ask your pharmacist

back to: pharmacy | ask your pharmacist

What vitamins and minerals are good for dry skin?

A lack of any one of several different vitamins and minerals can cause skin disorders, such as dry skin. To treat your dry skin, try taking a multivitamin with 100 percent of the daily value of the essential vitamins, in combination with over-the-counter creams and lotions. A multivitamin and mineral combination such as drugstore.com multivitamins provides some added coverage for possible deficiencies.

Too little vitamin A can cause dry, cracked skin, that can even result in an infection. The vitamin A contained in most multivitamin products should be enough to prevent dry skin that's caused by too little vitamin A. Be careful not to take more than 5,000 IU of vitamin A daily. High doses can lead to serious side effects, including headache, double vision, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and liver damage.

Sources:
Forbes, G.M. "Micronutrient status in patients receiving home parenteral nutrition," Nutrition 13 (1997).
Silverman, H.M., J.A. Romano, G. Elmer. The Vitamin Book. Bantam Books, 1999.
Drug Facts and Comparisons, Facts and Comparisons, 2000.
The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Pharmacists Letter Inc., 2000.

This answer prepared 5/15/00.