Diet, Vitamins and Nutrition are Important to Skin Care

Nourish and Protect Your Skin from the Inside as Well as the Outside

In addition to being properly cared for topically, your skin needs to be nourished from the inside with proper nutrients. Your skin is an organ just like your heart or liver and, as with any other of the body’s organs, its structure and cellular constituents are designed to perform certain essential functions. The structure of the skin has several specialized features that help us determine what practices and treatments can provide the greatest benefit to its health and youthful appearance.

Skin Structure

Skin is comprised of many layers, but basically, there are two main layers – a bottom living layer and a top, non-living layer.  The dead layer has important protective functions just as your hair and nails do.  This upper layer is called the epidermis and the bottom, living, layer is called the dermis, In between is a transition layer or zone.  Each layer has a special purpose.

The dermis contains a rich supply of blood vessels, nerve endings and other specialized features.  The blood vessels supply the skin with oxygen and nutrients and also remove any waste products, including carbon dioxide, produced by the living skin cells. The epidermis has no remaining blood vessels, and any internal nutrients must migrate upward to reach this layer. If the blood supply does not have sufficient nutrients, they will not reach the upper layers of the skin and the cells in the transition zone will die sooner. The consequence is skin that looks less healthy and is more prone to the effects of aging. Therefore, proper nutrition in your diet is just as important for skin health as topical treatments such as peptide wrinkle creams or hyaluronic acid moisturizers.

All cells in the body replicate by cell division.  As this process takes place in your skin, the new cells are pushed up towards the surface and farther from the network of blood vessels that supply nutrients.  When the new cells reach a certain distance from the blood supply, they die from lack of nutrition.  The newly dead skin cells have an important role to play – they form a tight, dense layer that makes the skin waterproof and relatively impervious to most external materials. This protective feature is essential for safeguarding our health.

Because of the skin’s protective functions, the proper nourishment of the skin from underneath is a highly effective skin care method that also yields the benefit of younger looking, healthier skin.

Diet Considerations for Healthy Skin

Cleansing, moisturizing and exfoliating are important and you need to continue these practices in your daily skin care regimen; however, best results will be achieved if you care for your skin from both the inside and the outside with proper diet, nutrition and vitamins. For healthier skin, you need to eat properly and supplement your diet with specific nutrients. Here are some guidelines.

To the extent possible, you should minimize the amount of refined sugar in the foods you eat and cut back on the amount of carbohydrates you consume, especially those with a high glycemic index.

Include foods with a low glycemic index in your diet. These include (lowest listed first):
 
    Peanuts 
    Artichoke
    Asparagus
    Broccoli
    Cauliflower 
    Celery
    Cucumber
    Eggplant
    Green beans 
    Lettuce
    Low-fat yogurt 
    Peppers, all varieties 
    Snow peas
    Spinach
    Young summer squash
    Tomatoes
    Zucchini. 

For proper skin nutrition, your diet should avoid or minimize intake of foods with a high glycemic index such as these (highest listed first):

   Cornflakes 
   Cheerios
   Puffed Wheat 
   Jellybeans 
   Watermelon 
   Mars Bar 
   Ice cream, full fat 
   Bananas 
   Chocolate bar 
   Baked beans (canned) 
   Porridge
   All Bran 
   Milk, skim 
   Lentils 
   Milk, full fat

On of the problems with diets that have a high sugar content or glycemic index is that they cause the skin to produce excess oil. This can lead to acne problems. Also, some scientists believe that high sugar content in foods we eat causes inflammation in the skin, which leads to a host of skin problems.

Vitamins for Your Skin Care

Most Americans do not receive a sufficient dose and balance of vitamins in the foods they consume, so it is important to augment your diet with a daily multi vitamin.

What are the most important vitamins for proper skin nutrition? They are vitamins A, B Complex, C, E, and K. Vitamins C and E work synergistically and have strong antioxidant properties. Recent discoveries show that they offer protection against sun damage, particularly wrinkles, when applied topically. The recommended daily dosage for vitamin E is 400 milligrams.

