Which is better...Supplements or skincare?

If you’ve been a longtime follower, you’ll know I’m a fan of collagen powders, fish oils, multivitamins and probiotics too. But, do they deliver more bang for your buck in terms of results for your skin?

Throughout my career as an aesthetician, it’s become more and more apparent to me that in order to have a healthy, radiant and youthful complexion, we need to take care of the inside as well as the outside.

In last weeks blog for example, we talked about the gut-skin connection. Ensuring your tummy is happy, significantly reduces inflammation in your body which can help to reduce skin concerns such as acne, psoriasis and eczema. So I often recommend probiotics for clients struggling with these conditions.

However, when it comes to reducing skin ageing, my go-to supplement recommendations are collagen powders and omega 3. The collagen powder supposedly boosts your natural production, making your skin appear firmer and more toned and omega 3 helps to keep your skin soft, supple and bouncy, to combat age-related dryness.

But...there is one major drawback. When you ingest these supplements, they will be distributed around your entire body as opposed to just your skin. Collagen powder for example will also help to keep your joints soft and supple, whilst omega 3 boosts brain health too. Although these extra benefits are brilliant, it does mean the impact on your skin is significantly diluted.

This explains why science continues to prove that in order to see transformative results in your complexion, topical skincare products are essential.

The 5 Minute Kit for example, is packed full of youth-boosting ingredients such a retinol (a type of Vitamin A), Vitamin C and Vitamin B3. Each one is designed to help turn back the hands of time by reducing wrinkles, sun damage and balancing moisture levels.

As the products are applied directly to your skin, you get the full impact of each individual vitamin, without it having to be shared amongst your other vital organs. So in other words, it’s the most efficient and effective way to see external results.

For this reason I look at my supplement routine more like an insurance policy. It’s not there to dramatically enhance my outward appearance, but rather keep my body in great working order so it doesn’t cause my skin to deteriorate faster than it should.

My skincare products then swoop in to correct any current damage and prevent more occurring in the future. This targeted, outward approach is the secret to keeping my complexion glowing, lifted and youthful for decades to come.