Getting back your glow: How to keep your skin healthy

Glowing skin is one of the most sought after beauty traits. However it is important to remember that our skin is the largest organ within our body so requires nourishment in the same way any other part of our body does. Many of us understand that we need to eat a healthy balanced diet in order to help keep us feeling good, but perhaps not thought about how the way that we eat has an impact on skin health. Our skin is in a constant state of renewal, so it is always important to keep the health of our skin in mind. 

There are a number of ways to be mindful of in our daily life that can help to improve the health of our skin. 

Keep hydrated

Water is essential for our health as it aids digestion, helps circulation and improves absorption within the body. Water is not only important for our body, but it is vitally important for our skin too.

 It's really important to remain hydrated not only for our body but our skin too. Water is essential to ensure that our skin remains hydrated. As with every other organ in our body, our skin is made up of cells. Our cells require water to function properly, as a result our skin reacts very well to water. 

 We lose large quantities of water each day, through natural processes and of course in our urine. So it is really important to replace the fluids that we are losing. If your skin is not getting enough water it is likely to become dry, tight and flaky. 

 Aim to drink 6-8 glasses of water should help to keep you hydrated, as we also get fluids from food sources, mainly from our fruits and vegetables. 

Eat your 5 a day

Fruits and vegetables are packed with vital nutrients that generate huge benefits for our skin. Fruits and veggies are packed with polyphenols, antioxidants and phytochemicals that are known to help boost our skin health. Eating a wide range of different coloured fruits and vegetables ensures that you are getting all of the beneficial nutrients. Eliminating refined sugar and caffeine from your diet is also likely to help to reduce the likelihood of acne and tired-looking skin.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants work by helping to neutralise free radicals and reduce oxidative stress. Free radicals are unstable atoms which damage our cells. Antioxidants help to protect us from this cell damage. Ensuring that we eat a diet that is rich in these antioxidants can help to reduce damage within our skin cells, this will help to reduce tired looking skin and reduce the development of wrinkles. 

Zinc

Zinc is a particular a mineral that has been shown to help our skin and can also help to prevent acne. Zinc is known to help to aid wound healing and reduce inflammation. It is thought that zinc deficiency can lead to skin problems, and in some cases even moderate to severe dermatitis. To get your extra zinc including a small handful of pumpkin seeds on your porridge or yogurt can increase your daily zinc intake. Link's Beauty supplement also contains zinc if you need an extra boost.  

Get a good night's sleep 

This isn’t just an old wives tale, ensuring that you get an adequate amount of sleep can be really beneficial for our skin. Rest and sleep is important for all aspects of our body, but lack of sleep can really affect the appearance of our skin. Sleep can help with the regeneration of our cells, which will keep of skin looking youthful. 

Exercise 

Exercise is an all round health booster! Exercise is great for our circulation, which really helps our skin. Ensuring that we exercise frequently can help keep our skin looking youthful. Ensuring that you are exercising regularly, will not only help us to feel better within ourselves but also leave our skin feeling great, and looking youthful.

Collagen 

Collagen is a protein, it is essential for providing the structure and framework to the skin. It best to think of collagen and elastin working in harmony but they do have slightly different functions. Collagen provides the structure, elastin provides the flexibility. Our Beauty supplement contains marine collagen which helps to counteract declining collagen levels, to keep our skin looking plump and youthful. 

Elastin 

Elastin is really important within our skin as it allows our tissue to stretch and then bound back into its normal position. The natural ageing process can take is toll and have a significant effect on our elastic cell. Elastic cells can become damaged over time, and lose the ability to ‘bounce back’ into their regular position - hence wrinkles come with age. Our Beauty supplement contains Bamboo Extract providing silica, which works with the marine collagen. 

It is understood that elastin is not only influenced by ageing, other environmental factors have an impact. The main two influencing factors aside from ageing include smoking and exposure to UV light. Our beauty supplement contains marine collagen alongside bamboo extract which provides silica - this is known to keep skin taut. 

SPF

Wearing an SPF daily can help to protect our skin from UV radiation even when we think it is a cloudy day. Our skin is exposed to UV from sunlight more than most people think, so including an SPF into a daily routine can really help. Including a moisturiser that contains an SPF is the easiest way to include this in your daily routine.

Further Reading

Skin Pharmacology and Physiology

Zinc and Skin Health

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