We all want to look the very best we can; no matter what age we are. It’s great to use the very best products on the outside, but by promoting the health of the skin from the inside out, we can get incredible results without the need for invasive treatments, or super expensive topical products. Without a doubt, good nutrition, moisturisation and supplements can help us achieve this goal by keep our skin glowing and healthy; and I want to show you how. To achieve this, we generally need to support 5 underlying internal factors that can lead to imperfect skin. So, let’s find out what these underlying internal factors are and what you can do to support your body to look your very best.

Collagen and Elasticity

Elasticity is what keeps us looking our youthful best by keeping the skin firm and wrinkle-free. As we age, elastin fibres in the skin weaken and deteriorate causing a loss in the firmness of our skin – which is when things start to go south. The protein collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body…..so we need lots of it! It helps provide strength and structure to our skin, bones, muscles and connective tissue. Plus, it reduces wrinkles by providing the building blocks for elasticity. Our skin is made up of more than 75 % collagen which starts to degenerate from our mid 20’s. So, the older we get, the more collagen you want to consume. These days it’s easy for our modern diets to be lacking in collagen as it’s just not present in the leaner cuts of meat we tend to purchase. Nutra Organics Collagen Beauty is sustainably sourced collagen that fully dissolves in hot or cold liquid whilst maintaining all of its benefits. This is affordable skin care that works. This product literally has too many benefits to keep out of your anti-ageing skin routine. If you don’t like the idea of a powder because of taste or texture, we also have in stock the popular Herbs of Gold collagen capsules. Get your collagen today!

Free Radical Damage

Similar to how moisture rusts metal or how your apple turns brown once you cut into it; our skin is susceptible to oxidation and free radical damage. Free radicals injure collagen and can affect the firmness of our skin. Exposure to free radical damage through our lifestyle or environment is easy enough by way of alcohol, pollution, consuming foods cooked at high oil temperatures and even too much exercise. This can result in dryness, fine lines, deep wrinkles and overall, less elasticity. This type of free radical/oxidative damage takes a toll on our organs internally as well and can even increase our risk of developing chronic diseases. Read more here. Supplements can be a great way to ‘top up’ your antioxidant reserves. Here are a couple of my absolute favourites.

Astaxanthin

You’re not alone if you haven’t heard of the antioxidant powerhouse Astaxanthin.  Astaxanthin is a red pigment that occurs naturally in types of algae and accounts for the pink colour in fish and seafood such as salmon, trout and prawns. Astaxanthin is an extremely powerful antioxidant that is effective at very small doses. When we’re talking about the skin, its power lies in its fat-loving nature. It can penetrate deep inside the fatty layer that provides “cushioning” and rejuvenation to the skin.

Green tea

It’s the large volume of published scientific findings that makes green tea extract such an important antioxidant. This research supports that green tea extract helps maintain cellular DNA and membrane structural integrity. The antioxidants contained within green tea (called polyphenols, or catechins) are up to 100 times more powerful than vitamin C. One cup of green tea may provide more antioxidants than a serving of broccoli, strawberries, carrots or spinach. Unfortunately, drinking green tea isn’t for everyone and that’s where a supplement containing green tea can be your best friend.

Lipoic Acid

Lipoic acid is a unique antioxidant as it has the power to ‘recycle’ other antioxidants e.g. Vitamin E back to their original form after they themselves detoxify free radicals. This is significant, as in general; antioxidants, through the process of helping us to neutralize free radicals, become free radical themselves in the body – and can wind up doing us damage. This doesn’t happen with alpha lipoic acid – so it provides maximum benefit and super anti-ageing skincare from the inside out.

Inflammation

Inflammation can have huge effects on the body, including the skin. For starters, it can make the skin more sensitive, increasing the risk of you suffering from conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, acne and rosacea. With these types of conditions, there is an increase of histamine in the body. Histamine acts as an inflammatory mediator, or inflammatory signal in the body. In the case of hayfever, It can make you look and feel like you have the flu, or can make you scratchy and irritable in the case of eczema and psoriasis. Taking an anti-histamine works by ‘blocking’ the action of histamine in the body. However it does very little to clear the excess histamine out of the body. Consider taking the bioflavanoid quercetin here which will not only clear excess histamine out of the body, but it supports the action of vitamin C – which in turn helps us maximise how much collagen we have in the body too. Lots of the time, challenges with inflammation in our skin can be traced back to our gut, our digestion and something called ‘leaky gut’. Refresh your knowledge on leaky gut here

Glycation – Sugar

We use glucose, or sugar as the body’s primary source of fuel or energy. So, whilst sugar is a vital part of any diet, if we consume more than the body needs, then this sugar binds to proteins in the body (including collagen and elastin) through a process known as glycation. This glycation process produces something known as advanced glycation end products (also known as AGEs) which can cause our skin to age quicker. The process of glycation is in part genetic, however diet and lifestyle choices definitely play a big part too. Consuming too much glucose and fructose (the sugar in fruit) as well as particular cooking methods such as barbequing and frying lead to higher levels of AGEs. Keeping your blood sugar at an optimal range is paramount to reducing the amount of AGEs your body produces. Chromium is by far my favourite therapeutic to balance blood sugar as it’s been reported to reduce blood sugar in clinical studies. You can find chromium in Herbs of Gold Glucoplex and Thompsons Glucose Manager

Hormone Imbalance

We rely on hormones as biochemical messengers to communicate with all body systems. Hormones behave similar to an orchestra; meaning if 1 hormone is out of balance, then it can impact the entire hormonal system. When our hormones are out of whack, we are more likely to suffer from skin problems like cycstic acne, dry skin, wrinkles and premature ageing and rosacea. For more info on how to balance your hormones, click here