Your skin is a mirror, reflecting back the quality of the foods you eat as well as your stress level, lifestyle, sleep habits, and sun exposure.
While nothing should replace a healthy diet high in antioxidants, nutraceuticals can help support a more healthy and youthful look. Available in pill, tablet, liquid, and chew forms, these beauty supplements are a popular way to benefit the skin. Here are some of the top picks.
Supplements for Beauty
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Collagen
Just beneath the skin’s surface is the dermis, providing structure and strength thanks to collagen. This protein also gives our skin firmness and elasticity. As we age, collagen production slows, resulting in facial lines and wrinkles.
Supplemental collagen can help. Look for oral collagen peptide, which works by supporting fibroblasts, the cells that synthesize collagen.
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Resveratrol
The antioxidant resveratrol is found in grapes, predominantly their skins. For the greatest benefits, use in supplement form.
Appearing to possess anti-aging properties, resveratrol has the potential to reduce damage caused by sun exposure. It also boasts the ability to decrease wrinkles, improve skin texture, and boost hydration.
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Pycnogenol
Growing along the southwest coast of France are maritime pine trees, and from the extract of their bark comes the antioxidant Pycnogenol. In a recent study, this extract improved skin hydration, elasticity, and helped reduce wrinkles. The research also found that this antioxidant helped increase collagen.
Pycnogenol seems to increase the immune system. Supplementing with it may decrease the effectiveness of medications that decrease the immune system.
