vitamin levels, and in turn, skin conditions. Supplements fill the gaps in your diet. At a basic level, they help to regulate the immune system which in helps with inflammatory conditions such as acne, rosacea, and dermatitis. SO it is possible for skin vitamins to help in that sense.

Before you webmd diagnose yourself, talk to your doctor and get tested to see if you're deficient in something. Because too many vitamins can actually hurt your health. Vitamins A, D, E, and K, are fat-soluble, meaning they can accumulate in the liver and cause damage if you take too much. So make sure to test one brand at a time, and watch out for overlapping ingredients if you're taking a daily vitamin. As for taking collagen, we say go for it! Because we're only losing it more and more each year.

Moral of the story, take collagen and as long as you’re not going overboard with the doses, it can’t really hurt to try out beauty supplements.

For More Information

For more information on vitamins/beauty supplements please contact us at ZONA Med Spa. Or book a complimentary consultation online by clicking here.