Eat your way to healthier skin

At Waterhouse Young, we take a holistic view of your overall wellbeing. Our team ofaesthetic doctors, nurses and practitioners are known for their personal and considered 360 degree approach. Whilst some may consider that a skincare regime and aesthetic treatments are all we need to maintain our skin health, at Waterhouse Young we believe nourishing from within is also important.

Since old skin cells are continually shed and replaced by new ones, we need to provide a steady supply of nutrients to ensure this process is as efficient as possible. By eating a well balanced diet, it’s possible to boost skin elasticity, improve tone, and reduce blemishes. We’ve listed some of the key nutrients to include in your diet so that you can eat your way to healthier skin.

Antioxidants
Free radicals, promoted by air pollution, smoking, alcohol, and sun exposure, cause damage to the cells of the skin through oxidative stress. This in turn leads to premature ageing, hyperpigmentation and inflammatory issues such as rosacea and psoriasis. Furthermore, free radicals are also capable of breaking down collagen and elastin, which leads to skin sagging, fine lines and wrinkles. . Thankfully, powerful antioxidants found in many fruits and vegetables help protect skin from the cellular damage caused by free radicals, so eating your five a day and including a rainbow of colourful fresh foods in your diet is paramount. Carrots, sweet potatoes and squashes contain high levels of betacarotene, whilst dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach are a great source of lutein. These potent antioxidants aid healthy cell development and promote even skin tone.

Vitamin C
An antioxidant worth singling out is Vitamin C, which is essential in maintaining a healthy immune system and to promote efficient skin healing. Vitamin C is also required for the production of collagen, which as well as boosting elasticity, supports the capillaries that supply the skin to improve the radiance. It also impedes melanin production in the skin, so can help to lighten hyperpigmentation and brown spots, and has been shown to improve inflammatory skin conditions such as rosacea, acne and psoriasis. Blackcurrants, blueberries, oranges, strawberries, broccoli and sweet potatoes are all excellent sources of Vitamin C.

Vitamin E
Actually a group of fat-soluble vitamins as opposed to a single one, vitamin E is another important nutrient for our skin, for the way it protects it from cell damage, in turn supporting healthy skin growth. You’ll find high levels of vitamin E in foods such as avocado, almonds, hazelnuts, and pine nuts, as well as in sunflower oil.

Zinc
Zinc is a mineral necessary to a vast number of cellular processes in our bodies, including skin cell growth, collagen formation, building keratin, and in wound healing. Zinc also helps to regulate the sebaceous glands (which produce sebum), as well as inflammation, meaning it can be useful in the treatment of conditions such as acne and rosacea. Zinc-rich foods include nuts, seeds and whole-grains, as well as fish, poultry and lean red meat.

Omega 3
Omega-3 fats are essential fatty acids which cannot be made in the body, and therefore must be obtained through the diet. They encourage the body to produce anti-inflammatory compounds, which is why they can often help inflammatory skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. You can obtain the omega-3 you need from both plant sources (such as flax seed, linseed, chia seeds, walnuts, and rapeseed oil) as well as from oily fish.

Water
Often when people are concerned about dry skin, the problem is actually that it is dehydrated. Even mild dehydration will likely cause your skin to look dry and dull, so it’s important to drink at least 1.5ltr of water a day. All fluids count towards your daily amount, and although water is best, herbal, caffeine-free teas are good too. 

Rejuvenated® supplements
In addition to a healthy diet, Rejuvenated® provides various supplements to meet all of our skin needs.  One of our favourites are their collagen shots which help to improve skin elasticity, strengthen hair growth and nails and support bone and joint health.

Fasting Mimicking Diet ProLon®
As part of our firm commitment to overall patient wellbeing, Waterhouse Young continues to offer ProLon®, a revolutionary nutritional programme devised by Dr Valter Longo, biogerontologist and author of the bestselling Longevity Diet. This fast-mimicking 5-day dietary plan nourishes your body whilst supporting its overall health, having a positive impact on a number of health-related issues, from increasing relative lean body mass to decreasing raised cholesterol, inflammation and fasting glucose levels. 

It’s easy to treat your skin to optimum nutrition by adding antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables, healthy fats from seeds, nuts and oily fish and nuts to your diet. It’s important too though to consider the foods that could be responsible for holding back our skin health. Processed foods or those high in refined sugars, as well as unhealthy fats, have been shown to promote skin ageing, as well as other health issues.  It’s therefore important to take an holistic approach and ensure a balanced, clean diet.