How to Take Care of Your Skin: Tips to Maintain Healthy Skin from the Inside†

Healthy skin is something we all strive for. The good news is that taking care of your skin both inside and out can help support your natural beauty. However, it's common to wonder how to keep supporting skin health as you age. While topical skin care products and cleansers can be a beneficial part of your routine, skin maintenance begins on the inside with nutritional support. Nutrition, vitamins, and supplements are all factors you should consider if you want to support healthy skin over time. Let’s explore simple, science-backed ways to keep supporting your healthy skin every day.^†

Why Maintaining Healthy Skin Starts from Within

Our skin is our most prominent outward-facing organ, and it’s an exterior appearance that can reflect what’s happening on the inside. That means our skin health is very reactive to our overall health and nutritional status. So, taking care of yourself with a whole-body perspective, not just your face, is a key step in keeping our skin healthy.

This can take many forms, such as antioxidant sources to help combat oxidative stress, vitamins that support key skin compounds, and proteins that play a role in our skin health. Internal nutritional support is one of the key foundations of our skin, so if you’re looking for ways to help keep skin healthy, starting with your diet and nutrients can make a difference.^†

Essential Vitamins to Support Your Skin

When learning how to take care of your skin, keep an eye on these essential vitamins for skin health for nutritional support as you age.^†

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an "A-plus" choice for skin health support, and it’s not too hard to include in your daily routine. We get carotenoids from food sources, which are precursors to vitamin A that our body converts into this essential vitamin. Sources of carotenoids include leafy greens, carrots, and sweet potatoes. We can also get preformed vitamin A from food, mostly from animal products such as beef liver, fish, eggs, and dairy products.^[1]†

Vitamin C

Vitamin C, commonly found in the form of ascorbic acid, is an essential vitamin that supports skin in several ways. Vitamin C is a key component of collagen production, the most common protein in our skin. Vitamin C also functions as an antioxidant, helping to neutralize free radicals in the body. Where can we get vitamin C? It’s most famously found in citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and lemons, but vitamin C is also found in bell peppers, strawberries, and other fruits and vegetables.^[2]†

Vitamin E

If you’re looking for a productive way to support your skin health, look for sources of vitamin E. This essential vitamin supports healthy skin, working alongside vitamin C as an antioxidant to protect skin from oxidative stress. Vitamin E can be found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, and leafy greens like spinach.^[3]†

Biotin

Biotin, also known as vitamin B7, is another essential nutrient that supports healthy skin. Biotin is a B vitamin, which means it plays a key role in the cellular energy production cycle. It’s important to understand that skin health starts from within, so aim for regular dietary sources of this essential vitamin. You can find biotin in your diet in eggs, nuts, seeds, and legumes.^[4]†

9 Lifestyle Tips to Help Maintain Healthy Skin

Taking care of your skin requires taking a whole-body approach. Here are some key habits to guide you on how to get healthy skin.

1. Stay hydrated throughout the day

Hydration is key to many parts of our health; there’s a reason it’s widely known that humans are mostly water. Keeping up with your hydration supports your skin by allowing it access to all the water it needs and helps it function at its best.

2. Eat a balanced, nutrient-dense diet

The best way to get your vitamins and minerals is by eating a balanced, nutrient-dense diet. When looking for foods for healthy skin, keep an eye out for whole foods rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, biotin, zinc and collagen-supporting nutrients. Including sources of these nutrients in your diet may help support healthy skin from within.^†

3. Prioritize consistent, quality sleep

When you’re trying to support your overall wellness, it's easy to forget the importance of quality sleep. It makes sense: our lives are busy, and in the pursuit of doing more, we can unintentionally encroach on the time we need for rest. Rest is important because it supports the body’s natural repair processes, which are key to maintaining all our cells, including skin cells.^[5] Try setting a consistent bedtime routine, turning off screens in the hours before bed, and engaging in restful activities like reading or taking a bath to help your body prepare for restful sleep.

4. Support stress management

Stress management and quality sleep often go hand in hand. The stresses of modern life can build up and seem insurmountable, but taking active steps toward healthy stress management practices like meditation or gentle movement can help support overall wellness, and overall wellness is often reflected in your skin health.

