More Youthful Skin Without Chemical-Ridden Creams
We all dread looking older. Wrinkles have become a sign of fragility. We do everything we can to prevent those crevices from appearing. We slather creams all over our face that claim to give us fresh, vibrant, and younger-looking skin without checking the label to see what we are really exposing our bodies to.
(In case you didn’t know, your skin absorbs the things you put on it through your pores. So those chemicals don’t just stay on the top, they seep in and affect your body.)
Some go to extremes where they have surgical procedures done to stretch their skin back out and smooth the lines that could’ve been taken care of in a much easier (and less risky) fashion.
The simplest, safest way to a fresher-looking face is more wholesome food choices. In other words, the healthier you eat, the better you’ll look.
Here’s why…
The Gut-Skin Axis: Why What You Eat Affects How You Look
Your gut and skin both have microbiomes. You have several other microbiomes throughout your body, too. The microbiota from each microbiome cross-talk with the others and give your body a simple means of communication from one area to another.
The microbiota themselves (the bacteria and other living organisms that build up a microbiome) have an effect on each other via their cross-talking mechanisms. Your microbiota also affects the rest of your body with their byproducts. These little helpers go out like troops for war to repair, maintain, and fight for your health.
When you eat, your body needs to metabolize the foods you take in. As a result, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are released as a byproduct. When ROS accumulate they send your body into oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes aging in all forms such as disease and wrinkles.
By eating foods that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, we are able to balance the ROS and (you guessed it!) signs of aging.
Taking Care of Your Largest Organ
It’s weird to think about your skin as an organ. Generally, we picture our stomach or spleen as the word organ, but our skin is actually the largest and most exposed organ of our bodies.
Your skin is composed of three levels: epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous layer. Each layer has a special function to help maintain your health.
The epidermis, the most exposed level, is broken down into four layers: stratum corneum, granular layer, spinous layer, and the basal layer. Your cells in these layers help to regenerate your skin.
The dermis is the middle skin level and is made up of connective tissue. Fibroblasts are the major cells in this level that are important for keeping your skin looking soft, springy, and most importantly creaseless. Fibroblasts help to secrete and synthesize your collagen, elastin, and other proteins that give your skin that youthful bounce. These cells are also important in helping the skin to heal from injury and preventing future damage.
The subcutaneous layer is basically a fat layer that helps to keep your body warm and protect your hair follicles. This layer is important for energy metabolism and hormone secretion.
All three layers work harmoniously together to keep your body safe from the outside world — making it the first line of defense against everything it comes into contact with externally.
Supporting Your Skin Integrity and Health Through Diet Alone
We know that stress and improper sleeping habits can cause a more aged appearance to our skin. Then there’s UV rays and pollution exposure that add to our struggles. Most of these, while manageable, feel inescapable.
Our diet is one of the things that we can control a little bit more without many valid excuses as to why we aren’t doing what we are supposed to do. Here are some dietary needs to keep in mind when you’re looking to boost your skin health.
Water
Water is one of the most important elements that our bodies need. Dehydrated tissues look sunken and shriveled up. Think about a flower when it doesn’t have enough water. It starts to shrink, get wrinkled, and eventually, the tissues give way. But well-hydrated flowers look lush, fresh, vibrant, and beautiful. Water will do the same for all of your organs, including your skin.
Water also helps with reducing inflammation which often contributes to wrinkles when the inflammation calms down.
Trace Elements
Trace elements are elements found in very small quantities in our bodies. However, they’re essential to our health. Some of the important trace elements for our skin health include iron, iodine, zinc, and copper. They all help with the proteins in your skin and therefore a healthy balance of these elements (in the proper doses) helps our bodies to remain youthful.
Vitamins
Vitamins A, B, C, D, and E are all important for your skin health. You’ll often hear skin products boasting about how they contain retinoids or retinol. This is actually one of the forms of Vitamin A.
- Generally, Vitamin A will fight the effects of the sun on your skin.
- B Vitamins help with pigmentation and aging.
- Vitamin C helps with collagen synthesis.
- Vitamin D also helps against sun damage but also helps with DNA repair.
- Vitamin E helps with skin repair and fights chemical and UV damage.
Fatty Acids
Omegas 3 and 6 are great for fighting oxidative stress. Fatty acids are often given a lot of attention as to why the Mediterranean diet is so effective in improving health and disease. Olive oil, fish, and avocados are great sources of fatty acids.
When it comes to skin health they fight oxidative stress which improves skin cell regeneration and reduces inflammation.
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are one of the most-studied, natural anti-aging properties. We get polyphenols from all foods that are derived from plants. When we digest them, their byproducts are used throughout our bodies as antioxidants and other important helpers.
Polyphenols help reduce inflammation and help to rewind the time on our skin health.
Collagen
Collagen is a protein that helps to maintain the integrity of your dermis (that middle layer of your skin we talked about earlier). Collagen is found in animal products we consume like meat, tendons, skin, and bones. When we consume collagen, it helps our bodies to stimulate the fibroblasts into synthesizing the collagen to help boost the structures of our skin.
You can now take collagen supplements as well, just make sure you look for the NSF certified badge that Atrantil carries. If they have this badge you know it’s the real deal and you aren’t being exposed to more dangerous chemicals. Collagen supplements are considered generally safe to consume with no known side effects at this time.
Collagen supplements have also been proven on more than one occasion to improve the appearance of wrinkles better than placebo groups.
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are an attractive choice when it comes to improving gut health. Prebiotics help to tighten the intestinal barrier by feeding your good gut bacteria (which allows them to fight off the bad). Tightening the gut barrier helps improve the skin barrier and reduces systemic inflammation. All of these things make your skin healthier and more vibrant. Products like Atrantil are great for prebiotic and postbiotics.
If you haven’t noticed by now, it takes a well-rounded diet to keep your body healthy. When your body is healthy, your skin (and hair and nails) will reflect that on your outward appearance. You’ll be beautiful on the inside and out.
Eating healthier, exercising regularly, managing stress levels, and making sure you have good sleeping habits will all improve your skin health. What are you going to do to try looking more revived and youthful? Let us know in the comments section below!
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