Question
How do vitamin supplements help maintain the quality of your skin through the ageing process? Is there any need to take them?
L. Watson, via email.
Answer
In his book, The Murad Method, dermatologist Dr Howard Murad says the amount of vitamins you get from foods depends on how fresh they are, how they’ve been stored and how you cook them. The environmental toxins and stresses of modern life that our bodies contend with mean there’s a good case for adding vitamin supplements to our diets.
The use of oral supplements or nutraceuticals specifically designed for skin nutrition, such as Imedeen, which is based on marine extracts, is a rapidly growing trend. Supplements are more effective in maintaining skin quality than topical treatments, because, when taken internally, antioxidants go straight into the bloodstream, as opposed to sitting on the surface of the skin.
“My own research has shown that supplying the body with extra nutrients reduces fine lines, increases the elasticity of the skin, helps build connective tissue and increases the protective power of sunscreens,” says Dr Murad.
The AWW Beauty Team
