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Supplements for Fresher Ageless Skin

By:
Victoria Dolby Toews, MPH Victoria Dolby Toews has been a health journalist for two decades; her latest book is Life After Baby: Rediscovering and Reclaiming Your Healthy Pizzazz ($18.95, Basic Health, 2012).
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If you're noticing a few unwelcome changes in the mirror--such as crow's feet, laugh lines, and

dry, rough skin--then it might be time to check out three supplements that have the research to prove they could help you defy your age.

1. Collagen

Collagen, a type of protein, gives skin that stretchy yet firm feel associated with youth. As collagen production lessens with time, skin develops wrinkles and loses its plumpness. You can supplement your body's dwindling collagen supply with supplements or skin products containing collagen to help keep skin firmer and smoother.

2. Silicon

The trace mineral silicon works in a few ways to keep skin younger looking, including by helping your body form connective tissue. Taking silica, or a bioavailable form of silicon called orthosilicic acid, can roll back the clock on sun damage. A 2005 study showed that after five months of taking 10 milligrams (mg) of orthosilicic acid a day, women developed softer, smoother, more elastic skin. The women's hair and nails were significantly less brittle by the end of the study too.

3. Ceramides

Ceramides, fats found in the top layers of skin, can be taken as a supplement to help the skin retain moisture. Studies in women find that ceramides taken daily can help correct dry skin by upping moisture levels in the skin. Ceramides in a topical moisturizer have been shown to help women being treated for acne by preventing skin dryness and irritation that can develop with that treatment. 

Sources

“Effect of Oral Intake of Choline-Stabilized Orthosilicic Acid on Skin, Nails, and Hair in Women with Photodamaged Skin” by A. Barel et al., Arch Dermatol Res, 2005

“Moisturizers and Ceramide-Containing Moisturizers May Offer Concomitant Therapy with Benefits” by C.W. Lynde et al., J Clin Aesthet Dermatol, 2014 

“Oral Supplementation of Specific Collagen Peptides Has Beneficial Effects on Human Skin Physiology: a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study” by E. Proksch et al., 2014;

“Oral Intake of Specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides Reduces Skin Wrinkles and Increases Dermal Matrix Synthesis” by E. Proksch et al., Skin Pharmacol Physiol, 2014