SUPPLEMENT YOUR SKIN

I often get asked what kind of vitamins are the best to take for healthy looking skin. I have experimented for decades with supplements, mainly for my overall health, but as I went deeper into Aesthetics, I started paying attention to how things affected my skin that I put in my body.

First and foremost, I believe (through my own personal trial and error) that the best way to nourish the skin is through the most bio-available source of nutrition- and that is healthy food. Specifically, eating an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet- organic if possible. Whenever I tell clients this, they usually get a little bummed out- most of my clients are busy moms, busy professionals, or both. They barely have time to chew food and think about how to get enough veggies and fruits in their diet. I fall into this category as well, and I was determined to figure out a way. I began experimenting with fresh green juice- specifically blends that were very alkalizing- juices with fresh lemon, kale, spinach, apple, ginger and turmeric. I found that every time I drank a fresh green juice, I felt a burst of energy. I decided to incorporate this daily, and ditched my multi-vitamins. Juicing with fresh produce gets you way more nutrients into your body, is alkalyzing, and digests quickly. If you don’t have time to make your own fresh juice, you can purchase it at health food stores. I suggest checking the expiration date- if the juice is more than a day old,, it’s lost a lot of the precious enzymes that help your body absorb nutrients. Also, it’s best to get juice that’s been packed in glass- plastic tends to cause the nutrients to go bad quicker, and plastic storage containers (depending on the type) could be toxic. If you want to consider greens that come in powder form- be sure to get cold processed- this means that when the components become pulverized, they were not exposed to heat. Heat causes the precious nutrients and enzymes to die.

Eating a diet that leans more toward the alkaline side will reduce inflammation in the body. Foods that are highly processed, such as sugar, soy, gluten, and corn will do this. Inflammation is one of the main causes of adult acne. I see it all of the time- people who’ve never had a pimple their entire life, at the age of 40 and up are suddenly getting horrible hormonal breakouts. Once we steer their eating pattern in the right direction and combine that with the proper skin care treatments and home care regiments, things usually clear up.

Feeding your body antioxidants (found in colorful vegetables and fruits) will help you neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are unstable atoms negatively charged, and when present around molecules with oxygen, they rob oxygen of the positively charged particles from proteins, DNA, fats, and cell membranes, causing the body’s tissues to break down. This is believed to be a primary cause of pre-mature aging. Free radicals are un-avoidable, they are all around us and in us. UV light, pollution, smoke, alcohol, drugs, radiation and toxins are everywhere. We need to feed our bodies with good nutrition to have healthy looking skin, and also for overall good health. I also believe in cleansing/intermittent fasting (a topic to be discussed in another blog!)

Some other things I’ve tried that I’ve noticed have helped my skin are collagen and omega 3 supplements. Omega 3’s can be obtained in food- but after researching this, I discovered that to get the amount I needed in a day, I’d have to eat a lot more portions of fish and oils in a day than I would want, so I chose go with supplements. Collagen is also amazing- it comes in powder form and you can hide it in a beverage or protein shake- I noticed my skin become supple and more luminescent after taking it for several weeks.

The most important thing to keep in mind regarding supplements in general, is that EVERYONE IS UNIQUE in how they are- body type, blood type, genetics, etc. We are all bio-individually different. I’ve learned to try to be intuitive, and to listen to my body. Give things some time so that you can evaluate what works/what doesn’t. Also, slowly add or subtract things one at a time to see and feel how they affect you, your skin, and your body. It helps to journal- log what you take, when you take it, and rate yourself that day how you feel.  Look at your skin and notice the color, texture, and if there tends to be a specific area where you break out. You’ll hopefully begin to see a pattern.

I do believe that there is one REALLY IMPORTANT supplement that most of us need to increase in our diets to have healthier skin-  WATER!!!! I see so many clients who come in with dehydrated skin. They often misdiagnose their skin because of this, use all the wrong products, and then come in with broken out, disastrous, dehydrated skin. Make sure to drink at least half your body’s weight in ounces a day, add a few ounces more if you work out and sweat or have a cocktail.

Another tip to wrap it up…once you find a system that works for you, BE CONSISTENT!

I’d LOVE to hear back from you on what you’ve tried, and any helpful info you’d like to share- please post in the comments!

xo

Kristin