Acne Free – Nutrition Matters

The key nutrients required for healthy skin are Vitamin E, Vitamin B complex, Zinc, Magnesium, Selenium, Vitamin A and the essential fatty acids. These all work in combination to strengthen the immune system and aid in the prevention of acne.

It has been shown that acne responds to zinc supplements. Like Vitamin E, Vitamin A aids in hormone productions and helps maintain the integrity of the mucous membranes and the digestive track. Vitamin A aids in the growth of skin teeth bone and improves the immune system function.

Vitamin A has been used very successfully in the treatment of severe acne, however it should be noted that in high concentrations it can be very toxic to the body and should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor.

Selenium is popular for its cancer preventive properties; however research has shown that if taken in conjunction with vitamin A and vitamin E, selenium can reduce the severity of persistent acne and help reduce scaring. Selenium must be taken under the direct supervision of a doctor since if taken in the wrong quantities it can cause toxicity in the body. Selenium is usually found in foods rich in protein such as poultry, fish, meat, seeds, cereals and other grains. In vegetables it is found in garlic, mushroom and asparagus.

Essential fatty acids keep the skin healthy. Zinc rich foods and essential fatty acids when taken together have been shown to improve the acne condition. The body cannot produce the essential fatty acids on its own and as such it has to be derived in the form of an outside source like flaxseed oil. In the treatment of acne the essential fatty acids work by thinning the sebum, which clogs the follicle and thus causes acne.

The foods that contain the essential fatty acids are wheat germ and soybean oil for example. Tuna, salmon and walnuts are also rich in the EFA’s but the large amount of iodine that they contain is not good for acne.

Magnesium is helpful because it helps in reducing stress and thus reduces the formation of the extra hormones, which triggers the sebaceous gland to produce extra sebum. Some magnesium rich foods are green vegetables, bananas, potatoes and seafood’s.

Many herbalists believe that eating a balanced clean diet and having adequate levels of the basic nutrition’s should be one of the first steps in treating acne. In the absence of these nutrients, food and toxins produced by the metabolic process that do not get completely processed end up getting eliminated through the skin as acne or eczema.

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