Best Acne Supplements & Vitamins – Risks and Benefits

Acne can strike at any age, and though it’s associated with hormonal teenagers, it affects an estimated 50 million Americans each year.

Acne tends to get worse during hormonal imbalances (like puberty) when your skin glands produce more oil than usual and clog your pores, causing spots.

Pimples and spots come in many forms – from blackheads to cysts – and can be notoriously hard to get rid of, even if you’re taking acne supplements.

Acne is a common skin disease and can be caused by many factors, such as hormonal changes, inflammation or stress, so curing it is a lot more complicated than covering your face with zinc cream. What’s more, acne can affect almost anyone – young and old, healthy or frail – so skin hygiene should be a concern for us all.

Because acne is such a common complaint, there has been much research into medications and treatments that can prevent or cure it, with mixed results. There are tons of creams and lotions designed to help with acne, but some people suffer from breakouts no matter how seriously they take their skin hygiene, so can acne supplements get rid of those pesky pimples for good?

Should you take supplements for acne?

Many people assume that factors like hormonal imbalances or bacteria cause acne and resign themselves to treating the symptoms with spot cream rather than tackling the root cause. Fortunately, there are lots of supplements that can help you treat the chemical imbalances that contribute to acne breakouts, so you could be able to take your skin health into your own hands.

Suppose you’ve been suffering from acne for an extended period or get regular breakouts (perhaps around a particular time of the month?). In that case, you could benefit from acne supplements designed to tackle the root causes of this disease, like hormonal imbalances or nutrient deficiencies.

Do acne pills really work?

Because your skin is the largest organ in (or on) your body, many scientists believe that your skin health could be directly affected by your inner health and your diet in particular. Research suggests that dietary supplements can significantly reduce symptoms of acne, especially when they address deficiencies of vitamins and minerals.

Therefore, if your acne is caused by a shortage of zinc, for example, then zinc supplements should clear up your skin dramatically! However, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that common ingredients in acne supplements – such as magnesium, omega-3 and probiotics – are effective at treating acne, so the benefits might be caused by the holistic benefits of these nutrients rather than the acne-busting power of zinc supplements.

What supplements are good for acne?

As we explained earlier, acne can be caused by a variety of factors, from nutrient deficiencies to hormonal imbalances, stress and more. Therefore, it’s difficult to treat the root cause(s) of a disease when you don’t know exactly what’s causing it.

Fortunately, many acne supplements are formulated to tackle different causes of acne, including:

Supplements for acne scars

When you think your acne breakouts can’t get any worse, they can sometimes leave you with scars, but the good news is that you can treat them with supplements, such as:

Acne Supplement Risks

While most of the supplements listed above are essential nutrients – making them not only well-tolerated but vital for your overall health – some may have unintended side effects. For example, certain supplements can cause flare-ups and even worsen acne symptoms in some instances, including:

Vitamin B12

While vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal and dairy products and is essential for overall health, excessive levels can disrupt acne-causing bacteria, triggering breakouts and reminding us that we should take acne supplements in moderation.

Iodine

Iodine is an essential nutrient commonly added to dairy products, but too much can worsen inflammatory acne because it strengthens the immune response to infection and bacteria.