If you are looking for some reliable information about skin nutrients and about skin in general, then please continue reading. In this article, I won’t be recommending any particular skin care products or home remedies. Instead, I will only be writing about skin itself, and some of the challenges which our skin has to deal with on a daily basis.
When you are young, your skin generally has no difficulty dealing with all the challenges it faces, but as you grow older, it becomes increasingly difficult for your skin to handle these challenges without some help. When this happens, you begin to notice the signs of aging. Your skin starts to lose its natural glow, and you start to notice fine lines appearing on your face, neck, etc.
Of course, there are several cosmetic procedures that you can have done in order to slow down or even completely reverse the signs of aging. There are also some excellent skin care products that can help to improve the appearance of aging skin. However, you will get far better results if you start off with a solid foundation, and this is where skin nutrients come into the picture. Here are 9 things you need to know about skin if you want to keep it looking good:
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Skin Requires External and Internal Nourishment
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UV EXPOSURE (photo-damage)
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Dry Skin and Why You Need To Moisturize
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Exposure to Chemicals
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Skin Nutrients – Oral vs. Topical
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The Importance of Vitamin-A
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The Importance of Vitamin-C
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The Importance of Vitamin-D
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Firm Up Sagging Skin
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Egg White and Honey
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Coffee Grounds and Coconut Oil
Our skin, which happens to be our largest organ, essentially has two parts. The outer layer is known as the epidermis, while the layer beneath it is known as the dermis. Both of these layers are reliant on each other, and together, they form a barrier that protects our insides from things like chemicals, pathogens and other environmental contaminants.
In order for our skin to function properly, it requires a variety of skin nutrients in the form of macronutrients and micronutrients. Because the two layers are significantly different, and they have different functions, their nutritional needs also differ. If you want to delay the signs of aging, then your first goal should be to make sure that both the epidermis and the dermis are properly nourished.
I do not want this post to take on the appearance of a biology lesson, so I am not going to write anything further about these two layers of skin. If you would like to read more about the epidermis and dermis, then you can do so here. This link leads to a website provided by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Just for the record, my site is not affiliated or endorsed by the Linus Pauling Institute or Oregon State University.
Photo-damage is caused primarily by spending too much time in the sun. Photo-damage can also be caused by tanning beds. When UV light energy is absorbed by the skin it can damage cellular components. This damage can then lead to the production of free radicals. Under normal conditions, our body’s natural defense mechanisms are able to combat these free radicals and repair broken proteins.
Unfortunately, when your skin is repeatedly exposed to unhealthy amounts/levels of UV light, natural defense mechanisms can become overwhelmed, in which case the damage becomes permanent. Sunburn is by far the leading cause of photo-damage. The most common symptoms of photo-damaged skin include things like decreased skin elasticity, the formation of lines and wrinkles, uneven skin tone, dark spots, and of course, skin cancer.
Because of the typical symptoms of photo-damage, it is very often referred to as being photo-aging. In most cases, serious photo-aging is a process that occurs over a period of many years. By the time you start to see lines and wrinkles, it is generally too late to turn back the clock. The only thing you can do is you can try to slow down the process and prevent further damage. The best way to do this is by limiting your time in the sun; using good quality skin care products, and by making sure that your skin is adequately nourished.
Unlike with our other organs, our skin can be nourished from the inside as well as from the outside. Beneficial skin nutrients can be obtained through your diet by eating foods which are rich in nutrients that are beneficial to skin. Not surprisingly, these foods are sometimes called beauty foods. As I have mentioned already, skin nutrients can also be obtained by using good quality topical skin care products.
Dry skin can be caused by numerous things, and this explains why most people end up having to deal with dry skin at least a few times in their lives. Dry skin is typically very obvious and easy to see, but sometimes the signs can be very subtle. When it is accompanied by itching or flaking skin, it is easy to spot and treat. However, if these signs are not obvious, you may not even realize that your skin is lacking moisture and busy sustaining damage as a result. At the very least, dry skin contributes to premature aging.
Even if you do not think your skin is dry, I would still highly recommend that you apply a good quality chemical-free moisturizer at least once or twice a day, preferably once in the morning and once in the evening before going to bed.
You may like to read this article: Natural Skin Care – Kanapa Luminuous Day & Night Cream Review
Exposure to chemicals and other environmental contaminants are one of the biggest causes of skin damage, including premature aging. To begin with, chemicals can and typically do strip skin of its natural oils. This can lead to dry skin, but it can also cause oily skin as a result of your body trying to compensate for the natural lipid barrier that is stripped away by harsh soaps, etc.
Switching to chemical-free skin care products and cosmetics can be hugely beneficial for your skin, and the sooner you make the switch, the greater the benefits will be in the long run. Skin cleansers, shampoos and conditioners should all be free of chemicals. If you are forced to use things like detergents for washing dishes and doing other household chores, you should try to wear a pair of reusable gloves.
Your face and your hands are the most exposed areas on your body, and this is why they need all the protection they can get. In short, every time you wash your hands or they get exposed to things like detergents, you should apply some more moisturizer. Anyway, we have looked at the three biggest challenges your skin is faced with on a daily basis, so let us go ahead and take a look at some very important skin nutrients.
