- Eat less sugar – a lot less. When you consume sugary snacks and drinks, or eat foods with a high-glycemic index (meaning they rapidly convert to sugar), it’s going to show up on your skin. Here’s how it happens:
- The body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, which raises your insulin level.
- Simple carbohydrates, such as refined sugar, white bread and pasta, fruit juice and soda, cause insulin levels to spike and inflammation to surge throughout your body.
- Inflammation produces enzymes that break down the skin’s collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging and wrinkles.
- Digested sugar permanently attaches to collagen, a process called glycation.
- Glycation not only increases skin aging, but can also aggravate skin conditions, such as acne and rosacea.
- Wear sunscreen – most all the time. We all need to protect our skin from the damage caused by ultraviolet radiation, so the proper sunscreen should be worn anytime you go outside. Talk to us about all the confusion surrounding sunscreen these days so we can help ensure you’re using the right products. Call: (210) 692-3000 or (210) 370-9995.
- Never smoke — ever. Take the effects of sugar on the skin and multiply them by 1000. Smoking causes severe oxidative stress to the body and decreases the skin’s natural ability to fight damage. The results: a more wrinkled and aged appearance, to say nothing of the damage it causes to your overall health.
- Less stress. Stress causes inflammation, which has been shown to age the skin, as well as worsen acne, eczema and other skin conditions.
- More sleep. While you’re asleep, the body releases melatonin, it’s own natural antioxidant that helps skin cells repair and regenerate.