31 Beauty Experts Reveal If Vitamins Can Treat Acne (Vitamins For Acne 2021 Guide)

In order to heal acne, it is important to first improve the health of the skin generally.

The following practice is all beneficial:

• Wearing lighter makeup. Heavy makeup requires heavy cleansers to remove it. This damages the skin’s natural protective outer layer. The skin is then left exposed to bacteria which can cause acne.
• Reducing inflammatory foods such as sugar and dairy - once inflammation is reduced the body can stop fighting the irritant and get to work on healing.
• Not touching your face - bacteria on the hands can be introduced to the skin. If the acid mantle is compromised this can easily lead to more acne

Like the gut, the skin has a delicate protective outer layer, called the acid mantle. It is slightly acidic, which then kills bacteria on the skin’s surface and prevents bacteria from forming acne.

The acid mantle is easily damaged by traditional approaches to skincare, such as cleansing with soap or aggressive cleansers, frequent exfoliation, application of skincare masks or acne plasters.

Oil Cleansing and using Botanical serums to hydrate the skin, not only protects the integrity of the acid mantle, it supports the skin to heal pre-existing damage. When the skin is otherwise healthy, conditions like acne heal, naturally.

Avni Parekh - LuvlyLongLocks

1. Including supplements into your diet such as fish oil vitamins which contain omega-3 fatty acid, zinc, probiotics, as well as vitamins A and D are great for skin health. 

These vitamins are known to fight against acne and keep your skin looking radiant.

Also, vitamin C has a lot of benefits for skin care and your overall health so you should consume it often by eating fruits and vegetables.  

2. When you suffer from acne, it can negatively affect your self-esteem. Truth is, battling acne is all about developing the right habits and implementing a lifestyle change. 

Most often, acne breakouts are tied to unhealthy diets, an allergic reaction to makeup, not washing your face daily, hormones acting up, and even stress. 

In order for change to happen, you need to figure out the source of your acne breakouts. After that, it’s about instituting new routines and committing to taking care of your health.

What worked best for me as a teen experiencing acne was figuring out a daily cleansing routine, and sticking to it. 

One of my secrets to achieving clear skin was applying Differin Gel — luckily, it’s now available without a prescription at most drugstores across the nation. 

Keep in mind, you must use it sparingly though because applying too much can make your skin dry and flaky.

Another factor that contributes to healthy skin is working out regularly. Exercising helps to rid your body of toxins and aids in maintaining a youthful appearance.

At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that you control the outcome when it comes to acne breakouts. While figuring out the solution takes trial and error, know that it is possible to achieve clear skin. 

Feel’s Algae Omega-3 supplement is perfect for balancing skin health, with 150mg of EPA and 300mg of DHA; considered essential nutrients for the skin.

Allison Tray - Tres Belle Spa

When the overall health of the body is improved, we see that skin improves as well. 

Vitamins and other supplements can help support a house where the body is lacking and that supports the health of the skin. 

Of course there are supplements that are designed for the skin in mind like collagen for instance and because they are taken orally they go right into the bloodstream and can improve the look and health of the skin.

Lifestyle is a big factor in the health of your skin. If you are not cleaning your skin properly and keeping healthy habits it can really affect the look on your skin. There are a few tips that have been helping our clients:

• changing the pillowcase every night can help skin stay clear as, often times hair products and oils are transferred onto your face during sleep
• cleaning your skin with cold water will help your skin stay clear and healthy as it  respects the outer protective layer and allows skin to hold necessary moisture.

Amie Skilton - What The Naturopath Said

Good health requires good nutrition, and this is most certainly reflected in everybody's face - and studies show that there are nutrients that are either commonly found to be deficient in those suffering skin disorders (including acne) or that acne sufferers tend to need more of.

Here are some of the nutrients that are helpful in acne:

• Zinc: research has shown that more than 54% of acne sufferers are deficient in zinc, and that serum levels are - on average - almost 30% lower than those without acne. Zinc plays an important role in skin healing and reducing infection, as well as reducing skin inflammation. 

Oral supplementation has been shown to significantly reduce breakouts in just 2-4 weeks. It's also important for delivery of vitamin A to the skin, another important anti-acne nutrient. 

• Vitamin A: retinol is essential to healthy desquamation of skin (our own exfoliating process) and insufficient levels lead to congested skin.

Blood levels of vitamin A are significantly decreased in acne patients (and no doubt why synthetic vitamin A - tretinoin/accutane) produces the results it does.

