Beta-carotene; my new favorite vitamin for clearer skin and reduced wrinkles!

I spent most of my late twenties going to bed without even washing my face and I would still wake up to clear skin. I now cringe thinking about how bad this was for my skin long term, but I would love to have that luxury again…..until recently!

A while back I was reading when I came across a section about the benefits of taking beta-carotene for clearer skin. Essentially it stated that taking a large dose of a beta-carotene supplement can clear skin even better than the traditional acne medications that are prescribed.

Now hold on, because this can get confusing. Beta-carotene belongs to the carotenoid classification of the “vitamin A family”. There are two different types of carotenoids; those that can be converted into vitamin A in our body and those that can’t. Beta-carotene belongs to the first group and is converted to vitamin A in our body. It is typically found in plant sources. Carotenoids (like beta-carotene) that convert into vitamin A in our body are considered to be powerful antioxidants that decrease free radicals within our body. Unlike the type of vitamin A called “preformed vitamin A”, beta-carotene is non-toxic and can be taken in large doses.

According to The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book, “The type of vitamin A prescribed to treat severe forms of acne medically is a synthetic form of vitamin A called cis-retinoid acid.” This form was developed to be less toxic than other active forms of vitamin A, but toxicity can still occur with this synthetic version.

Before writing a post about this, I wanted to check this out for myself. I was struggling with the occasional breakouts and was excited to see if this would help. Sure enough, it has been about six weeks and I really do notice a difference in my skin. I don’t break out as easily at all and I’ve barely had an issue since starting my regimen. I of course can’t provide you with any medical advice or guidance, but according to the The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book, taking anywhere between 50,000 International Units (IUs) and 100,000 IUs can help with acne. The authors, Lieberman and Bruning, suggest starting out at either 50,000 or 75,000 IUs a day and increasing up to 100,000 IUs after a few weeks if an improvement isn’t noticed.

Growing up on the lake and loving the sun, I spent way too much time in it. Due to this, I now have a few wrinkles on my chest. I was shocked to recently see that they’re really improving too! This was never my intent in adding the beta-carotene (although it should have been), so I was really surprised and excited! Lieberman and Bruning state “Studies show that oral and topical applications of antioxidants- including beta-carotene- can diminish free radical tissue damage.” I also take other vitamins (like vitamin E, an antioxidant) so part of the improvement is likely from that as well.

Cheers to your health!

Bruning, Nancy, MPH & Lieberman, Shari, Phd, CNS, FACN. The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book. Penguin Group. New York. 2007