It’s true that a certain amount of skin sagging is a natural and unavoidable part of aging. However, there are also other causes of skin sagging, including vitamin deficiencies. The good news is you may not need to use invasive solutions like injectables to tighten your skin — you just need to increase your vitamin intake, either by using skincare products or by improving your diet.
In particular, there are a few vitamins you need to tighten sagging skin.
1. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is present in the layers of your skin called the dermis and epidermis. An antioxidant, it plays an important role in protecting your skin from damage from environmental factors like pollution, UV radiation, and cigarette smoke. Since your body is unable to synthesize the vitamin itself, it needs to come from your diet or through a skincare product.
It’s a good idea to increase your dietary intake of vitamin C even if you do use a cream or serum on your skin because the vitamin has so many other health benefits. You’ll find it many fruits and vegetables, including citrus fruits, chili peppers, rose hips, and parsley. In ingredients lists, it’s often called ascorbic acid.
When you’re receiving enough vitamin C, you should notice that your skin becomes more elastic. This is because the vitamin activates cells that produce collagen and regulates the synthesis of collagen.
2. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is actually a complex of vitamins called tocopherols. There are eight compounds, all antioxidants that provide protection from oxidative stress — much like vitamin C. Vitamin E prevents sagging skin by increasing collagen production, reducing the breakdown of collagen, and helping the skin retain more water. In addition, tocopherols work together with vitamin C: vitamin E helps stabilize vitamin C, whereas vitamin C boosts the anti-aging effects of vitamin E.
Increase your intake of tocopherols by eating more vegetables (especially corn), soy, and vegetable oils (like wheat germ, sunflower, and safflower). In addition, it’s worth using a skincare product with vitamin E for benefits that go beyond anti-aging. These include:
- Anti-inflammatory: If your skin is irritated, vitamin E will reduce the redness and inflammation. It’s ideal for sensitive skin if you often experience flareups. However, since all skincare products contain multiple ingredients, it’s still important to do a patch test before you apply a product to a larger area.
- Moisturizing: Helping your skin retain water doesn’t just prevent sagging — it also softens the skin and stops it from feeling dry. This improves its appearance and provides a stronger barrier.
- UV protection: Vitamin E absorbs some UV light, which provides protection against the effects of UV radiation, which include sunburn and aging skin. However, you should still apply sunscreen if you’ll be spending time outdoors.
3. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is another essential antioxidant that your body is unable to produce on its own. It plays a key role in the growth and maintenance of skin by increasing collagen production and promoting the turnover of skin cells. More collagen means less skin sagging, whereas greater cell turnover prevents dull, damaged skin and even age spots.
In skincare products, vitamin A is usually in the form of retinol or retinoid. It’s important to only apply as much vitamin A to your skin as it needs, especially if you’re using a product with retinoid, as this is the more powerful compound. Concentrations that are too high may irritate skin. In addition, you should apply sunscreen if you’ll be outside at all, as retinoid makes your skin more susceptible to sun damage.
It’s also worth boosting your intake of vitamin A through your diet, with foods like milk, eggs, cheese, liver, and fatty fish.
4. Vitamin D
Unlike most of the vitamins on this list, your body does produce vitamin D itself. However, this requires exposure to sunlight. If you don’t spend enough time in the sun, you should also increase your intake of fatty fish, eggs, or fortified foods like cereals and milk. It is also possible to apply vitamin D to the skin topically, but it’s important to make sure you don’t exceed safe levels, as too much is toxic.
People who have enough vitamin D tend to avoid signs of premature aging. This is because the vitamin repairs oxidative damage from environmental factors, which stops skin from sagging and improves its texture.
5. B Vitamins
Of the B vitamins, nicinamide (a form of vitamin B3) is likely the most important for skin health. It plays a major role in maintaining the outer layer of skin, providing a barrier against moisture loss and damage from factors like UV rays and pollution. It also combats other signs of aging —including hyperpigmentation like age spots, by preventing pigment from transferring to skin cells. Increase your intake with fish, poultry, red meat, legumes, and bananas.
It’s also important to avoid a deficiency of some of the other B vitamins, including:
- B5: Helps skin retain water to stay firm. Find it in poultry, beef, kidney, liver, and fortified cereals as well as skincare products, where you’re likely to see it named as panthenol or dexpanthenol.
- B9: Supports growth of new cells to regenerate skin. Boost your intake by eating more leafy green vegetables, fruits, beans, and peanuts. You’ll see it called folate and folic acid in fortified cereals and skincare products.
- B12: Contributes to maintaining moisture and skin cell renewal to maintain a strong barrier. It’s present in meat, fish, eggs, and diary. In skincare products, it’s typically called cyanocobalamin.
6. Vitamin K
Although it’s less common in skincare products than many others on this list, vitamin K is important for healthy skin — and a deficiency could be why your skin is sagging. One of its main functions is to increase production of elastin. In addition, it strengthens blood vessels, which reduces spider veins, broken capillaries, and dark circles under the eyes. As well as using skincare products containing vitamin K, you should eat more leafy greens.
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