Welcome back guest blogger, Sarah from Chatters Salon!
By now it is common knowledge that what you eat affects your body and organs in various ways, but there is one organ in particular that’s relationship with food is often under looked: your skin. That’s right, one of your most vulnerable parts of your body is also directly effected by what you eat, which is why nutrition is one of the first places your dermatologist will look at when creating your treatment plan. As we learn more and more about nutrition and how it effects the human body, it’s become abundantly clear that your diet can affect the appearance and well being of your skin.
Dr. Jessica Wu is a Hollywood dermatologist and registered dietician who has been practicing for over 20 years, and also has written her own guide to eating for beautiful skin. She is quoted as saying, “I tell my patients that what they put in their mouths is as important as the products they apply on their skin. Foods get digested and broken down into vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that your body can use to build healthy skin. If you crash diet or eat highly processed foods, your skin won’t be as strong and supple as it could be. For example, if you don’t eat enough protein, you are depriving your skin of the amino acids that go into making collagen (which makes your skin strong) and elastic tissue (which makes it supple).”
Here we are going to list the top tips and recommends foods to get your skin healthy and beautiful, inside and out.
Fatty Fish
Salmon, mackerel, and herring are fatty fish that are all rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids. If you are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, you can experience extremely dry skin so it is important to maintain in your diet to keep your skin supple and moisturized. It can also reduce inflammation, which causes redness and acne. Fish also is a great source of vitamin E (important for moisture) and zinc (targets inflammation, overall skin health and helps with the production of new skin cells).
Sweet Potatoes
These delicious root vegetables contain beta carotene which functions as provitamin A, meaning it can be converted into vitamin A in your body. While it is also found in other food (oranges, carrots, and spinach), sweet potatoes are the best source with just one 1/2 cup (equal to 100gram serving) containing enough beta carotene for over six human’s daily value of vitamin A. Beta carotene has another great function of protecting your skin from sun exposure, which could also then help prevent dry skin, sunburn, and cell death.
Soy
The key part of soy that makes it beneficial to skin is isoflavones. Isoflavones have many great benefits to the skin, such as reducing fine wrinkles, brightening the skin, decreasing redness, boosting collagen production in post menopausal women, and improving skin tone elasticity.
Broccoli
Broccoli contains many vital minerals and vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc, lutein, and sulforaphane. Lutein is a carotenoid that can help protect your skin from becoming dry and wrinkled by preventing oxidative damage. Sulforaphane is a powerful special compound that works in two ways: turning on the other protective systems in your body, and neutralizing harmful free radicals. Scientists also say evidence is starting to suggest that sulforaphane could also help maintain collagen levels in your skin.
Dark Chocolate
Other than being delicious, dark chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa and minimal added sugar) has some amazing benefits including some for your skin. Cocoa is high in flavanol which can help protect your skin from sun damage. Other possible added benefits of the antioxidants in cocoa are improving wrinkles, skin thickness, hydration, blood flow and overall skin texture.
While there are many benefits your skin can gain from the above listed foods, one thing we will always recommend as an additional step is sunscreen. All skin tones need SPF to help defend against skin cancer and aging, even those that rarely burn. Not all facial sunscreens are made the same, or suitable for all skin types either, so deciding which is best for you is where we can help.
We carry Dermalogica exclusively for our skincare and spa services. The Dermalogica founder Jane Wurand is quoted as saying “The single best thing you can do for your skin is to protect it from the sun”. They released a brand new facial sunscreen this year that is a new staff favourite. Invisible Physical Defense with an SPF of 30: invisible, weightless defense that blends easily on skin, featuring only non-nano Zinc Oxide. Say goodbye to thick, white residue with this physical SPF formula that provides added blue light protection and helps soothe UV-induced redness and dryness. Antioxidant Green Tea helps defend skin against free radical damage. Ideal for all skin types, including sensitive.
Visit Sarah and the team at Chatters Salon to learn more about skincare, and to pick up some Dermalogica Invisible Physical Defense!
Sarah S. Chatters Salon