When I was in primary care, I often used the analogy of a car and health. My dad loves muscle cars, and incidentally his birthday was a couple days ago (Oct 26th). He particularly loves a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda RT 440 Hemi. If he was ever gifted that car, he’d certainly keep it clean on the inside and out, keep it shiny and waxed, even keep the oil changed and the tires rotated. But what if he did all of that, and put WASTEWATER in the gas tank? All that work would be for nothing right? 

We’ve been gifted a muscle car – our bodies. We can buff it, shine it up, and keep it clean… we can get our nails done, get facials, even put botox in it… but if we don’t put the right fuel in it, eventually it will not run well. This will eventually translate into our skin health as well. You can’t out-botox a poor diet; it will catch up with you. Nutrition is key!

– P R O T E I N – eat half of your body weight (in lbs) in grams of protein. Example: 150 lb women should eat ~ 75 grams of protein a day at minimum! Protein is essential for our skin’s ability to continue making collagen and for supporting the muscles & collagen already there. Menopausal women should particularly pay attention to their protein intake! A 2007 study showed that women over the age of 40 showed more wrinkles when their diet was low in protein.

– GOOD F A T S – Omega 3s, found in fish, nuts, avocado, and more – responsible for the lipids that make up our skin barrier. Without it, we develop or worsen skin conditions like rosacea, dermatitis, and psoriasis. In addition, the same study mentioned above showed that women who had less healthy fats in their diet had more wrinkles!

– V I T.  A – coordinates the creation and activity of fibroblasts (remember those guys from my previous posts??), prevents skin damage from UV rays, prevents acne, skin cancer and more.

– V I T.  C – Downgrades the production of free radicals (I also did a post about those a while back, just scroll a bit), decreases skin aging, helps with healing of the skin, improves skin hydration by increasing the top layer’s moisture content. A strong correlation in the literature has been proven between low intake of foods containing Vit C and facial aging/wrinkles.

– V I T.  D – Regulates inflammation, improves immunity response

– V I T.  E – Has a role in anti-inflammation, suppresses the breakdown of skin lipids, mitigates photoaging & skin cancer. Works to boost the effectiveness of Vit C and vice versa. Just remember this is a mild blood thinner!

– Z I N C – Protects skin from damage & has antimicrobial activity

– W A T E R  – we just don’t drink enough water, yall. Our cells NEED it for everyday functions, and if we only get 16 oz a day then it has to send what it gets to vital organs, not to your skin. We HAVE to start drinking more water! Water is part of nutrition.

– C O L L A G E N – Supplementing with collagen is still up in the air. Some studies have suggested it can help, but others have not been able to prove it. In the end, it can’t hurt!

– C R E A T I N E – studies have demonstrated that supplementing with creatine has major implications in decreasing inflammation, serving as an antioxidant to minimize the aging of our cells overall. Latest studies show a direct response in our skin to oral creatine supplementation, leading to minimizing premature skin aging and skin damage!

– G L U T A T H I O N E – an antioxidant found naturally in the body, and taken orally to supplement, may help to lighten hyperpigmentation including melasma, as it inhibits melanin production. The jury is still out on the injectable version, as I could find no studies on it, but taking it orally seems to be safe and effective.

– V I T.  B12 – Having too much can precipitate acne, but having too little can result in hyperpigmentation. As a rule, if you struggle with acne and are not deficient, hold off on supplementing with B12. If you don’t deal with acne breakouts, and struggle with hyperpigmentation, consider trying it!

– T U R M E R I C – In food, this is known as curcumin. This has natural anti-inflammatory properties and some studies have shown improvement in prevention of facial wrinkles as well as production of collagen. Just remember that this is a mild blood thinner!

– E C Z E M A / DRY SKIN – the most important supplement (or dietary intake) is that of omega 3 & 6, particularly lenoleic acid, to support hydration and the skin barrier. Study results are mixed in the supplementation of GLA, found in evening primrose oil, borage seed oil, and black currant seed oil, so more research is needed. However, it is considered safe overall to use.

– W R I N K L E S (Facial Rhytids) – a 2001 study showed that certain foods increase wrinkling of the skin. These include: butter, margarine, milk products, meat, carbohydrates, and sugar. Foods protective of wrinkles from sun damage included vegetables, legumes, olive oil, and fish.

Sources:

This information is not intended for medical advice. One should consult with their healthcare provider for supplementation advice specific for their needs and according to their health condition(s) and medications that they take, as many supplements may interact with medications.