The Nutrients Your Skin Needs Now

Your Skin Needs: A Smoother Texture

Eat: Vitamin A and carotenoids, found in milk, eggs, carrots, and cantaloupe.

Also known as retinol, vitamin A is required for cell growth and division. Without it, the skin can't produce new cells or shed old ones, so it can turn thick and scaly, explains Jeannette Graf, MD, an assistant clinical professor at New York University Medical School. While vitamin A is found in animal-derived products -- meat, milk, eggs -- certain kinds of carotenoids, or plant pigments, in fruits and veggies can be converted into vitamin A by our bodies. Beta-carotene, the stuff that gives carrots and cantaloupe their orange tint, is a good example of a pro-retinol.

Aim For: 700 mcg a day (about 2 cups of dark leafy green veggies or 2 1/2 cups of brightly colored fruit).