Nutrition, Skin, and Weight Loss: Here’s What You May Be Noticing as the Pounds Fall Off

The foods you consume are directly reflected in the appearance of your skin, with compelling evidence showing that eating the right nutrients can support your skin’s ability to heal, maintain its moisture barrier, resist inflammation, and reduce fine lines while also allowing your hair to grow strong and shiny.

This explains why many patients who are on a strict diet or medical weight loss program become frustrated, even as the number on the scale goes down. They’re consuming less food to lose weight, which can also reduce their intake of essential nutrients for skin and hair health in the process. The result: some people experience dry skin, flare ups, more wrinkles, and hair loss.

If you’re not happy with your overall appearance as you’ve lost weight, it may be worth taking a look at what you’re eating—or not eating. You could be depriving your body of what it needs for healthy skin and hair.

How nutrition supports healthy skin and hair

Nutrition is responsible for several important mechanisms that keep skin healthy, as well as the hair’s ability to grow and stay strong, such as:

Supporting the skin’s moisture barrier
Controlling systemic inflammation
Aiding in healing and cell turnover
Carrying oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles to allow growth

Certain nutrients, vitamins, and minerals help support these mechanisms. These include:

Omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats are present in foods like avocados, salmon, beans, and almonds. They help to keep the skin hydrated, which allows the skin barrier to do its job of blocking out environmental irritants and allergens. Omega-3s also calm the inflammatory response that triggers acne and eczema flares.

Antioxidants. Antioxidants help counteract cell damage from UV rays and environmental stressors. Each type of antioxidant has its own superpower.

Vitamin A is essential for skin cell production and repair. Getting enough of it is a great way to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and acne. Sweet potatoes, carrots, leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach), and dairy products all contain Vitamin A.

Vitamin C plays a critical role in collagen production. It also helps to protect the skin from sun damage and promotes wound healing. Food sources include brightly colored fruits and veggies like oranges, lemons, grapefruits, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, and spinach.
Vitamin E has moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties and protects skin cells from oxidative stress that leads to accelerated aging. Nuts, seeds, spinach, avocados, and vegetable oils have Vitamin E.

Protein. Protein is not only the primary building block of muscle; it’s essential for skin health, providing the amino acids needed to produce collagen, elastin, and keratin — all of which ensure skin firmness and structure, as well as healthy hair. Protein is found in eggs, fish, meat, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, and beans.

Zinc. Zinc is a mineral that supports the skin’s ability to heal and regenerate. It also regulates oil production in sebaceous glands, which helps to reduce the severity of acne and keeps oil glands around hair follicles functioning. You can get zinc by eating beef and poultry, shellfish, nuts, seeds, and legumes like chickpeas and lentils.

Iron. Iron helps transport oxygen to hair follicles and skin tissues, which promotes growth and repair. Iron also boosts collagen production for improved skin elasticity, prevents hair thinning, and can help maintain a radiant complexion. Beef liver is one of the best sources, but you can also get it from other red meat and poultry as well as plant-based sources like leafy greens and beans.

Common nutrition-related skin problems in weight loss patients

In weight loss medications that work by curbing appetite, it’s common for patients to eat about 50% of what they normally would. If meals aren’t carefully planned or the wrong types of food are eliminated, that’s when symptoms of deficiencies show up. Here’s what’s going on if you notice skin or hair changes, and how you can try to improve symptoms.

Dry, flaky, itchy skin. Dry skin means you’re likely not getting enough Omega-3 fatty acids to hydrate the skin. You probably also need more Vitamin A, C, D, E, and zinc to improve the skin’s barrier function and oil production. Try adding more salmon, avocados, spinach, and sweet potatoes to your diet, and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Hair loss. Many patients start to shed hair within two to three months of beginning a medicated weight loss program, in part to hormonal changes from the medication, but also from metabolic stress. But inadequate intake of protein, iron, and zinc can make shedding even worse. Eat more eggs, meat, and beans and you might see less hair in the shower drain.

Slower wound healing. If you have sores or cracking from psoriasis, or other skin wounds, it’s likely you’ll experience slow healing or re-opening of the wounds if you have nutritional deficiencies. Protein is essential for collagen synthesis and immune function; Zinc facilitates scar formation; Vitamin A is responsible for new cell growth; and iron delivers oxygen to the wound site for healing. Implement all of these in the form of meat, leafy greens, seeds, and lentils and you’ll likely see an improvement.

Facial volume loss. Saggy skin (often referred to as “Ozempic Face”) is often seen in patients on weight loss medications because of the rapid loss of subcutaneous fat in the face and neck. While the body’s natural process of producing new collagen can sometimes help to firm loose skin, it becomes far more difficult when you’re not getting enough protein and Vitamins A, C, and E. You can help facilitate the process by eating more poultry, citrus fruits, nuts, and seeds.

Rosacea and Psoriasis Flare ups. Certain medical weight loss meds have actually been found to have anti-inflammatory effects that can reduce psoriasis plaques and rosacea outbreaks, but good nutritional choices are crucial for such improvement. Since dairy can sometimes cause inflammation, you may experience flare ups when eating a lot of dairy. Refined grains and fatty red meat may also be a culprit when flare ups occur. Try implementing more whole grains, fish, vegetables, and fruits to see an improvement.

How to tell for certain what your skin needs

Good nutrition isn’t the only way to achieve great-looking skin and hair, but it certainly helps, especially when combined with a treatment plan from a board-certified dermatologist who understands medical weight loss. A knowledgeable doctor can examine your diet and do blood tests to help determine if you’re missing key vitamins and minerals that could help you achieve smoother, clearer, more youthful skin. If nutrition alone doesn’t seem to be the culprit, we can recommend changes in your skincare routine, products that can help, or treatments that can reduce symptoms.

Book an appointment with your trusted, local dermatologist.