I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “you are what you eat.” It’s true! What we put into our bodies is reflected in our skin. We all know that eating healthy foods will give us more energy and make us look better, but did you know that what we eat affects how healthy our skin looks? From acne to wrinkles to dryness, many things can affect your complexion. If you want healthier skin, take a step in the right direction by reading this article on secrets for healthier-looking skin.
Why Is It Important to Have Healthy-Looking Skin?
Healthy, glowing skin is important for two reasons. First, it’s often one of the first things people notice about you. But more importantly, your skin tells a story about the kind of person you are on the inside.
Your skin is your largest organ, and it can tell a lot about what’s going to happen to other organs in your body if they’re neglected and ignored. Your complexion can also know if you’re healthy or not. With good circulation and enough water and nutrients, your skin will be bright and glowing—a reflection of who you really are on the inside!
But poor health habits that neglect the skin (caffeine overindulgence, smoking, poor sleep hygiene, etc.), can show up as dark circles under the eyes, dullness, blotches on the skin, or worse—skin cancer. So neglecting your skin may eventually lead to poor health in other parts of your body as well, and conversely, neglecting your overall health can damage your skin.
How Do I Naturally Make My Skin Look Healthy?
There are many ways to achieve younger-looking skin, that range from what you put in your body to what you put on your skin. We recommend high-quality, effective skincare for the latter, but there are other helpful ingredients for your skin that can be found in your kitchen.
Some easy ingredients you can use are cucumbers, honey, and oatmeal. Cucumbers offer an instant boost of hydration to the skin because they help with dryness and also help remove dirt and debris from the pores. Honey is rich in antioxidants that protect against free radicals, which cause premature aging of the skin. Oatmeal is a natural source of skin-soothing vitamins A, B1, B2, E, and D, as well as minerals like zinc and selenium. It also contains beta-glucan molecules that act as natural anti-inflammatories to reduce redness and irritation on the skin.
What foods are good for your skin?
The foods you eat can have a significant impact on the health of your skin. There are many foods that are good for your skin, but some are better than others.
One of the essential nutrients for healthy skin is zinc. Zinc plays a significant role in cell growth and repair, which is why it’s an essential mineral. It would help if you tried to get as much as 15 milligrams per day to ensure that your body gets what it needs to maintain its optimal health. Seaweed is also a great natural source of zinc and vitamin C, which is another nutrient that helps with collagen production and wound healing.
It’s not just about what you eat, though, because what you drink matters too! Drinking lots of water will help keep your skin hydrated and looking fresh all year long. Please stay away from sugary drinks like soda or juice since they actually make your skin more susceptible to acne breakouts by causing excess oil production.
Tips for Healthy-Looking Skin
Eat a healthy diet
Each of the three steps to a healthier-looking complexion is important, but I’m going to start with food. You can’t look healthy if you’re not giving your skin what it needs. So how do you do that?
First, you need to know about macros and micros. Macros are the major food types that your body uses: proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Micros are those vitamins and minerals that your body does have to break down before they can be absorbed into your system.
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding which nutrients you should be consuming. A basic rule to follow is to eat a variety of macro foods. Including plenty of fresh fruits and veggies will help you get your required micro ingredients too, but you will want to consider supplements also (for example, vitamin c for collagen support, and krill oil for preventing dryness; see below).
Wear your sunscreen
We all know that sun exposure is one of the worst things for your skin. , Even in wintertime when you think you’re safe from UV rays, sun exposure can lead to premature aging of the skin by reducing collagen production and causing skin discoloration and dark spots (and let’s not forget the role of the sun in skin cancers).
The key to preventing sun damage is wearing sunscreen every day, regardless of the weather. Not only is this important for your skin’s health, but it’s also important for preventing skin cancer!
Sunscreen isn’t just for summer—it should be worn year-round, even if you’re inside but working in a naturally-lit room (as UVA rays can penetrate glass). We recommend mineral (AKA ‘physical’) sunscreens. For a review of sunscreens, see Dr. Tracey’s guide to choosing sunscreens.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking water is important because it helps hydrate your skin from within. If you’re not drinking enough water each day, it’s going to be reflected in the quality of your skin. The cells in your skin can’t function properly without a good supply of water.
Staying hydrated will help keep your skin looking its best and feeling healthy. It also helps remove toxins from your body.
Drinking plenty of water is an easy way to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need for healthy-looking skin. The usual recommendation is to make sure you’re getting 64 ounces (8 glasses) of water per day, but note that includes what you’re drinking in tea, coffee, etc, and what you’re taking in from foods. Nevertheless, we suggest you drink at least half that amount (4 glasses) in water—and please! Avoid bottled water, which is not only AWFUL for the environment, but may even contain microplastic contaminants. Instead, invest in filter system—and fill your own aluminum bottle to take out with you.
