Diet and Skin

You’ve probably heard that you are what you eat. Not only is this true, but sometimes, what you eat, will show up on the outside. What I mean is, sometimes when you eat poorly, your skin broadcasts it to the world. For example, eating greasy foods and chocolate can, for some people, produce acne.

Your skin is the biggest organ of the integumentary system in your body. It has many layers of ectodermal tissue and its main function is guarding the internal organs, muscles, and bones. We mentioned acne earlier, but what is it? Acne is a disorder of the turnover of skin cells, which is called keratinization. When this turnover doesn’t occur properly, it leads to retained cells. This leads to blocked oil glands and pores and trapped protein and sebum, which is your skin’s natural oil, under the skin. Those proteins and oils feed p. Acnes, also known as, Propionibacterium acnes which is a gram-positive human skin commensal that prefers anaerobic growth conditions and is involved in the pathogenesis of acne.

Now that we’ve covered what acne is, let’s talk about what foods to focus on to produce healthy and nice looking skin. Possibly the most important thing is drinking lots of water. While there may not be specific science relating water consumption to healthy skin, we do know that drinking water aides in digestion and excretion of toxins.

Other foods that are great for skin include fatty fish, avocados, nuts, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and green tea. Foods that are high in natural fats, such as, fish and nuts, are good for your skin. Fish contains high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids, which helps reduce inflammation. Furthermore, fatty fish is a good source of vitamin E, which is a very important antioxidant. Avocados are high in fats that help keep your skin moisturized and flexible. Additionally, avocados contain compounds that some say help protect your skin against harmful UV rays. Nuts, in general, are good for you with their high fats, but walnuts and sunflower seeds are particularly good for you. Walnuts are high in omega 3 and omega 6 fats. Sunflowers seeds are high in vitamin E.

You may have heard that Broccoli is a superfood. Among its powers is the protecting your skin. Broccoli contains zinc, vitamins A, and C. Further, it contains a carotenoid, lutein, which works like a beta-carotene. Lutein protects skin from oxidative damage. Sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene and it functions as provitamin A, which turns into vitamin A in your body. This functions as a natural sunblock for your skin. Also high in beta-carotene, red and yellow bell peppers. Not only are they high in provitamin A, they are also high in Vitamin C, which is imperative to create collagen, which keeps skin strong and firm. Tomatoes contain carotenoids, such as: beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene. These protect your skin against wrinkles and sun damage. Pairing tomatoes with a high fat food such as cheese will help your absorption of carotenoids. Green tea is another amazing antioxidant, which means it helps protect your skin against sun damage.

That was a lot to get through, and certainly you won’t be consuming all of it. But, now that you know what foods are good at promoting your skin’s health, you may try to incorporate them or increase your intake of them. While you’re at it, you might consider cutting out foods that are not going to help your skin’s health. Foods that qualify as junk food or are high in trans fat. While chocolate sometimes can lead to acne problems for some, dark chocolate, on the other hand, can be a good chocolate to consume. It’s high in antioxidants. But everyone is different, so certainly something that works well for your skin may not for your friends or family. Lastly, we realize that your diet isn’t fully responsible for your skin’s health. Environment/climate, stress, and genes, are all contributing factors. We encourage you to take care of your skin with facials. Facials will help reset your skin and combined with a healthy diet, can really restore your skin to its peak health. Also, during the month of October and November, our Highlands Ranch location is offering a pumpkin facial that's 20% off! Perfect timing!