Taking care of your skin externally with treatments and skincare products is essential, but did you know that what you put in your body is just as important? Your diet can have a drastic impact on skin health and appearance.

A good diet full of health and nutrition can not only make your insides feel great but it is actively reflected in healthy, glowing skin. In contrast, a poor diet can cause a wealth of problems like acne and blemishes. Here’s what you need to know about how your food and drink choices can affect your skin and what you need to be eating for healthy-looking skin.

Fine Lines and Wrinkles

The elasticity of your skin is determined by the collagen and elastic that lies just under the surface of your skin. Anything that damages these proteins can cause fine lines and wrinkles, making you look older. Types of food linked to this are those with high sugar content like doughnuts and other cakes and pastries.

Foods that are good for promoting collagen production are healthy oils and omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and nuts. These foods and other healthy proteins can encourage collagen production to give you smoother skin and help to prevent wrinkles.

Moisture Levels

When you are dehydrated, it shows in your skin. Drinking plenty of water is one of the easiest and healthiest habits to get into to promote skin health. Your organs need moisture from the water you drink to stay healthy, and your skin is the largest organ of the body. Using a good moisturiser externally on your skin is excellent for treating dryness, but ingesting plenty of water ensures that moisture you lose throughout the day via sweat and other natural processes is replenished.

To get that dewy, hydrated skin look, make sure you get enough fluids throughout the day by drinking water or eating fluid-rich food like fruit and vegetables.

Redness

Skin redness is a common complaint, but do you know what could be causing it? If you find you often wake up with redness on your skin after a night at the bar, that could be your answer. Alcohol can cause your skin to become red, parched, and blotchy, either straight away or by morning.

Hydrate yourself with plenty of water to put the lost moisture back in the skin.

Acne and Breakouts

Acne is widespread in adolescents due to hormonal changes, but it can follow many people well into adulthood, and our diets could be a big reason for this. Foods that are high in fat or refined carbohydrates can cause chronic inflammation throughout the body. This chronic inflammation has been linked to various health issues, including acne and skin breakouts. Typical foods that are said to cause acne include chocolate, pizza and chips.

While it can be tough to think about giving up our food favourites, consider significantly limiting your intake of these kinds of foods. Try to have an unhealthy meal just one day a week and eat a well-balanced, healthy diet the rest of the time.

Food to Promote Healthy Skin

If you want to change up your diet to better take care of your skin, here’s what you need to be incorporating into your diet:

• Fish

Fish is an excellent source of protein that can be used to build collagen and elastin. With omega-3 fatty acids, fish can help to reduce inflammation. All fish contain omega 3, but they are found in abundance in fish like salmon and trout. Aim for a few fish meals per week.

• Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are essential for our bodies and skin health. Choose from a variety of colours, as they are a good source of vitamin C, which your body needs to produce collagen. Many fruits and veg also contain carotenoids, which can be converted into vitamin A needed for skin cell reproduction. These vitamins will also act as antioxidants to help fight the formation of damaging free radicals.

• Good carbohydrates

Try to remove carbohydrates from your diet in the form of sugars and replace them with good ones found in fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. By decreasing sugar, you reduce the amount of insulin in your body, which can lower oil and acne production.

• Nuts and seeds

For another source of omega-3 fats and a good snack to have when you’re feeling peckish, consider nuts like almonds and walnuts and seeds like flax and chia. These are all excellent sources of selenium, a mineral that acts as an antioxidant that promotes good skin health.

Your diet is just one aspect of your life that could be impacting your skin’s appearance, but there are many other factors to consider, like physical health and factors out of our control like air pollution. If your skin has seen better days and you would like to find out about cosmetic treatments that can help you get back your youthful glow, ASC can help. We have a cosmetic skin clinic in Belfast, Jersey and Guernsey. Contact us today to find out more.