• Vitamin D: deficiency of this hormone is common in acne sufferers, and is correlated with acne severity. Improving vitamin D status helps to reduce skin oiliness, inflammation, infection, and congestion.
• EPA and DHA: studies show a diet high in these essential fatty acids reduces the incidence of acne, and they specifically reduce skin inflammation as well as reduce the risk of acne by lowering IGF-1, sebum production, and preventing hyperkeratinization of sebaceous follicles (NB: omega 3 from plant sources does not have the same effect).

• Glutathione: along with vitamin C, glutathione is one of the predominant antioxidants in skin (10-100 times more than vitamin E) and is now being used to treat inflammatory skin conditions. 

At the core of chronic skin disorders is a dysregulated gut-skin axis, so working with a functional medicine practitioner is fundamental to treating the underlying immunological and toxicological issue.

Increasing fibre and fluids, improving digestion, and supporting the liver and lymph are also critical components of clearing skin naturally. 

Hormone imbalances are more often than not an indication of an issue with the aforementioned issues and/or a frazzled nervous system.

Creating a daily decompression routine, reducing or avoiding artificial light after sunset, and getting sufficient rest, sleep and exercise are also a powerful way to support clear, healthy, glowing skin!

Desireé Delia

In combination with a nutrient rich diet, lifestyle, and regular exercise vitamins A, B3, E and Zinc for acne and inflammation have been proven to be quite effective and offers other benefits to hair, skin & nails as well (think radiance) but because it is a natural course of action in fighting against acne.

Be patient with your progress it will take a little longer to see the difference vs. prescription medication. As always, check with your doctor before starting any new treatments for proper dosage. 

The Benefits:

• Vitamin A – Antioxidant fights free radicals to protects the skin, reduce sebum (Oil) production, and decrease inflammation.
• B3 Niacinamide – Anti-inflammatory reducing redness and swelling and reduces oil production. Can help build proteins in the skin and lock in moisture to prevent environmental damage.
• Zinc reduces the amount of acne-causing bacteria on the skin and help decrease inflammation. 
• Vitamin E an antioxidant is known to soothe and protect the skin.

2. Other tricks for kicking acne: 

• wash your pillowcases often
• drinking plenty of water, keep your hair away from your face, 
• stick to a consistent skincare routine targeted to your skincare goals 
• do not pop your pimples especially acne lesions you don’t want to risk spreading the infection around to other areas on the face. 

Keith Eneix Position - TautUSA

1. Studies show that the Vitamins C, E, A, and B complex all assistance improve skin wellbeing and appearance.

Vitamin E is comprised of four tycopherol proteins and four tocotreinol proteins. These are fat-solvent mixtures. It is known to contain cancer prevention agents. Cell reinforcements battle against free extremists in the body. Free extremists are known to harm body cells. 

Accordingly, vitamin E is useful for shielding the body's skin cells from being harmed while simultaneously emphatically adding to a better insusceptible framework. 

Vitamin C assists with empowering collagen creation, similarly as normally when you are youthful. The stunt here is to utilize a detailing containing the L-ascorbic corrosive type of vitamin C, the one in particular that can infiltrate skin layers and do the work. 

Examination has it that nutrient A seems to disturb a portion of the impacts that P. acnes microorganisms have on skin cells. 

Vitamin B could help the body produce solid new skin cells and may help lessen the presence old enough spots and different types of skin staining. Eat food varieties that contain these nutrients or use items with them. 

For example, you can utilize vitamin E oil or items that contain retinoid and collagen promoters.

2. Here are a few hints to battling against skin break out and other skin issues; peel consistently, drink bunches of water, pick the correct eating routine, wash your go head to head any cosmetics before bed, go through make items that contains mineral or supplements that are valuable to your skin wellbeing like Taut collagen powder. 

This implies you should gleam while keeping up your skin heath. Presently you see, the issue of collagen creation in the body is a genuine one in light of the fact that lacking creation of this supplement brings about a dull and dry, flaky skin which thus brings forth skin break out. 

Indeed, even while utilizing vitamin C, you can consider other advantageous collagen items for an appropriate skin wellbeing support. 

TautUSA has diverse collagen tried item that can help upgrade the battle against skin inflammation and other skin sicknesses like wrinkles, scarcely discernible differences, dull spots, and so forth Utilizing different enhancements asides nutrients would rush the cycle to accomplish extraordinary outcomes in a brief timeframe.

Feel Multivitamin provides a complete range of B vitamins, with health benefits including improved skin tone, balanced natural oils, and support for dry skin.

Gabrielle Richens - The Rich Skin Club

When it comes to skin health, vitamins such as vitamin A, C, all of the B’s, healthy fats (omega’s), and also minerals are all backed by science to have big benefits for your skin. 

