Many things can take a toll on our skin, whether it be seasonal changes from cold winters with drying central heating to sizzling UV rays of the summer sun, natural hormonal changes as we pass through life stages, the environment, and even our own immune system.
Here are some of our top tips on how a good daily skincare and healthy diet can help to keep you glowing on the outside and within.
Be gentle: the top skin layer protects your body from the environment but it is delicate. Avoid rough exfoliating techniques, stripping this layer can worsen acne and dry the skin Instead use gentle cleansers – those with rose oil are particular soothing. For open wounds, manuka honey helps protect against bacteria .
Support natural elimination: a healthy liver, kidneys and digestion enable the body to deal with that may otherwise come out through the skin as spots. Helpful foods are artichoke, dandelion and alfalfa.
Eat clean: choose unprocessed wholefoods such as colourful vegetables, fruit, nuts, oily fish and avocado – they are rich in skin-supportive essential fats and antioxidants like Vitamin A, C,E manganese and zinc
Drink water: our skin contains four layers, with the cells in the upper layers being flatter and drier. Staying hydrating helps the cells stay plump and look youthful.
Golden rule: use ingredients on your skin that you’d be happy to eat – your body absorbs some of them.
How to reduce premature ageing
Sun exposure
Cells in the lower levels of the skin produce melanin, a pigment that helps to create your tan as part of protecting the skin and its DNA from UV damage. Enjoying some time in the sun is important to maintain healthy vitamin D levels, but the key is moderation.
Bare 20: Skin can protect itself from a little sun, with the palest skin having an SPF2, constantly wearing high SPF sunblock can prevent vitamin D which is important to keep normal skin health. Ideally get up to 20 minutes of sun exposure daily without sunscreen, or less if the skin turns slightly pink.
Go natural: When spending the day outside choose natural sunscreen. Coconut oil is one option that provides SPF4 and supports elastin to keep skin supple but you need to reapply frequently to benefit from its UV barrier.
Nutrient boost: sip green tea in the sun, antioxidant-rich foods such as green tea help protect the skin from UV damage.
A natural facelift
Vitamin C supports collagen production for reduced appearance of wrinkles. Choose topical creams containing vitamin C to use on fine lines, include a high strength supplement and eat rich food sources as broccoli and berries.
Sea Algae helps to support the firmness, moisture and structure to improve skin appearance.
Acne
Hormonal balance
From puberty onwards both men and women can have an influx of testosterone that increase in a oily wax called sebum, causing hair follicles to become blocked and creating pockets of bacteria and debris. Spots that tend to surface on the chin can also be related to hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle.
Apply zinc to the affected area and take a supplement to support healing and a healthy level of testosterone.
Only pop spots hygienically - use a comedone extractor as your hands can lead to bacteria and debris being pushed deeper into the skin, increasing chances of scarring and infection.
Include garlic in the diet for its antimicrobial effects to help reduce any bacterial or fungal skin infections.
Hopefully this will give you a good starting point for flawless skin, for further support have a referral to a dermatologist
I can also take bookings and make bespoke creams to support your skin
Have a lovely week
