If you’ve tried everything to heal acne with little to no results, it might be time to take a different approach. Below, one writer shares how taking supplements for acne has benefitted her skin.
It’s safe to say I’d do anything to achieve clear skin. In fact, in my first year of high school, I read drinking green tea could be beneficial to improve acne, so I started drinking it all the time. This was my first time dipping my toes into the idea that what you eat and how you treat your insides can and would be reflected on the outside. It snowballed over the course of the following years, and soon, I was seeking out maximum water intake, drinking lemon water, and seeking out any and all supplements that might promise to help.
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Along the way, I was able to narrow down a few of my favorites and I’m sharing them below.
WTHN Clean Slate
I was told this little guy is a great detox, so much so that you see a difference relatively quickly in the skin. It’s formulated with organic dandelion root, milk thistle, and lemon grass, to name a few potent herbs. I’m happy to report that I saw an almost immediate difference in my skin. My active breakouts shrunk almost overnight, and general redness of each individual spot dissipated. With time, I’ve noticed my breakouts tend to be smaller in size and less frequent in terms of how often I actually get them.
Spirulina
This was one of the first supplements I tried in an effort to improve my skin in the early days of college. It’s actually one of the most nutrient-dense superfoods on the planet, so its no wonder this little guy is helpful when it comes to skin. Spirulina is anti-bacterial in nature and it actually inhibits the overgrowth of acne causing bacteria on the skin. In addition, it’s highly anti-inflammatory and helps to take down the look of redness and inflammation throughout the skin, and in individual breakouts.
The Nue Co Skin Filter
The Nue Co Skin Filter is newer to the market, but nonetheless, with only a few days of testing, I saw a significant improvement in my skin. This supplement is a proprietary blend of vitamin C to brighten the skin and encourage collagen production, zinc to aid in reducing sebum production, and beta-carotene, which when ingested, is converted to vitamin A.
If you don’t know what Vitamin A can do for the skin, keep in mind that retinol is a form of Vitamin A, meaning that you are effectively consuming a small dose of retinol to improve cellular turnover to improve signs of both acne and aging.
In addition, the ingredients show that this blend of supplements are also theoretically good for reducing hyperpigmentation as well, whether it be sun damage or acne scarring. It should be noted that retinol is not safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and they are advised not to use this product.
Kaleidoscope Labs Glow
Kaleidoscope Labs formulates a number of different CBD capsules, whether to help with sleep, energy, or even skin. Their Glow supplement has proven to be beneficial for my skin overall, and not just in terms of acne. Boasting an ingredient list of CBD to soothe inflammation within the skin, BioCell collagen to promote youthful skin, vitamin C for brightening, citamin E for anti-aging benefits, zinc to help with sebum production, and even more. Safe to say it’s packed with benefits for overall skin health, yeah?
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If you’re a CBD consumer, this is an easy addition to your current routine. If not, it should be noted that these give no psychoactive effect and are primarily used to help relax the mind and soothe skin conditions.
Turmeric
Turmeric is an easy-to-access supplement as it’s been around and used for thousands of years. Similarly to spirulina, turmeric touts many anti-inflammatory benefits. In turn, whether you ingest it or apply it topically, turmeric can help to reduce the look of skin irritation, blemishes, and hyperpigmentation. In addition, it’s dense with antioxidants, which helps to reduce free radical damage and in turn, acts as a preventative anti-aging agent.
The Bottom Line
Skin care works best when taking a full, 360-degree approach. That means taking good care of your skin on the outside with proper exfoliation, hydration, and treatments, but also giving it all the goods on the inside, like water, whole and natural foods, and sometimes, a supplement.
Supplements aren’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to treating acne, but they’re here to help, so give one a try!
