Selenium and Acne

Acne can be a pernicious and difficult skin condition to treat. These days its highly important to have clear skin in our incredibly visual world and having even moderate acne can be socially inhibiting. Most of us expect our acne to clear up once we graduate high school and mostly it does, but for some of us acne persists or reoccurs frequently. Sometimes acne can affect an adult into their fifties.

There are many products on the market to aid in the fighting of acne, but one simple way to reduce the appearance of acne seems to be getting a better diet higher in certain vitamins and minerals. Of these Selenium is one that can help clear up and prevent further acne.

Selenium is a mineral present in much of our environment and it enters our food chain via plants. We as humans can obtain Selenium by eating plants containing the mineral and by eating certain kinds of meat high in it. Selenium content in the soil varies in many places so you may not always get the same amount of Selenium from two of the same food product. The mineral is usually present in grains, nuts, garlic, mushrooms, orange juice, shellfish and chicken. There are also many other types of food containing Selenium.

Selenium increased in your diet via food or supplement works to alleviate acne by boosting the antioxidant properties of Vitamin E. So if you plan on taking supplements you should also make sure you get Vitamin E as well. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that resides primarily in the skin tissues. As such its primely located to catch free radicals such as bacteria which can cause acne.

Vitamin E also acts to prevent oxidation of the fats in your body by oxygen (which is also part of what makes it good for your heart) and can help to reduce tissue irritation and inflammation in this manner.

Selenium works by increasing the bodies absorption of Vitamin E and with more Vitamin E your body’s skin has more antioxidant support. Selenium also has antioxidant properties itself and it can help support your heart, liver, lungs and red blood cells.

The recommended daily intake of Selenium is fifty five micrograms and the recommended daily intake of Vitamin E is fifteen milligrams. Some scientists also believe that you should add Vitamin A to this mix for the most beneficial results to your skin.

In the case of acne supplementation some suggest you take between two hundred and four hundred micrograms of Selenium a day. However four hundred micrograms is the upper limit of tolerance to this mineral and anything more than that you will start to develop symptoms of overdose. These symptoms can include hair loss, nausea, depression, and anxiety. Its always best to consult your doctor about finding the right dosage of Selenium, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A for you to treat your acne. Once you begin taking Selenium in combination with regular washing and perhaps a medicated cream you should notice improvement in about twelve weeks.

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