Use a gentle cleanser
One way to keep your skin healthy is by using a gentle cleanser. Gentle cleansers are specially formulated for sensitive skin. They also minimize the risk of irritation that can occur with regular soap or harsh products that could potentially affect skin texture. When choosing a cleanser, look for one with moisturizing agents and vitamin E. These ingredients will help keep your skin moisturized and hydrated while still removing dirt and oil buildup. Be sure to avoid ones with artificial colors or fragrance, which can be irritating to the skin. Synergie’s Biocleanse is a perfect example of a gentle cleanser.
Exfoliate light and properly
The last and often most forgotten step in a healthy skincare routine is exfoliation. Exfoliating not only removes the surface layer of dead skin cells but can also unclog your pores and give you an overall healthier-looking complexion.
Exfoliators can be both serums/cleansers and gadgets. Synergie has an AHA/BHA exfoliator, a non-acid exoliator, and a scrub with exfoliating crystals. In the gadget category, Clarisonic has popularized cleansers with brush heads that focus on exfoliating the skin to remove the topmost layer of dead skin cells, gently lifting away oil and other impurities from your skin without stripping it of moisture.
When selecting a product for an excellent at-home exfoliation, look for something that is gentle enough to be used daily without irritating your skin or leaving redness behind. If you have sensitive skin, you should avoid granular scrubs with superfine particles because these tiny particles can cause micro-cuts on the surface of your skin or inflammation around large pores. You should also avoid acid exfoliators (but Luciderm, which contains no AHAs or BHAs, is a great choice for sensitive skin).
Avoid hot showers
Unless you’re sweating or dirty, taking a hot shower or bath is not necessary. This is because the hot water opens up the pores and lets in moisture and dirt, which can clog your skin and lead to dryness and peeling. Instead, take a warm or cool shower or bath to open your pores while also keeping them clean.
Quit smoking
Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your skin. It does irreversible damage to your body, and it’s awful for your skin health because it causes wrinkles, dullness, and premature aging.
Smoking causes premature skin aging by inducing collagen breakdown—and collagen is a major factor in maintaining youthfulness in your skin. Not only does smoking cause wrinkles, but it also makes them worse. Smoking slows down circulation, which means that oxygen doesn’t get to the cells as quickly. This means that fewer nutrients are being delivered to the cells, leading to slower cell turnover and damaged skin cells.
If you care about how healthy your skin looks now and in the future, quit smoking now!
Take vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most important nutrients for skin health. It helps to create collagen, which provides structure to your skin. Vitamin C also helps build healthy cell membranes to protect your skin cells from free radicals, which can damage the skin cuticle and lead to wrinkles.
Vitamin C is itself an antioxidant that ‘mops up’ free radicals and protects you against harmful environmental hotspots like cigarette smoke, air pollution, and ozone. When you’re not getting enough vitamin C in your diet, your body won’t be able to produce enough collagen or repair cells as quickly as it would if it wasn’t lacking this essential nutrient.
Some examples of food high in vitamin C are citrus fruits (like oranges), tomatoes, broccoli, and kale.
Get enough sleep
If you’ve been feeling exhausted or have trouble concentrating, it might be time to look at your sleep schedule. One of the most important things you should do for your skin is getting your beauty sleep. Sleep deprivation not only damages your skin but could also affect your moods.
In a perfect world, we would all get seven to nine hours of undisturbed sleep every night. However, that isn’t possible for many people. For instance, some people might have a baby that wakes them up every two hours. Others might have a demanding job that makes it difficult to wind down before going to bed.
The best thing you can do if you’re getting poor sleep quality is try to make adjustments so you can get more rest. That could mean setting an earlier wake-up time and turning off electronics an hour before bedtime. It could also mean taking naps during the day or even making sure your room is dark and quiet when you go to bed.
Conclusion
It should be no surprise that diet and lifestyle changes really do affect the overall health of your skin. One of the most important things you can do for your skin is to make sure you’re nourishing it and giving it the right balance of water, rest, and exercise.
You’ve heard it before, but it’s true: healthy skin starts with what you put in your body. The more you take care of your insides, the more likely you’ll see the same care reflected on your outsides.
Author Bio
Dr Elin Östman is the Chief Scientist Officer of Good Idea, promoting blood sugar balance in every meal. She had spent 15 years of research identifying and testing food concepts with positive health benefits. Find her on LinkedIn.
