Best Supplements for Dry Skin

When it comes to dry skin, staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water will significantly benefit our skin. But what we eat can also make a lot of difference and improve skin tone and texture. Choosing to eat foods that hydrate, rather than dehydrate us is key. This means opting for plenty of fruits and vegetables with a high water content such as melons and cucumbers, and deciding against foods that are high in salt that will sap our body and skin of hydration.

But if you have dry skin, then you’ll know that diet isn’t everything. Topical creams and moisturisers will play a large role as will our other tips for caring for dry skin.

However, often our skin needs a little help. So whilst eating a healthy diet and looking at the things that may cause dry skin will help, you may find that certain supplements also help relieve your dry skin.

Here’s our round up of the top supplements for dry skin. But first...

What is Dry Skin?

Dry skin is characterised by tight, uncomfortable skin that looks and feels like it's lacking both moisture and the oily substance naturally produced by the skin, called sebum. Sebum supports the natural skin barrier function and helps to keep your skin healthy and protected.

Conditions such as eczema and psoriasis can also cause dry, dehydrated skin.

To know what dry skin is and what it looks like is helpful, as then you can take steps to begin to improve skin hydration and treat dry skin.

Vitamin Deficiencies and Other Causes of Dry Skin

There are times when dry, itchy skin can be down to the levels of vitamins in our bodies. If you consume a diet where you're lacking in certain nutrients, it may manifest in the health of your skin.

Sometimes skin dryness can be down to our genes, and we may need all the support we can get to keep our skin nourished and increase skin hydration. It may become flakey and begin to crack and possibly even bleed if water loss from the skin continues and skin moisture levels aren't improved.

Is There One Best Vitamin for Dry Skin?

Unfortunately, like with many aspects of human health, the cause of your dry skin may not be down to one vitamin deficiency, and therefore taking a dietary supplement to counteract the symptoms of skin dryness can be a case of hit and miss.

But here we have all the top advice on certain vitamins and supplements, how they may help prevent dry skin and the best way to get them into your diet.

The Best Vitamins and Supplements for Dry Skin

Some people find that supplements designed to help enhance skin moisture and that play a role in skin health are the best remedy for dry skin. So read on for the dietary supplements with the ability to promote skin health and prevent signs of dryness and keep skin conditions like eczema under control.

Using Silica to Optimise Skin Health

Silica is a little known nutrient that forms the pillar of our alkalising skincare - we use a blend of silica salts in our products to support skin cell growth and to protect the acid barrier of the skin.

This mineral is known to have multiple benefits for our health and skin. Naturally present in our bodies there is no substitute for the essential role silica plays in maintaining our health. Silica is required for collagen production which is required to keep our connective tissue strong and elastic.

It can also lead to an increase in skin hydration to help keep your skin healthy, and soothes irritated skin. So if you have dry skin, your first stop should be to try our Silica Supplements.

An average adult excretes between 300-400 mg of silica per day so this needs to be replenished. Silica is usually found in foods like dark leafy greens, leeks, green beans and asparagus but this can sometimes not be enough so supplementing it can be beneficial.

Vitamin C Supplements for Dry Skin

Vitamin C helps the skin produce collagen and elastin. Collagen and elastin are both proteins that form a framework, like a scaffolding system, for the upper layers of skin to sit on. Levels of both proteins decrease as we age, hence why we get wrinkles and sagging skin as we get older. Having higher levels of collagen and elastin help to keep the skin plump and hydrated.

Perhaps one of the most common supplements and most known vitamins, vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin. This means that it works to ‘mop up’ free radicals, unstable oxygen molecules that can cause damage to cells including skin cells.

This antioxidant vitamin also helps to protect the skin against UV damage from the sun. A great all-rounder, taking vitamin C supplements for good general health and healthy skin will always be beneficial. Most certainly, adding a vitamin C supplement to your diet is never a bad idea and can be an alternative to oral collagen supplements that tend not to be vegetarian or vegan friendly.

Can Other Antioxidant Supplements Help Dry Skin?

Like vitamin C, other antioxidants are also good for supporting hydrated skin. They help to neutralise free radicals that enter the body via UV light, smoking, breathing in pollution and eating highly processed or fried foods.

An antioxidant called astaxanthin that’s extracted from marine algae helps to keep skin looking youthful, but more importantly, it can help to reduce the amount of water the skin loses.

This helps to keep the skin hydrated, helps to prevent premature ageing and protects against environmental damage. Sounds like a perfect supplement to us!