This is thanks in part to their antioxidant properties which aid in slowing down the aging process by protecting the skin from free radicals that cause irreparable damage to cells and collagen.

Zinc is particularly helpful for acne conditions due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. A 2012 study found that oral zinc supplements were effective for inflammatory and bacterial forms of acne.

Dermatologists may combine treatments of zinc, vitamin E, and selenium to treat acne vulgaris. In fact, zinc deficiency can lead to acne.

2. Simple lifestyle changes such as less fried foods, white bread, white pasta, white rice, better sleep, no smoking and drinking more water can all help to improve acne conditions. 

Also, changing your pillowcase every day has been proven to prevent acne breakouts altogether. Here’s why: Every night your pillowcase soaks up a cocktail of sweat, toxins, water, sebum and dead skin cells, turning it into a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus. 

While you are sleeping trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) is at its highest. Meaning your body is losing water through sweat —a lot of which is through our upper body, chest and head. 

The sebaceous glands, which are most abundant on the face and scalp, continue to produce and secrete sebum while you sleep. 

And lastly, think of the dead skin cells that your body naturally sheds throughout the night as the cherry on top of this delightful cocktail! 

Maya Adivi - Beauty Mag

Vitamins are a really diverse category of molecules with a wide range of effects. They’re essential for all kinds of metabolic processes in the body, and many of them also have antioxidant properties that help reduce all external damage to the skin. 

When it comes specifically to acne, it seems that it correlates with vitamin D deficiency, although the correlation isn’t quite strong enough to suggest that vitamin D supplements could be an acne treatment. 

Some vitamins do have specific effects when it comes to acne. Vitamin A, in particular, is a leading acne treatment. As the oral medication Isotretinoin, it’s the closest thing we have to a cure to acne. 

Even in milder forms, like as topical tretinoin or retinol, vitamin A can help speed up cell-turnover in a way that unclogs pores and prevents breakouts.. 

It’s not the only vitamin with anti-acne effects, though. Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 that has skin-soothing effects. It shows a lot of promise as an acne treatment, and it’s a lot milder than vitamin A or other common treatments like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. 

2. Acne is a very complex disease that’s strongly linked to hormones, much more so than it correlates to hygiene. I think the best approach to dealing with acne is holistic. 

Following a basic skincare routine with a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen can help keep the skin as strong as possible from the outside. 

For mild acne, it can be supplemented with gentle over-the-counter acne treatments, and that’s often enough to keep things under control. 

Then, having a healthy lifestyle with a diverse, colorful diet, minimal stress, and a good amount of sleep just puts your body in a place where it can reach a balance more easily, since everything is connected.  

When the basics aren’t enough, I think it’s important to see acne as any other disease, and to visit a doctor. Sometimes, you need a medical professional to recognize the underlying causes or to prescribe a stronger treatment than what you can buy at the store.

Josie Holmes - Skinney

1. When taking any vitamin or supplement, we are helping the body's natural process and assisting in better cell function. When it comes to, treating skin concerns with vitamins it's important that you are picking out the right ones to combat concerns. 

One of my favorites is the use of probiotics to help clear up the skin and leave you glowing from the inside out. Probiotics are live bacteria found in certain foods. Prebiotics are dietary plant fiber that assist the benefits of the good bacteria already in your body. 

For skincare, it is important that you utilize both prebiotics and probiotics. The combination of the two can do wonders for the skin's barrier. The skin is the largest organ in the body and it too works in balancing good and bad bacteria. 

By keeping our skin's barrier healthy and balanced with the assistance of pre and probiotics, it can help to improve skin conditions and concerns. This also includes helping to prevent harmful external factors from creeping in and causing issues to the skin. 

Another great ingredient to help maintain healthy skin is hyaluronic acid. This can be applied topically or ingested with a pill.

2. When it comes to dealing with acne, I always ask clients about their at home skincare routine. 

Other lifestyle factors can influence the skin, such as pollution and diet habits, but a proper regimen can make dramatic changes.

Laurice Wardini - ClothedUp

1. I think vitamins can absolutely help with skin problems! Since being deficient in certain vitamins and minerals can cause skin issues, adding these back into your diet (through food or supplements) can definitely improve the skin.

However, I do think everyone's body is different, so it's important to go through trial and error to see which of these may have the best effects on your body. 

A few vitamins that are most common when it comes to improving the skin are Vitamins A, E, D, C, B13, and Zinc. 

It's also important to be cautious with this method, as certain types of vitamins can actually cause acne if you take too much. One example is Vitamin B12! Too much of this vitamin can cause breakouts. 