5. Incorporate regular physical activity

Exercise and skin health? They’re more connected than you might think. Regular physical activity, whether that’s going for a jog, doing sit-ups, or playing your favorite sport, supports healthy circulation and gets the blood pumping. Circulation is important for many things, including skin, as it transports the nutrients and materials our skin needs for nourishment.

6. Include healthy fats in your meals

While some may view “fats” as a negative word, including amounts of healthy fats in your daily diet is actually an important step toward supporting your skin health. Foods like salmon, nuts, and avocados contain healthy fatty acids and oils that support the skin’s natural barriers and moisture balance.^[6] Be sure to include sources of unsaturated fats in your diet to nourish your skin.

7. Be consistent with your nutrient intake

Consistency is key: instead of loading up on vitamins one day and neglecting them the rest, aim for a balanced diet every day for the best benefits. Your body requires consistent sources of nutrients to use them effectively. The ideal way to do this is to include nutrient-dense foods in your regular diet, but due to schedules, travel, or limited food availability, this can sometimes be difficult to achieve. Dietary supplements can provide a convenient, consistent source of skin-supporting nutrients to help maintain healthy aging skin.^†

8. Avoid smoking and limit alcohol intake

While there are easy lifestyle choices that can support your skin health, others can be detrimental. Avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol intake can help support your body’s natural ability to maintain skin wellness, alongside many other health benefits.^[7]

9. Be mindful of extreme environments

Sometimes the environment can be just as much a determinant of skin wellness as everything else. Very dry, very cold, or very hot air can place stress on the skin over a long period of time. Using what you can to control these factors, such as humidifiers or air conditioning, can help support your skin's comfort and reduce stress on your skin cells. And be sure to apply sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun's UV rays. Following these habits can help keep skin supported and healthy.

How to Choose Supplements for Skin Support

When choosing a supplement for skin support, consider your lifestyle habits and any dietary gaps. Discussing your diet with a doctor or registered dietitian can help you identify possible nutrient gaps. Nature Made offers a variety of hair, skin and nails vitamins and supplements, including our Advanced Hair, Skin & Nails Gummies, which provide biotin, vitamins C and E, pro-retinol A^▲, and niacinamide to support your beauty from within.^†

If you’re looking for a vitamin E supplement, check out our Vitamin E d-Alpha Softgels. If you want a multivitamin that includes many of these skin support nutrients alongside other important vitamins and minerals for overall wellness, our Advanced Multivitamins for Her and for Him provide a broad base of nutrient support. Consult with a healthcare provider before adding new supplements to your routine; they can provide personalized guidance on which supplements may be beneficial for your overall wellness.^†

Ready to Support Your Healthy Skin from Within?

Learning how to take care of your skin as you age requires several factors, including proper nutrition that includes essential skin health vitamins like vitamins A, C, E, and biotin, and healthy lifestyle choices, including adequate sleep and hydration.^†

Take proactive measures to support your skin health by considering your diet and supplement choices. If you’re looking for a supplement to support your skin, Nature Made offers science-backed ingredients to help support healthy skin as part of your daily skin care routine.^†

▲Retinyl Acetate and Beta Carotene

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References:

1. National Institutes of Health. Vitamin A and Carotenoids. Nih.gov. Published 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
2. National Institute of Health. Vitamin C. National Institutes of Health. Published 2021. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
3. National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements - Vitamin E. Nih.gov. Published 2021. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-HealthProfessional/
4. National Institute of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements - Biotin. Nih.gov. Published 2022. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Biotin-HealthProfessional/
5. Carroll JE, Prather AA. Sleep and Biological Aging: A Short Review. Curr Opin Endocr Metab Res. 2021;18:159-164. doi:10.1016/j.coemr.2021.03.021
6. Assaf S, Kelly O. Nutritional Dermatology: Optimizing Dietary Choices for Skin Health. Nutrients. 2024;17(1):60. Published 2024 Dec 27. doi:10.3390/nu17010060
7. Yazdanparast T, Hassanzadeh H, Nasrollahi SA, et al. Cigarettes Smoking and Skin: A Comparison Study of the Biophysical Properties of Skin in Smokers and Non-Smokers. Tanaffos. 2019;18(2):163-168.