The Amazing Effect Salmon Has On Your Skin

Grilled pink and plump on a cedar plank, or perched daintily atop a sushi roll, salmon sure is a pretty food. Good news — eating it will make you look and feel prettier, too. That's because salmon is great for your skin. If you don't believe us, just ask the supple-skinned Victoria Beckham, who told Net-a-Porter that the secret to her gorgeous complexion is a daily dose of salmon, which she includes in her diet on the advice of her dermatologist, Dr. Harold Lancer. "Yes; breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you have to eat it every single day," he reportedly instructed the artist formerly known as Posh Spice.

If this just sounds like celebrity chatter, be aware that leading dermatologists are happy to lend credibility to Beckham's claim, noting that the fish's omega-3 fatty acids make it a win for whole-body health and a more youthful complexion. "I consider salmon to be one of the superfoods for skin health," Dr. Rachel Nazarian of Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York told HuffPost. "When you have a high level of good fat in your body it feeds the skin and allows the skin to make this healthy oil and allows the skin to be healthier. That's what gives skin the glow."

While all salmon can benefit your skin because of the high omega-3 content, wild-caught salmon may have an extra edge. That's because these free-roaming fish feast in the oceans on krill and shrimp, which contain high levels of astaxanthin, which happens to be a great antioxidant. Astaxanthin is also what gives salmon their deep, pink hue. Of course, wild-caught salmon are pricier than farm-raised fish, which are made to look pinker using chemicals and feeds to better appeal to grocery shoppers, Time reported. If you want the full skincare benefits of eating salmon, though, you should pay full-price for the wild fish — astaxanthin also has amazing anti-inflammatory properties, according to Medical News Today. 

This is good news for your overall health, and it's especially great news for your skin. "Everybody likes to talk about how salmon keeps our skin and our hair healthy, and it's because of that antioxidant," Amy Shaprio, RD, told Well+Good. She explained that antioxidants combat the signs of UV damage while keeping you hydrated from the inside out.