Nutrition for skin ageing is evolving. Are you up-to-date?

It seems nutrition and skincare are becoming a hot topic in the world of anti-ageing. This is because the evidence is mounting, and it’s exciting. It’s exciting to think you can control how well your skin ages. Let’s look through the evidence that is most likely to get you results.

What you should be looking for in your skincare

Vitamin C

Vitamin C has sure had some air time over the last decade. And that is for good reason. Vitamin C comes in many forms, but the most common and active form is ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid has been shown to inhibit pigmentation, protect the skin cells from damage from UV rays, and also assist in the production of collagen. Most of the research is around its use in skincare, making it a must as part of your skincare routine.

Food for thought!

This although does make you think, if it is having such a profound anti-ageing effect on our skin when applied topically, imagine what it’s doing to all our other cells when we consume in our diet.

Just remember when looking at skincare, vitamin C comes in many forms. This is because different types of skin respond differently to different forms; some are better absorbed through the skin, and some are more stable when suspended in skincare. It’s important to ask an expert to find the correct form for your skin.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is a fat-soluble vitamin that we source from our diet largely from animal products. Vitamin A is involved in the process located within our stem cells that controls how quickly we produce new skin cells and how healthy those skin cells are. Because of this vitamin A has been shown to help support healthy cell turnover that can often slow due to skin ageing. Vitamin A has also been shown to reduce the effects of the number one cause of skin ageing - sun exposure. Vitamin A is certainly a key ingredient to keep in your skincare arsenal.

Phytochemicals

Phytochemicals are a class of antioxidants. The most researched in regards to the skin are groups of different polyphenols and flavonoids. These compounds are often responsible for the diverse and bright colours of fruit and vegetables.

Their anti-ageing effects are thought to be due to their ability to protect the body from oxidative damage. This is damage from internal and external factors such as poor diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, or pollution.

The evidence suggests these compounds are an effective line of defence either applied topically to the skin or through diet as protection against the damage oxidation can cause to our skin cells. If skin cells are damaged they simply can not function properly, this means less collagen and elastin, and that will accelerate skin ageing.

Look for vitamin C, vitamin A, and polyphenols in your skincare

Now we know these powerful nutrients can offer some great results, but let’s not forget the power of a healthy wholesome diet, a diet rich in fruit and vegetables contains all of these nutrients plus many more. You can not beat the long term effects a healthy diet has on your skin.

Book a nutrition consultation today to discuss what a healthy diet really means for you, it’s not as simple as it sounds.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583891/