Some companies market vitamins designed specifically to improve the condition of hair and nails.  Because hair and nails are related to, and grow out of skin, they are also beneficial to your skin.  Hair, nails and skin growth also depend upon adequate levels of protein, so it is wise to include adequate protein sources in your diet. Also, if you are not regularly exposed to sunlight every day, you should supplement your diet with at least 400 International Units of Vitamin D daily.

The Importance of Oils and Fatty Acids

For optimin nutrition, your skin needs oils in your diet – but they must be the right kind; they are called Essential Fatty Acids of EFAs. These are found in two basic categories: Omega 3 fatty acids and Omega 6 fatty acids. Our skin and bodies require both. Rose Hip Seed Oil and Evening Primrose Oil are good sources of Omega-6, particular the gamma linolenic acid. Certain seeds such as pumpkin seeds, walnuts and flax seeds are rich sources of Omega 3. Other Omega 3 EFAs can be included in your diet from cold water fish such as salmon and mackerel. Essential Fatty Acids can be taken internally or applied topically. In addition to being good for your skin health, these nutrients are important for your general health.

Specifically, because your body cannot produce these EFAs on its own, you must obtain them from your diet. Your body will break these substances down into substances that are important for proper functioning of your nervous and immune systems.

EFAs also help to:

keep cells lubricated and flexible
create a protective barrier from harmful substances
prevent dryness and premature aging
lower cholesterol concentrations in the bloodstream
lower blood pressure
support good brain function
minimize depression
improve eyesight
enhance immune functions
reduce blood viscosity
increase the production of collagen
increase the skin’s moisture content, texture and firmness
help manage eczema and possibly psoriasis
support a healthy heart rate

Eat Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Because it is not possible to pack all of the nutrients from fruits and vegetables into a pill or vitamin tablet, it is important to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet every day.  Apples and carrots are easy to take with you to work or carry around. Include a salad with every meal you eat out. In addition to being good for your skin, fresh fruits and vegetables are excellent for your overall health.

Antioxidants and Free Radicals

Antioxidants are compounds that counteract the effect of oxidizing agents in your body known as free radicals, which are destructive to healthy tissue. It is important to derive your antioxidants from a variety of sources since no single antioxidant is effective against all kinds of free radicals.  Good sources of antioxidants, as mentioned previously, are vitamin C and vitamin E, fruits and vegetables, as well as green tea. Use all of these sources together and you will allow not just your skin, but your entire body to combat the harmful, aging effects of free radicals.
 
Water Consumption

Few of us get enough water in our daily routines. Water will help improve your skin’s moisture content from within and improves its appearance. You should drink between 1 and 2 quarts per day of pure water (not tap water).

Other Factors
 
In addition to a healthy diet, proper vitamins, nutrients, supplements, antioxidants and sufficient water, your skin and body will benefit from the avoidance of some of these obvious items: smoking, drug use (prescription and otherwise), excessive cosmetics, too much sun (including tanning beds), and exposure to harsh soaps or chemicals.  And, don’t forget your sun block. Be sure to use a waterproof, full spectrum UVA/UVB sunblock on a daily basis.



Mango Madness Skin Care features medical grade, high potency anti-aging wrinkle creams, moisturizers and exfoliation products. We use no fillers, extenders, parabens or animal testing. All of our skin care products contain high quality ingredients including peptides, hyaluronic acid, retinol, glycolic acid, fruit acid and squalane. For example, our Peptide 6 wrinkle cream contains the highest effective dosage of six peptides; our Hydrospherex moisturizer serum contains 100% hyaluronic acid; and our ReNew Youth contains the highest concentration of retinol you can buy without a prescription. These are among the best anti-aging skin care products available. Plus, we offer Free Priority Shipping from our St. Augustine, Florida facility.