Why are visible signs of aging—fine lines, wrinkles, sagging, roughness and scaling, and overall discoloration—apparent in someone thirty years old and virtually absent in someone fifty-five years old? You may think that the fifty-five-year-old with the youthful, vibrant skin has great genetics and stays out of the sun, which would be the easy answer. But Read more
With the background of normal skin anatomy in place, let’s turn our attention to what happens in the skin layers when marked visible signs of aging present themselves. What are the differences when we look at the skin of a young person and compare it to the skin layers associated with fine lines, wrinkles, furrows, Read more
The Japanese diet contains elements that are known to positively influence intestinal microflora. Obviously there is a significant intake of omega-3 fatty acids from fish and seafood, lots of vegetables, and plenty of roots such as wasabi, daikon, and renkon. The three aforementioned roots are part of the Brassica family of vegetables, which have been Read more
The knowledge that Advanced Glycation End ( AGE ) are found in cooked foods containing sugars and amino acids is not new. We have known that heat can form AGE for a century. The reaction changes the food, quite often enhancing its color, aroma, and flavor. We are lured by the seductive taste of Advanced Read more
Let’s discuss some harsh nutritional realities. Taking stock of our current nutritional intakes, the excesses and deficiencies, will help us understand where the voids are and how we can make changes for our skin. Currently, the North American diet is in a sorry state of affairs. Despite the abundance of calories, we are in many Read more
Chronic inflammation is driven by a number of factors, most notably a diet filled with the wrong types of fats and sugars and its flip side, a diet devoid of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fiber, whole grains, and colorful fruits and vegetables. Throw in a chaser of psychological stress and physical exercise limited to Read more
Let’s delve into ways to combat glycation – besides obviously keeping sugar intake and dietary AGEs low. Since AGEing of the skin is ratcheted up in the presence of high states of oxidative stress in the skin, antioxidants play a role in the prevention of skin AGEing. The good news is that scientists have been Read more
Once researchers started uncovering the synergy of food-based antioxidants for skin health, the focus turned to other nonvitamin antioxidants that could serve as UV protectors. Those amazing phytochemicals we consume in healthy foods and beverages have skin-protecting and age-proofing nuttients. A diet rich in a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables can put the brakes Read more
If you want to see the skin-aging process in overdrive, look at the skin under the toxic influences of what is called extrinsic aging. UV Radiation UV radiation hits our skin in the form of damaging UVA and UVB rays. Try this mnemonic device to remember the difference—UVA for Aging and UVB for Bad Bum. Read more
Certain types of fats are essential to human life. “Essential” means we cannot make these special fats on our own, and in their absence, disease and ultimately death will follow. One of the first telltale signs of the lack of essential fatty acids (EFAs) is right on the skin. Lack of EFAs will manifest with Read more
Since the antioxidant defense systems in the skin depend entirely on nutrition for their operations, it’s important to pay attention to your diet and take oral supplemental antioxidants for UV protection and anti-aging. But research behind isolated antioxidants such as vitamin E or vitamin C alone has largely been disappointing. As our knowledge of antioxidants Read more
You may know that a wrinkle is not just a wrinkle. The visual signs of aging are, in fact, a reflection of internal health. Looking older than one’s age is associated with heart, lung, and kidney diseases—and these are only the conditions that have actually been investigated. Since looking old for one’s age is associated Read more