Vitamin D for Dry Skin

More commonly associated with strong, healthy teeth and bones, vitamin D can also support healthy, hydrated skin. The body creates vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin, so low vitamin D levels are common during the darker autumn and winter months.

Therefore, taking vitamin D supplements can also help reduce inflammation and irritation and can benefit anyone with dry skin.

Vitamin E for Skin Hydration

Vitamin E is also an antioxidant vitamin, but unlike vitamin C, it’s fat soluble. This means that the body can store it in its fat reserves for when it needs it. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that the body cannot store – any excess is simply excreted in the urine.

As it’s an anti-inflammatory, it will help to reduce inflammation and therefore support healthier skin. It also helps to protect the skin against the harmful UV rays of the sun which can cause drying and premature ageing.

Not only that, vitamin E can help the body to produce more sebum from the sebaceous glands in the skin. Sebum is an oily, waxy substance that naturally hydrates the skin. The more sebum, the more hydrated and less dry the skin.

Vitamin E is also widely available in topical skincare products and moisturisers that can help to protect the skin from further damage.

Is Zinc Good for Dry Skin?

Zinc is an antioxidant mineral that is present in high levels in the skin, especially so, the upper layers of skin. It helps in wound healing, along with vitamin C, and keeps skin cells healthy.

Since it’s an antioxidant, it also helps to protect the skin against damage from free radicals and UV rays from the sun. Zinc is particularly effective at helping to soothe dry skin caused by eczema and could work as the best supplement for eczema for you.

Do Omega 3 Fatty Acids Help Dry Skin?

Not all fats are bad, and in the case of omega 3 fatty acids, this is especially true. Omega 3 is essential for a healthy heart and brain, and healthy, hydrated skin.

Omega 3 helps to reduce levels of inflammation in the body and forms a crucial part of the cell wall in all cells, including skin cells. Without enough omega 3, the skin can become dehydrated and dry.

Think of taking omega 3 fatty acid supplements as moisturising your skin from the inside! Many omega 3 supplements are made from fish oils, for example, high-dose oral fish oil supplements made from salmon or mackerel. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, look for omega 3 supplements made from algae instead. (Which is where the fish get it from anyway!)

Is Evening Primrose Oil Good for Dry Skin?

Evening primrose oil is also high in omega 3 fatty acids, and omega 6 fatty acids. Use with caution, as high levels of omega 6 fatty acids can lead to an increase in inflammation. So look out for supplements that have a ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 of around 3:1.

That aside, evening primrose oil can help to prevent excess water loss from the upper layers of skin, helping to keep the skin moisture content high enough to keep it hydrated and less likely to become dry.

Do Probiotics Supplements for Dry Skin Work?

The more that scientists research our gut health, the more they see strong links developing between the health of our gut and the health of other areas of the body. Immune health and mental health are now linked with gut health, and having an unhealthy gut is also associated with higher levels of inflammation.

Dry skin can be caused by inflammation, so it makes sense that having an unhealthy gut can contribute to dry skin conditions.

Probiotic supplements contain billions of so called friendly bacteria, that help to colonise our gut. There are trillions of these good guys residing in our guts and collectively, they’re called the microbiome. Keeping them healthier with probiotic supplements will help to promote a healthy gut, and in doing so, possibly healthier skin. Probiotics are definitely worth a try for dry skin!

What Are the Best Dry Skin Supplements?

Here at Sönd, we understand what it is to have problem skin. From acne to eczema, we understand it all. With all skin conditions, including dry skin, what works is down to your beautifully unique skin and what’s causing your problems.

Some supplements may work for you, and others not so much. The general advice is to take a supplement on a daily basis for at least three months to see if it’s going to work for you. We know that sounds like a long time, but if you hit the jackpot and your skin starts to improve, then it’s time well spent. If after this time you notice no difference, you should consider stopping a supplement, as you may just be wasting your time and money.

We also recommend drinking 2.5 to 3 litres of water a day to help keep your skin well hydrated from the inside.

Skincare Products for Dry Skin

What we do know is that we have many, many happy customers who have tried our alkaline skincare products and have been amazed by the results.

So give them a try today, we’ve even produced a sample sized trio of our cream cleanser and day and night creams so that you can trial them. We just know you’re going to love them and you’ll want to go ahead and buy the bigger versions. Enjoy!

This article is not meant to treat or diagnose. Please visit your doctor for advice about any health concerns you may have.