As I mentioned near the beginning of this post, your skin can be nourished from the inside and from the outside. If you ask me, I think that this is fantastic. I mean, why would anyone only want to nourish their skin from the inside when they could also be nourishing it from the outside as well?
It is, however, important to keep in mind that there are no blood vessels in the layers that form the epidermis. Blood vessels are only found in the dermis. Since these blood vessels are not attached to the layers of the epidermis, dietary nutrients that reach the dermis do not have a direct path to the epidermis. There is now a growing mountain of evidence which shows that topical applications are most likely a more effective and more efficient way to deliver skin nutrients to the layers of the epidermis, i.e., outer skin.
While skin is highly effective at preventing stuff from passing through, there are nonetheless several substances that are able to penetrate the epidermis, and many can even reach all the way into the dermis. Okay, time for us to look at some nutrients that are known to benefit skin.
Vitamin-A is an essential micronutrient that is necessary for many workings within our bodies. One of its functions is to support the replacement of skin cells. In fact, it is one of the most important skin nutrients, hence the reason why you will see vitamin-A in many skin care products. Because this vitamin is vital for so many functions, and because our bodies are not able to produce vitamin-A, it has to be obtained via our diets.
Good sources of vitamin-A include liver, eggs and milk, but dark green vegetables and fruits that are red, orange or yellow in color are also reliable sources of vitamin-A. If you intend using vitamin-A topically, make sure you buy your skin care products from a reliable and trustworthy manufacturer/supplier because not all forms of this vitamin are readily absorbed by the skin. For more information about vitamin-A, you may want to visit the PubMed website.
When it comes to antioxidants, vitamin-C is a true powerhouse. Its exact role/s in the skin is not yet fully understood. However, we do know that it plays a crucial role in collagen synthesis. We also know that it can help to repair and sometimes even reverse photo-damage. Vitamin-C can be effective when taken orally or when applied topically. When applied topically, this vitamin is able to penetrate both the epidermis and the dermis.
There is a slight catch however. Vitamin-C in its natural form (ascorbic acid) is the most effective at penetrating and going to work in the skin, but exposure to light, heat, and even air causes it to degrade. To get around this, skin care manufacturers typically add it to various solutions in order to boost its stability, but this also hampers its ability to penetrate the skin.
I cannot back this up, but in my opinion, you will most likely reap the biggest skin benefits of vitamin-C if you add some freshly squeezed lemon juice or orange juice to a homemade facial mask. Because of its important role in collagen synthesis, fruits like oranges, limes, and kiwi fruit are among a number of other foods which are sometimes referred to as skin tightening foods. If you want to find out more about vitamin-C and the role it plays in our skin, there is a good article about this on the US National Library of Medicine website.
According to an article published in the Journal of Advanced Research, which you can read here, vitamin-D receptors are found on/in virtually every single cell in our bodies. Every part of our bodies requires vitamin-D in order to function properly, and our skin is no exception. The great news is that our bodies have no problem producing vitamin-D. All we have to do is spend a little bit of time in the sun.
Diets are a poor source of vitamin-D. Not only are people failing to obtain sufficient amounts of this vitamin from their diets, but are also actively trying to avoid spending time in the sun, which effectively prevents their bodies from producing their own vitamin-D. It is hardly surprising that most of the world’s population is believed to be vitamin-D deficient.
There is no doubt that vitamin-D is one of the top and one of the most crucial skin nutrients. If for whatever reason, you are not spending enough time in the sun to allow your body to produce its own vitamin-D, then I would highly recommend taking vitamin-D supplementation. I would also strongly recommend finding an all-natural skin care product that contains some of this essential vitamin.
Vitamins A, C and D are not the only important skin nutrients. Vitamin-E is also very beneficial for your skin, as are numerous other nutrients. This is why I cannot stress enough just how important it is to find and use high quality skin care products.
I actually wasn’t going to include any skin tightening tips for face treatments in this post, but I know that many of my readers are trying to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles. With this in mind, here are two tips that can help you to lessen the appearance of any fine line and wrinkles which you might already have:
Read this interesting article: 6 Guaranteed Ways to Slow Down Premature Aging Naturally
This all-natural skin tightening treatment could not be any easier than it is, and it does actually work. Simply combine two tablespoons of honey with the egg white from one egg. When you are done, apply the mixture to the areas you want to treat and then leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes before rinsing it all off with some cold water. For best results, use this treatment 3 times each month, or even once a week.
For this treatment, you will need a ¼ cup of ground coffee; 2 tbsp of coconut oil; 1 tsp of cinnamon powder, and a ¼ cup of brown sugar. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and then use it as a scrub on your face and/or neck. This mixture is quite course, so when you scrub your face with it, be gentle.
I would recommend scrubbing gently for about five minutes, after which you can rinse it off with some lukewarm water. Ideally, you should also finish off with a cold water rinse which will help to tighten your pores. In addition to being a good skin tightening remedy, it is also a very effective exfoliator that will leave your skin feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. If possible, repeat this treatment once a week.
Well, that brings me to the end of this post. I really hope you have enjoyed reading. I write and post new skin care related articles on my website regularly, so please be sure to visit again soon.
