Eating Your Way to Clear Skin

For teenagers and young adults, it’s normal to experience the occasional break out or blemish. When our pores are heavily clogged, a pimple appears on the surface. The clearness of our skin can be based on genetics, stress and even diet. Maintaining an unhealthy diet or consuming junk food has the potential to not only make us feel gross inside, it can also make our skin less than perfect. There have been various statements over the years relating diet to skin health and several articles provide the evidence.

As previously mentioned, acne can be be determined by diet, genetics or a few other things. As stated by Dr. George Varigos, a Melbourne dermatologist in an ABC article,

“Most 17 to 18-year-olds have pimples and it can extend into the 20s and 30s. More severe cases have a genetic basis but generally, apart from genetic factors, it’s environmental and is triggered by food”

Correlation Between Diet and Skin

eat your way to healthy skinAccording to this article, dermatologists have only truly begun to see a correlation between people’s skin and their diet within the past few years. Initially, dermatologists didn’t believe there was much of a connection. Dr. Varigos originally believed this as well, until he discovered a study where acne prominence began to grow in areas where people were maintaining diets “high in refined, processed foods”.

One may be curious and eager for an elaboration by this point, what’s the science and the explanation for this? Vargios goes on to say that a poor diet creates the “perfect conditions” for acne. The article states that these foods have the ability to raise blood sugar levels and therefore, insulin levels.

Long Term Effects On Skin

These dangerous foods can not only have detrimental short term effects on the skin, Varigos warns that “over time high insulin levels can make skin drier, thicker, and flakes of dry skin block pores. It can also increase levels of free androgens (male hormones) in males and females, making the skin’s sebaceous glands produce more oil and triggering acne”.

Clearly, sticking to a healthy diet can make a drastic difference for skin. It’s simple to find healthy foods that also contribute to good skin. Varigos recommends consuming whole grain products, brown rice and apples and naturally, he urges one to avoid sugary drinks.

The Clear Skin DietDr. Alan C. Logan, a medical professional specializing in health and disease prevention and Dermatologist Valori Treloar are authors of a book titled The Clear Skin Diet. Their book is overflowing with tips to help achieve and maintain clear skin. They suggest consuming foods such as whole grain products, green tea, high-fiber foods and foods high in vitamins and things like omega-3 fish oils. Drinking lots of water is also essential in flushing out toxins consumed from unhealthy foods and consequently, getting clear skin.

It’s evident that a healthy diet can promote healthy and clear skin. Various dermatologists have proven this to be true with copious amounts of research. Simply eating healthier foods and drinking water is the easiest way to see results.

This is a guest article by E. F. He’s a healthy eating coach and author. He writes about the Mediterranean diet right here. If you want him to discuss his finds on https://www.mediterraneanbook.com/low-cholesterol-diet/ with you, follow him on Twitter.

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