In today's hectic world, our skin is exposed to increased stress, environmental damage, and often suffers from the poor quality food we eat. Our skin reflects the overall health of the body, which means that we must supplement our daily diet with vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutrients to avoid beauty issues and keep our skin, hair, and nails healthy. Ben Mones, art director of Vistudio professional, told estet-portal.com readers how to do it in the best way.
Leather – the universal organ of our body
Leather – the largest organ of our body, it has an area of 1.6 to 2 m². She is responsible for many vital tasks. The skin surrounds the entire body and thus provides a protective layer for the body against external damage – such as harmful bacteria, viruses and chemicals. Further, the body's defenses are strengthened by the acid-protective mantle, a body-specific bacterial barrier formed as a result of the evaporation of sweat and the secretion of the sebaceous glands. This mantle also prevents pathogens from entering the interior. The skin protects the body from mechanical influences, such as pressure, due to the elasticity and subcutaneous fat layer, and plays an important role in the regulation of body temperature. Finally, the skin – it is also a sense organ we are connected through it with the outside world, and it allows us to perceive impressions based on touch, temperature and pain. It becomes clear that the skin – it is a versatile and vital organ that needs special care.
Skin cells are among the most frequently renewed. New cells are formed in the deep layers of the skin, old dead cells are shed off, so an adequate supply of nutrients is needed for a healthy appearance of the skin.
If, for example, skin diseases occur, then with redness of the skin, acne, cutaneous seborrhea or dry skin, both external and internal support is needed.
External treatment of the skin with creams, lotions, peels and massages is mainly used to control symptoms and improve the top layer of the skin. However, the maintenance and regeneration of the internal structures of the skin is achieved more effectively through the supply of certain vitamins, minerals and fatty acids.
The harmful effects of the environment on our skin
In addition to a variety of substances that positively affect our beauty, we are increasingly exposed to harmful influences. Environmental pollution, smog, ozone are a heavy burden on our body and, above all, on our skin.
Nitrogen oxides and ozone from the air around us cause irritation of the mucous membranes and can lead not only to inflammatory reactions of the respiratory tract, but also to premature skin aging.
Strong stress is experienced by our skin from air conditioners: both in the summer months - from conditioned cool air, and in winter - from dry, heated air. The air conditioning dries out the skin, making it sensitive and rough.
To stay supple, our skin needs sufficient moisture. In addition, cold air negatively affects blood vessels, causing them to narrow. As a result of poor blood supply, the skin receives less oxygen and nutrients, and becomes pale and lethargic.
For many people, it is important to have tanned skin, and they expose their bodies to the risk of exposure to the dangerous rays of the sun or tanning bed. It is important to remember that certain cosmetics, perfumes and medicines, when combined with harsh sunlight, easily lead to irritations such as burns, pustules, blisters, itching and redness of the skin.
The danger of sunlight lurks in UV-A and UV-B rays. While short wavelength UV rays penetrate the topmost layer of the skin and cause burns and increase the risk of skin cancer, longer wavelength UV rays penetrate even deeper layers of the skin, into the connective tissue and thus lead to premature skin aging. The effects of exposure to harmful sunlight include:
- early aging,
- wrinkles,
- sagging and dry skin,
- skin thickening,
- pigment spots,
- increased risk of skin cancer.
But not only external influences damage our skin. There are no less bad habits that have a negative impact on her. Nicotine, as well as other toxic substances found in cigarette smoke, lead, among other things, to constriction of the blood vessels and, consequently, to a reduced oxygen content in the blood. Our skin becomes pale, flabby and yellowish – clear signs of how much we harm our skin when smoking. Equally harmful is the excessive consumption of alcohol, especially with acne-prone skin, the condition can become irreparably worse.
Medications can also cause numerous skin disorders such as rash, itching, redness and swelling of the face. These are signs that the drug is not well tolerated and an alternative may need to be sought in natural medicine. Damage to the skin is also caused by constant stress.
Get Beauty from the Inside Out: Skin Nutrients
At about the age of 25, the regenerative capacity of the skin decreases and the first signs of the aging process gradually become visible. To counteract this, in addition to top skin care creams and cleansing, it is especially necessary to add some nutrients, which will come through food or nutritional supplements.
Vitamins and minerals are substances that are essential for life and that are not produced by the body, but come into it with fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, cereals and dairy products. They have a wide range of functions for our skin, hair and nails.
Various vitamins and minerals have an antioxidant effect. This means that these vital substances are able to protect the cells of our body from the destructive attacks of the so-called free radicals. These substances appear under the influence of UV rays, environmental toxins, but are also formed during normal daily metabolic processes. Free radicals are aggressive oxygen molecules that can damage cell organelles and cells.
Free radicals are an important cause of cell and skin aging. Therefore, vital substances that neutralize free radicals and thus prevent cell damage are important for maintaining healthy and regenerating skin.
Phytoestrogens are among the secondary crops. These are natural plant ingredients that have a positive effect on numerous functions in the human body. The most important representatives of phytoestrogens are isoflavones and lignans, which are especially abundant in soy, cereals and flaxseed. Phytoestrogens can act like the female sex hormone estrogen, so they are especially beneficial for menopausal women.
Due to the decrease in estrogen production at menopause, hormonal changes occur, resulting in many women suffering from hot flashes, sweating, restlessness and irritability. Thus, phytoestrogens may promote emotional balance and well-being during menopause due to their estrogen-like effects. In addition, they have a positive effect on prematurely aging skin in women, as they can slow down the degradation of collagen.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Some amino acids cannot be produced by the body or are only produced in small quantities, so they must be replenished from food. These protein building blocks are very important to our body because they are a component of enzymes, hormones and antibodies, the building blocks of cells and the carrier substance of genetic material. We need proteins all the time for growth and tissue repair: for example, lean meats, dairy products, soybeans and grains – protein essential foods.
First signs of protein deficiency – deterioration in the growth of hair and nails, because hair and nails are composed mainly of protein. The sulfur-rich amino acid L-cysteine, found in salmon, turkey, chicken, soybeans, and broccoli, is especially important for beautiful skin, strong nails, and strong hair. Keratin – key component of hair and nails, also contains L-cysteine to a large extent.
Fats are an energy supplier, a component of hormones, a building block of cell walls, and are important for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins from the diet. Our body needs unsaturated fatty acids. It also includes the essential fatty acids linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid, which are found mainly in vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, sesame, soy), nuts and flaxseed. From these two essential fatty acids, the body is able to form the important omega-3 fatty acids – docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and gamma-linolenic omega-6 fatty acids (GLS).
However, the fatty acid conversion process is often not efficient enough, so omega fatty acids are needed either directly from high-fatty foods or supplements.
Cucumber oil and pomegranate seed oil are particularly rich in gamma-linolenic acid, which prevents premature aging of the skin, counteracts the appearance of wrinkles and protects hair from dryness and brittleness. Fat-rich fish such as tuna, salmon, mackerel and herring contain valuable omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. They also prevent premature skin aging, dandruff and redness, as well as counteract brittle hair and thinning skin.
Thus, in order to successfully counteract harmful external influences and maintain youthfulness, our skin actively needs internal support in the form of essential nutrients that come to it.
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