Healthy skin is essentail to our well being, health and comfort. As the body`s largest organ is it critical to keep it in good health. Some common skin conditions many people face are dry skin, dandruff, skin tone, acne, and in more serious cases, skin cancer. Here is a how-to guide for ensuring your skin`s health.

Dry Skin: One of the major things that affects the texture of our skin is our nutritional status. It’s essential to drink an adequate amount of water to keep the skin well hydrated, and the use of sunscreen is most important in protecting our skin. In addition, there are important nutrients which help promote healthy youthful skin such as omega 3 fatty acids. These nutrients are naturally found in fish oils, flaxseed oil, and evening primrose oil.

Dandruff: This is a skin condition which is normally best treated by medicated shampoos. However, there are people who are able to keep their dandruff under control by using mild shampoos on a daily basis and by maintaining their skin healthy in general. Dandruff is often linked to dry skin, so I would try taking omega 3 fatty acids and a multivitamin to check if there were any improvement that way before going to medicated shampoos which tend to be somewhat harsh.

Skin Tone: Skin tone is primarily genetic, however our nutritional status along with how we care for our skin will greatly affect how it looks. Vitamin C is one of the major nutrients involved in the production of new skin cells. Yet vitamin C is a one that is destroyed by heat, so many of our foods lose this vitamin just from being cooked. Dermatologists recognize the importance of this nutrient and you may recall it’s often added to many therapeutic skin treatments. However, I believe that true beauty comes from the inside out, so I think that in addition to what you put on your skin, what you put in your body will affect it too. I usually recommend making sure your multivitamin has adequate amounts of vitamin C and to include high vitamin C foods such as strawberries and broccoli in your meals.

Acne: Again, acne is primarily due to genetic predisposition but there are definitely situations which can aggravate it. We may experience acne flare ups during times when our bodies experience hormonal changes and some people believe that their acne flare ups may be even be related to stress they experience. When it comes to acne vitamin A is very important. It’s involved in protecting our skin against free radicals and it has qualities that keep the skin healthy. You may recall that prescription acne medications are very potent forms of vitamin A, and that they are so effective you need a prescription to get these. However I think that taking in enough vitamin A will also help maintain the skin at its optimum.

Skin Cancer: Some studies have suggested that vitamin E has a protective effect on cells when it comes to ultra-violet rays and DNA damage but those studies are still underway and nothing is conclusive at this time. I recommend wearing sunscreen everyday, even on cloudy days since UV rays still penetrate through clouds, and staying out of the sun during peak hours such as 10-2 p.m. And of course, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you are taking vitamin E too.