There are a surprising amount of foods that are fortified with Vitamin B12 (such as cereals and many plant-based milks), so many people don't even realize they're overdoing it. 

2. I'd highly recommend working on improving your gut health since this is tied to acne in so many people. Something as simple as adding a probiotic supplement to your daily schedule can improve gut health! 

Aside from a supplement, there are a few other ways to improve gut health with your diet and lifestyle changes. 

Cutting down on sugar (including artificial sweeteners), drinking less alcohol, reducing stress levels, getting regular exercise, drinking plenty of water, and eating more gut-friendly foods are all great ways to improve gut health. 

In addition to gut health, consider what in your daily routine could be causing acne. Do you sanitize your phone? Do you touch your face a lot? Do you regularly take long, hot showers? How often do you wash your pillowcase and sheets? Are you washing your face mask? 

If you pinpoint something in your life that could be causing it, try changing it and see if you notice results! A lot of people spend excess money on acne skincare products, only to realize something simple in their regular schedule is causing their acne.

Jenny Wu - Geeky Posh

1. I believe that what we put into our bodies is just as important as what we put on them when it comes to skin health. 

When I'm not eating a balanced diet and getting all my vitamins, I definitely notice a difference in my skin. 

Some that I do take are probiotics, which studies have shown can improve acne conditions on top of regulating your gut health! 

Vitamin C is great for fighting the free radicals in your body that can lead to skin aging, while Omega-3's can reduce inflammation, one of the main causes of acne! 

But we also need to be careful not to blindly take a bunch of supplements just because they all have skin benefits - it's important to check with a health provider first so that you're not causing more harm than good!

2. Change your pillowcase regularly, especially if you're a side sleeper. Bacteria can harbor in the fabric so imagine the damage done to your skin when it's pressed against that for 6 to 8 hours every night! 

Also, make sure to keep wearing sunscreen regularly. The idea that acne seems to get better after sun exposure is a facade and the inflammation caused by the UV rays will only aggravate your breakout in the long run. 

If you're worried about the sunscreen feeling heavy and making the acne worse, go with a light oil-free formula often found in Japanese and Korean brands!

Molly Thompson-Tubridy

1. Any sort of hormone imbalance affects your skin's health and appearance, Vitamin supplements / specific serums or creams help fight this.

Some of the most popular acne-fighting vitamins and minerals include Vitamin A, zinc, and vitamin E. 

• Vitamin E is often a key ingredient in most moisturizers, vitamin E helps speed up the skins repairing process as it is used as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The properties in this vitamin allow for a quicker absorption which results in any scarring / acne healing faster! 
• Zinc helps decrease the production of oil in the skin, by doing so this reduces the chance of bacterial growth and block pores. 
• Vitamin A is an antioxidant that fights free radicals, these cause cell damage which leads to wrinkles. This vitamin decreases any signs of inflammation while helping promote new skin cell growth!

2. As a lot of people know, stress causes breakouts, so the key is to get less stressed but it’s much easier said than done! I recommend regular exercise, even if it’s just a walk in the morning.

My main key tip for this however, is to make sure you clean your face before and after exercising, this helps unblock and pores and sweat glands that could cause future breakouts! 

Exfoliating is also a big recommendation but do so sparingly, over exfoliating can cause irritation and we want to be kind to our skin! 

And lastly, pop on that sunscreen everyday, even if it's gray and cloudy! Apply an SPF of 30 or higher, this helps block out the UVA and UVB rays! 

Jenni Nagle - Lipgloss + Aftershave

While Omega 3 is only one of many items on a long list, it is known to have such a positive impact on the base health of the skin, that if it’s not maximized, the skin cell’s membrane won’t be as strong. 

The membrane is what keeps moisture in and a host of other things out.

It can also aid in reducing inflammation…a key factor in addressing acne.

You’re going to have a very hard time maximizing skin health using products if the skin’s barrier function is compromised, specifically with acne.

2. Proper hydration, healthy diet, and maintaining the skin’s barrier and microbiome are all important for a healthy, beautiful skin.

Jerry Snider - All In Health And Wellness

Vitamins and minerals play an important part in our immune system and a poorly functioning immune system often results in skin issues including acne and rashes.

When we eat something that is toxic, our digestive system attempts to remove those toxins and eliminate them as waste. A poorly functioning immune system allows some of those toxins to be absorbed into the bloodstream and transported around the body. 

Our skin joins the process as another avenue in which our body disposes of toxins. These toxins then cause skin irritations and can contribute to acne outbreaks. 

Proper vitamin levels support the immune system but also help with hormone balance, a common cause of acne. 

