Acne is a major cause of low-self-esteem and even depression among people all over the world. Though reasons as to why and how acne crops up are manifold, for example – hormonal changes, stress, improper diet, or genetics; a balanced and nutritious diet is really important for clear and healthy skin.

Vitamins form an important part of your diet and help control and cure acne. Your body needs different vitamins for different reasons, and lack of vitamins can be one of the reasons of acne break-out, particularly among teenagers.

If you are taking some treatment to cure acne, a good vitamin rich diet must be on high priority in your routine. Though all vitamins are good for health, those particularly good for acne control are - vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin E.

Some vitamins are good antioxidants that help remove toxins from your body. For example, vitamin B helps in keeping skin clean and healthy. This leads to cleaning of skin pores and quick healing of acne. Sufficient intake of vitamin A is extremely important for acne control.

Foods rich in vitamin A are required for repair of skin tissues and help in reducing the sebum production. Moreover, vitamin A is a good antioxidant and removes toxins from your body. So, in a way, lack of vitamin A in your diet may lead to acne.

Vitamin B is a combination of many vitamins, and all B vitamins consists of different substances and have different role to play in dealing with acne. Vitamin B comprises of vitamin B1 (Thiamine), vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), vitamin B3 (Niacinamide), vitamin B5 (Pantothenic), vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), and vitamin B12 (Cobalamin).

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) is a good antioxidant and it removes any toxins and free radicals from your body and skin. It helps in better circulation and keeps your skin clean, fresh and healthy.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) helps in maintaining healthy skin and nails. It works with vitamin A and keeps the digestive system in proper order. If you have severe acne problem, you might be having deficiency of vitamin B2.

Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide) helps in metabolic activities of body that ultimately leads to a clean and healthy skin. You are less likely to have acne if you take sufficient amount of vitamin B3 in your diet.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) helps in reducing stress significantly. Besides, it helps in proper functioning of adrenal glands.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) helps in improving the immune system of your body, and adds to your ability to fight against infection and diseases. The deficiency of vitamin B6 too may lead to acne.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) helps in keeping your skin healthy and clean as it works with other vitamins.

Apart from B vitamins, vitamin C should be an extremely important part of your diet. Vitamin C helps in metabolic activities in your body, including tissue growth and repair. Food items rich in vitamin C increase your immunity, and enable your body fight against infection.

Vitamin E too is an antioxidant and helps in healing and repair of broken skin.

There are a variety of natural substances that are rich sources of these vitamins. Amla or Emblica Officinalis is the richest resource of antioxidant vitamin C, and is beneficial for a number of ailments, including dealing with acne. B vitamins are found in green vegetables, cereals, and milk. Vegetable oils, spinach, olives, nuts and asparagus eggs contain good amount of vitamin E, should be a part of your regular diet.

Though a vitamin rich diet may not be sufficient to deal with severe acne, it keeps the acne in control. And if you have mild acne, it leads to quick recovery. Almost all the vitamins remove toxins from your body leading to healthier skin. Moreover, some vitamins are antibacterial as well; these resist formation of new pimples on your face and thus help in preventing acne. If you are taking some treatment for acne, always consult your diet routine with your doctor and change your food habits, as suggested.

While taking vitamins, you need to be careful about a few points. Sometimes, it may not be possible to eat any particular protein rich diet, for example – cereals and dry beans. Try to maintain a balance with nutritious food items and vitamin supplements. Relying only on supplements for extra vitamins should be discouraged as you may suffer from hypervitaminosis. Excess intake of vitamins may lead to flaky skin and may cause worsening of acne. The benefits of having vitamin A start fading away as soon as you discontinue taking it. So, consult your doctor if you plan to use any vitamin A rich supplements for acne control. In some cases, if the dose of vitamin B6 is a little more than suggested by the doctor, it may cause menstruation cycle problems for women.