Many of my patients, older than 40, ask me what products to use on their skin to keep it from showing signs of aging. Although there are products I would recommend to keep skin youthful looking, there are plenty of natural remedies and solutions that prevent skin aging from the inside out. Paying attention to what you put in your body nutritionally can really pay off in helping your skin stay young. Here’s what I recommend:
Prevent Aging Skin with Good Nutrition
You’ve heard the old adage, “You are what you eat?” It’s true. With inadequate nutrition and exposure to toxic substances, your body falters and starts to break down. The first places those toxic changes are seen are your skin, nails and hair.
A part of good skin care to combat aging involves what you do on the surface of your skin. However, the majority of SkinCell PRO what keeps your skin youthful and strong looking comes from what you put in your body nutritionally. Combined, they work together to help reverse aging skin. Here are 10 of my best nutritional recommendations for maintaining healthy, youthful looking skin.
1. Limit Sugar intake: The #1 worst offender in keeping skin healthy in youthful. A diet high in refined sugar (candy, sweets, processed foods containing sugar), or even too many high glycemic carbohydrates like white potatoes and rice, or alcohol, produces an acidic environment in your body. That acid eats up collagen, the connective tissue that holds your skin taut. When the collagen breaks down in your skin, it sags and creases and wrinkles begin to show up. I recommend omitting all refined sugar from your diet, or cutting it down to a once a week treat. Switch out high glycemic starches for lower ones. Limit alcohol to 3-4 glasses of wine a week.
2. Vitamin A: As beta carotene, you need about 3,500 units a day to keep skin healthy. Helps repair the skin and keeps it from becoming dry and flaky. Good food sources include winter squash, carrots, kale, sweet potatoes, and apricots. Many skin care creams contain Retinol, a derivative of Vitamin A to help reduce appearance of wrinkles.
3. Vitamin C: A super antioxidant that helps build collagen and elastin in the skin by fighting the free radicals that destroys them. Works with vitamin E to prevent sun damage. Get at least 500 mg of Vitamin C a day from citrus fruits, red and green peppers, collard greens, broccoli, and kale. Can also be applied topically in serums or creams – a good one is Camu serum.
4. Vitamin E: Another powerful antioxidant, which helps fight free radical damage that can lead to dryness and wrinkling. Vitamin E ointment can also be applied to the skin to work on the surface to reduce wrinkles and reduce scarring from wounds, and heal burns. Good food sources include almonds, sunflower seeds, and avocados.
5. Selenium: An antioxidant mineral, helps prevent free radical damage and maintain skin elasticity. Selenium is also thought to prevent skin cancer as it protects skin from UV light damage. Soils in the Midwest are particularly deficient in selenium, so if you live there be sure to supplement 100 and 200 mcg a day.
6. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: These help lubricate the skin from inside and fight inflammation in skin cells. They also help repair skin and keep it supple and elastic. Coldwater fish like salmon, and mackerel are good sources of Omega-3’s, as are flax seeds or oil, or Omega-3 supplements.