Healthy Skin - It's an Inside Job

Healthy skin is a reflection of overall wellness, there’s no doubt that there’s a clear connection between skin and health: the better your health, the better your skin. Of course, taking care of your skin itself is still important, but the secret to more youthful, radiant skin is as simple as a few tips working from the inside out. 

Omegas Equal Mega Skin Benefits

Some of the best ingredients for skincare can be found in the aisles of your local supermarket, including foods containing omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty acids in omega-3 help keep the membranes of your cells healthy and strong, keeping out harmful materials and keeping water and nutrients in. The benefits don't stop there, with powerful anti-inflammatory properties its an internal remedy for acne, psoriasis, and eczema. Try adding salmon, walnuts, tuna, and flax seeds into your diet. 

Water, Water, Water

If you get dehydrated, you’ll see that dehydration in the form of tight, dry, flaky skin. Lack of elasticity makes the skin more prone to wrinkles. You don't have to worry as long as you're drinking enough of the right fluids, remember that the water you get from foods — especially water-filled fruits and vegetables — counts too.

Stress Relief

Stress isn't good for any part of the body, but can trigger skin break outs. Here’s a few suggestions to lower the effects of stress on your skin:

Exercise releases endorphins which are like nature's painkillers, except they kill stress as well. 

When you get enough sleep, your body produces less cortisol — the stress hormone. Cortisol can actually break down collagen, so less cortisol means smoother, more elastic skin.

Whether it's yoga, deep breathing, journal writing, or meditation, have a go-to stress reliever that works for you. 

Taking ten minutes out of your day to do something for yourself that you enjoy can help calm you. 

Going for a brisk walk or a jog, even a brief one, can relieve stress by triggering the nerve cells in the brain that calm the senses. 

Whole Foods

Getting the recommended daily value (DV) of vitamins and minerals will help reduce inflammation and nourish your skin cells. 

Exercise

Exercise promotes healthy skin in several ways. First, a workout pumps blood, improving circulation and, specifically, blood flow to the skin. Better blood flow means more nutrients and oxygen, which help keep skin cells healthy and vital. 

Second, a good sweat is like a free mini-facial. When your body warms up and sweats, your pores dilate. As your skin excretes sweat, dirt and oil come with it, cleansing your pores in the process. 

Third, exercise keeps the skin elastic and looking young. Research shows that exercisers who were 40 years and older, found that the dermis, the middle layer of the skin that helps skin keep its shape — resembled the dermis of a 20- or 30-year-old. The dermis was thicker and healthier than skin of sedentary people of the same age. 

Don't yet exercise consistently? Even better news, those that follow a basic exercise program, 30 minutes, twice a week, for three months, will give your skin the elements of youth. At the end of the 3 month period, the outer and inner layers of the skin resembled the skin of 20- to 40-year-olds, even though at the time of testing the skin resembled skin of the participants who were 65 or older; 

"ACE" Your Vitamins

Your skin will reap the benefits from any vitamin, however, for skin-specific benefits, Vitamins A, C, and E have proven especially powerful. Vitamin A, also known as retinol, promotes skin-cell regeneration and suppresses the sebaceous gland, your skin's oil producer. Look for Vitamin A in orange foods, including sweet potatoes and carrots.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps build collagen and promotes tissue repair and growth. You can find Vitamin C in broccoli, bell peppers, and kale.

Vitamin E, another antioxidant, prevents your skin cells from aging prematurely and helps regulate Vitamin A levels. Sunflower seeds, almonds, and avocado are all excellent sources. 

Substitute Fresh Fruit for Sugar ...

Sugary foods and simple carbohydrates trigger an insulin spike that can cause inflammation. If you crave carbs and sweetness, a good way to trick your taste buds — and benefit your skin — is to reach for fresh fruit instead. 

... But Don't Give Up Chocolate

Yes, you may have to curtail your sugar intake, but you get a pass with dark chocolate. Cocoa has a hydrating effect on the skin, improving its elasticity. As a bonus, dark chocolate also has flavonols, especially potent antioxidants. For greatest benefit to your skin, snack on dark chocolate containing 70% cacao or higher. 

Drink Green Tea

When you consume green tea, you bulk up on antioxidants, which combat inflammation. If you add a bit of orange or grapefruit juice to green tea, you'll keep the antioxidants in your body longer, giving them more time to work for you. 

Beef Up on Your Protein

Protein makes up a large part of the skin. Collagen and elastin — two critical building blocks of skin — are both proteins. Needless to say, consuming enough protein is an important part of keeping your skin healthy. A protein-centric diet has also shown the ability to reduce the inflammation contributing to acne. To boost your intake, go for low-fat protein sources, such as seafood, poultry, low-fat dairy, and eggs.

Remember that your skin's health starts from the inside.. You should notice a significant difference in your skin's health if you introduce these ten tips to your internal skincare regimen. The right foods, liquids, and lifestyle choices will do more for your skin than treatments alone But to keep your skin looking its best, you can't neglect the exterior. Bookmark our blog page and read our next instalment for favourite treatments.