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Article: Why Calcium is Essential for Glowing Skin: Top 3 Reasons to Add It to Your Routine

Why Calcium is Essential for Glowing Skin: Top 3 Reasons to Add It to Your Routine

Why Calcium is Essential for Glowing Skin: Top 3 Reasons to Add It to Your Routine

Most people think of calcium as important for bones and teeth, but calcium is also essential for healthy skin. Without enough calcium in your diet, your skin can become dry and sensitive or prone to skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis (Hildebrand, 2019).

Hi, I'm nutritionist Karen Fischer. In this free report, you’ll learn:

  • Why calcium is the best beauty secret for glowing skin

  • How your skin care routine could fail if you are deficient in this essential mineral

  • How calcium affects eczema (atopic dermatitis) and psoriasis

  • Calcium myths busted (watch the video)

  • Best dosages and calcium types to get the results you want

Here are the top three ways calcium keeps your skin glowing and healthy. 

 

1.Calcium Creates a Strong Skin Barrier

You skin barrier is what keeps your body safe from microbe invasion and it locks in moisture so your skin stays supple and soft. It's your body's fortress and it cannot work properly without calcium.

Calcium is essential for building and maintaining a strong skin barrier. This barrier is made of skin cells and fats, working together like bricks and cement to protect your body.

How does calcium help your skin barrier?

Calcium helps to guide the production of skin-smoothing fats and it directs skin cells to move from the deeper layers of your skin to the surface, where they form a tough protective layer (Lee, 2018).

 

  • When your skin barrier is damaged—which is common in conditions like eczema—calcium levels in the skin change (Elias, 2002). This signals the skin to release fats and other protective substances that help to repair your skin barrier, making it strong and resilient again.
  • In dry or low-humidity conditions, calcium helps to thicken the skin barrier so your skin is better at holding onto moisture, reducing the risk of cracks and skin infections (Sun, 2015Hildebrand, 2021), which is important for overall skin health.

So your skincare routine could fail if you are deficient in calcium because it's the foundation for skin barrier health.

 

2.Calcium Supports Skin Hydration

Calcium plays an important role in keeping your skin hydrated and smooth. As mentioned, within the skin's top layer, calcium helps to produce fats that form a barrier to prevent water loss (Lee, 2018).

When calcium levels are balanced, this barrier stays strong, keeping your skin soft, smooth and hydrated. However, when the skin is low in calcium, it may struggle to retain moisture, leading to flaky skin, dryness and sensitive skin.

This is especially helpful for those with sensitive skin or conditions like eczema, where hydration is key (Hildebrand, 2021). By supporting the skin's natural moisture barrier, calcium helps your skin to maintain a healthy level of hydration, giving it a plump and glowing appearance.

So calcium is an essential nutrient for skin hydration, as fats can't effectively hydrate your skin without calcium.

 

3.Calcium Controls Skin Cell Turnover

Calcium is crucial in regulating skin cell turnover, which is the process of shedding old skin cells and making new ones. This cycle, known as  keratinocyte differentiation, keeps your skin looking fresh and young and it prevents clogged pores.

 

Diagram: Keratinocyte differentiation is the process by which immature keratinocytes (skin cells that produce keratin) mature and transform as they move from the basal layer of the epidermis to the surface, eventually forming the protective outer skin barrier.

  • Calcium is not only for people with dry skin conditions, people with oily skin or acne should take calcium to keep pores unclogged.
  • For people with psoriasis, this skin cell turnover process speeds up too much, leading to flaky patches as skin cells build up faster than they can shed (Manning, 2022).

The good news is calcium helps to keep skin cell turnover at a normal pace, which may reduce the incidence of flaky skin, so the skin appears smoother.

Calcium also supports the development of new skin cells, making it a valuable mineral for anyone with eczema or psoriasis or those looking to keep their skin bright and resilient (Yeh, 2020).

Calcium for Eczema and Psoriasis

Research shows that low calcium levels may be linked to conditions like ageing skin (Celli, 2022), eczema and psoriasis (Yeh, 2020). One study found that people with psoriasis often have lower calcium levels than those with healthy skin (Qadim, 2013).

Another study by Hildebrand and colleagues (2021) found that children with eczema were more likely to have lower dietary calcium intake than those without eczema. While more research is needed, adding calcium to your diet could help support skin health in people prone to skin rashes or dry and sensitive skin. Avoid taking excess calcium as minerals should be taken in sensible amounts (refer to the video at the end of this blog). 

Calcium is also involved in other skin functions, like controlling sweat glands and immune responses (Manning, 2022). So it may help to support skin health in people with immune system dysfunction. 

By including calcium in your skincare routine—whether through diet or supplements—you can strengthen your skin barrier, improve skin hydration, and support glowy skin that is less flaky and more radiant.

Calcium with magnesium and vitamin K2

For those with sensitive skin or skin disorders, getting enough calcium, along with magnesium and vitamin K2, may improve overall skin resilience. If you're looking for a reliable source of calcium, designed specifically for skin health in mind, consider Skin Friend PM Mineral Matrix, a patented supplement to support skin health with calcium, magnesium and vitamin K2. Watch the video, below, to find out why taking calcium with these nutrients magnifies your results.

Dosages and Best Types of Calcium

Watch the Calcium Myths Busted video (below) to discover the best forms of calcium to take and learn about safe dosing. You could be making these mistakes and it could be costing you your health. 

Blog References

Institute of Medicine (US) Committee to Review Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin D and Calcium; Ross AC, Taylor CL, Yaktine AL, et al., editors. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011. 2, Overview of Calcium. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56060/

Cashman KD. Calcium intake, calcium bioavailability and bone health. Br J Nutr. 2002 May;87 Suppl 2:S169-77. doi: 10.1079/BJNBJN/2002534. PMID: 12088515. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12088515/

Manning D, Dart C, Evans RL. Store-operated calcium channels in skin. Front Physiol. 2022 Oct 5;13:1033528. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1033528. PMID: 36277201; PMICID: PMC9581152.