All the necessary vitamins and minerals we need can be found through nutrition and lifestyle decisions, such as eating more of a plant-based diet and spending time outside in the sunlight and nature.

2. Removing products with animal milk and whey from the diet is the first thing to do in order to reduce acne issues. 

These products are inflammatory to the human body and cause issues from acne to asthma. It may take a few months to see the results, so don't give up too early. 

After making that change, remove products from your grooming/skin care regimen that include metals such as aluminum. Metals as commonly found in deodorants, tooth paste, and lotions. 

These metals soak into our skin and disrupt the natural release of toxins thereby causing a "traffic jam" of toxins in the pores of the skin.

Chloe Jean

1. Some studies have shown vitamin D to play a significant role in reducing inflammation. Acne is caused by a person's immune response to the normal bacterial flora on the skin. Cutibacterium acnes is a slow-growing bacteria and the root cause of acne. 

The body responds to this bacteria via an immune response. In order to evict this immune response, the body sends out a message to the immune system to activate inflammation. Vitamin D works to reduce inflammation and consequently the excess response to C. Acnes

Retinoid derives from vitamin A and functions to increase cell turnover. Increasing cell turnover helps reduce dead cell build-up in pores. When dead cells and sebum build-up in pores this provides nourishment (food) for C. Acnes to continue to proliferate and divide.

2. Over cleansing, the skin can cause dryness and a consequent increase in sebum production to compensate. This can lead to an exacerbation of acne. 

Unless otherwise directed by a dermatologist, you should cleanse twice a day with a gentle cleanser and use products that do not increase irritation and dryness.

Certain foods and stress can also increase inflammation. So it’s important to find techniques to manage stress and eat a well-balanced diet. 

A new field addressing this concern has arisen, psychodermatology. Psychodermatology deals with the close relationship that exists between dermatological and psychiatric disorders. 

There has been a number of studies demonstrating a link between mental health and physical manifestations of symptoms. 

Emily Emmens - Basik Blonde

Implementing more vitamins in my diet has done wonders for my skin and research suggests it can do wonders for yours. 

I was diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency by the doctor about a year ago and upon making a conscious effort to consume more vitamin D in the foods I was intaking, I saw tremendous improvements to my acne. 

There is plenty of research that shows that Vitamin D helps with skin inflammation, so increasing your intake can also help with psoriasis and other inflammatory concerns. 

Vitamin C is another one that can transform your skin if consumed regularly. Its high antioxidant properties help protect and even reverse the signs of aging, sun damage and can promote skin healing. It's an essential dietary component for fighting acne. 

While vitamin C and D can help reduce breakouts and inflammation, a better, nutrient-rich diet overall is going to yield maximum skin benefits. 

2. Increasing your water intake and sticking to a primarily whole food, plant-based diet can do more for your skin than dermatologist-prescribed creams. 

I have made these changes in my own life and credit them for most of the improvements I have seen in my skin. 

Your skin is the largest organ in the body and just like every other organ, what you feed it determines its overall health. That's why a whole-food, plant-based diet is the best way to promote clear and radiant skin. 

This will help you ensure you are intaking a sufficient amount of vitamins and nutrients while also avoiding inflammatory foods linked to acne.

Contrary to popular belief, dry skin can actually cause irritation, increase oil production and further promote breakouts.

With plentiful water intake, your skin will have the functionality it needs to protect and heal and your sebum production can be regulated.

Mindy Green - MG Beauty

1. Vitamins can be beneficial in treating acne.  People are very ingredient conscious now and want clean products. Simple skin care routines based on natural ingredients are ideal. 

Vitamin C is an anti-inflammatory and can be used to brighten the skin. It also kills bacteria that can cause acne. 

Another example is Vitamin A. Topicals with vitamin A are also known as retinols. Retinols have been known to be effective in the treatment of acne and anti-aging.  

A deficiency of Vitamin D has been linked to more breakouts. 

Vitamin E has been known to help clear breakouts and smooth skin. 

2. One thing you can do to improve your skin is drink more water.  The skin is the largest organ of the body, and our bodies need water to function properly. 

The next thing you can do is wash makeup off before going to bed. Sleeping in makeup can give the dirt, oil and bacteria that collects on your face a chance to clog pores at night. Clogged pores lead to breakouts.

From a diet standpoint, consider cutting out sugar and dairy. Both are known to be inflammatory foods and eliminating them can help with hormonal acne. 

Last, make sure you add Zinc to your routine. Zinc can help reduce the amount of oil produced.  Lower oil production reduces the chance of clogged pores which leads to acne.

Thank you so much to all the beauty experts that have contributed to this expert roundup! Please share this post with your friends and followers on social media.