Yeh YC, Lin YP, Kramer H, Perekh AB. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in Orai 1 associated with atopic dermatitis inhibit protein turnover, decrease calcium entry and disrupt calcium-dependant gene expression. Hum Mol Genet. 2020 Jul 21;29(11):1808-1823.doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddz223. PMID: 31600783; PMCID: PMC7372555.

Celli A Tu CL, Lee E, Bikle DD, Mauro TM. Decreased Calcium-Sensing Receptor Expression Controls Calcium Signaling and Cell-To-Cell Adhesion Defects in Aged Skin. J Invest Dermatol. 2021 Nov;141(11):2577-2586. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2021.03.025. Epub 2021 Apr 20. PMID: 33862069; PMCID: PMC8526647.

Elias PM, Ahn SK, Denda M, Brown BE, Crumrine D, Kimutai LK, Kömüves L, Lee SH, Feingold KR. Modulations in epidermal calcium regulate the expression of differentiation-specific markers. J Invest Dermatol. 2002 Nov;119(5):1128-36. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1747.2002.19512.x. PMID: 12445203.

Sun R, Celli A, Crumrine D, Hupe M, Adame LC, Pennypacker SD, Park K, Uchida Y, Feingold KR, Elias PM, Ilic D, Mauro TM. Lowered humidity produces human epidermal equivalents with enhanced barrier properties. Tissue Eng Part C Methods. 2015 Jan;21(1):15-22. doi: 10.1089/ten.TEC.2014.0065. PMID: 24803151; PMCID: PMC4291214.

Hildebrand H, Simons E, Kozyrskyj AL, Becker AB, Protudjer JL. Calcium Intake in Children with Eczema and/or Food Allergy: A Prospective Cohort Study. Nutrients. 2019 Dec 12;11(12):3039. doi: 10.3390/nu11123039. PMID: 31842448; PMCID: PMC6950300.

Karvonen SL, Korkiamäki T, Ylä-Outinen H, Nissinen M, Teerikangas H, Pummi K, Karvonen J, Peltonen J. Psoriasis and altered calcium metabolism: downregulated capacitative calcium influx and defective calcium-mediated cell signaling in cultured psoriatic keratinocytes. J Invest Dermatol. 2000 Apr;114(4):693-700. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1747.2000.00926.x. PMID: 10733675.

Lee SE, Lee SH. Skin Barrier and Calcium. Ann Dermatol. 2018 Jun;30(3):265-275. doi: 10.5021/ad.2018.30.3.265. Epub 2018 Apr 23. PMID: 29853739; PMCID: PMC5929942.

Qadim HH, Goforoushan F, Nejad SB, Goldust M. Studying the calcium serum level in patients suffering from psoriasis. Pak J Biol Sci. 2013 Mar 15;16(6):291-4. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2013.291.294. PMID: 24498793.

 

Reference for video

Rondanelli M, Faliva MA, Tartara A, Gasparri C, Perna S, Infantino V, Riva A, Petrangolini G, Peroni G. An update on magnesium and bone health. Biometals. 2021 Aug;34(4):715-736. doi: 10.1007/s10534-021-00305-0. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID: 33959846; PMCID: PMC8313472.

van Ballegooijen AJ, Pilz S, Tomaschitz A, Grübler MR, Verheyen N. The Synergistic Interplay between Vitamins D and K for Bone and Cardiovascular Health: A Narrative Review. Int J Endocrinol. 2017;2017:7454376. doi: 10.1155/2017/7454376. Epub 2017 Sep 12. PMID: 29138634; PMCID: PMC5613455.

Research outreach, Calcium ions and healthy skin: Key process gives insight for future skin therapies

Li K, Kaaks R, Linseisen J, Rohrmann S. Associations of dietary calcium intake and calcium supplementation with myocardial infarction and stroke risk and overall cardiovascular mortality in the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study (EPIC-Heidelberg). Heart. 2012 Jun;98(12):920-5. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2011-301345. PMID: 22626900.

Houston M. The role of magnesium in hypertension and cardiovascular disease. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2011 Nov;13(11):843-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-7176.2011.00538.x. Epub 2011 Sep 26. PMID: 22051430; PMCID: PMC8108907.

Bourgoin BP, Evans DR, Cornett JR, Lingard SM, Quattrone AJ. Lead content in 70 brands of dietary calcium supplements. Am J Public Health. 1993 Aug;83(8):1155-60. doi: 10.2105/ajph.83.8.1155. PMID: 8342726; PMCID: PMC1695147.

National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium, Fact Sheet for Health Professionals retrieved from

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/

Blancquaert L, Vervaet C, Derave W. Predicting and Testing Bioavailability of Magnesium Supplements. Nutrients. 2019 Jul 20;11(7):1663. doi: 10.3390/nu11071663. PMID: 31330811; PMCID: PMC6683096.

Kappeler, D.; Heimbeck, I.; Herpich, C.; Naue, N.; Höfler, J.; Timmer, W.; Michalke, B. Higher bioavailability of magnesium citrate as compared to magnesium oxide shown by evaluation of urinary excretion and serum levels after single-dose administration in a randomized cross-over study. BMC Nutr. 2017, 3, 7.  

Jeon YS, Yu S, Kim C, Lee HJ, Yoon IY, Kim T. Lower Serum Calcium Levels Associated with Disrupted Sleep and Rest-Activity Rhythm in Shift Workers. Nutrients. 2022 Jul 22;14(15):3021. doi: 10.3390/nu14153021. PMID: 35893875; PMCID: PMC9331058.

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