Information on skin nutrition

TOP FIVE THINGS ABOUT SKIN NUTRITION

1. Good nutrition for the skin is the same as good nutrition for general well being so a healthy diet is important.
2. Adequate water intake is vital for skin hydration
3. A daily multivitamin and mineral supplement is worthwhile
4. Vitamin D deficiency has become very common in Australia due to factors such as sun avoidance and indoor lifestyles and many people need vitamin D supplementation.
5. Additional specific nutrient supplements can be of benefit for specific skin conditions such as sundamaged skin, acne,cold sores etc.

Good Skin Nutrition

The skin is one of the body’s largest organs and provides external protection making it highly vulnerable to damage from trauma, sunlight and microorganisms.  The skin also reflects our state of health and our moods and can show our responses to internal as well as external changes.

When most people think about good things that they can do for their skin they usually think about things they will be able to put on their skin rather than what they will put inside themselves to make their skin healthier.  Whilst certainly the topical application of certain products can be very beneficial, equally important is the nourishment of the skin from the inside.

The skin needs good nutrition to continuously regenerate, combat environmental insults and slowdowns and even reverse the effects of ageing. Good nutrition for the skin is the same as good nutrition for general well being and good nutrition starts with a healthy diet.

A Healthy Diet

Whilst nutritional supplements can have a place in optimising nutritional states they supplement and do not replace a healthy diet. The cornerstone of good nutrition is a healthy well balanced diet with a variety of foods and an avoidance of highly processed fast foods.

The Food Pyramid

A healthy diet used to be based on a strategy of eating foods from four equally important food groups: milk, meat, fruit/vegetable and grains. In the early 1990’s after research demonstrated that the four food groups were not nutritionally equal the Food Pyramid concept was adopted.

The Food Pyramid shows that plant foods grains, vegetables and fruits need to be the foundation of our diet. Smaller quantities of dairy, high protein foods, fats, oils and sweets should be eaten. The Food Pyramid emphasises plant foods like fruits and vegetables and de-emphasises animal foods because the body doesn’t require a large serving of animal foods to get the necessary nutrients and they tend to be high in fat especially unhealthy saturated fats.

TOP FIVE DIETARY CHANGES

Whilst there are many ways to improve your diet some of the most important changes to consider are

1. Increase Fruit and Vegetables
   The single most important change needed in most Australian diets is to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables.  In general eat as much raw fruit and vegetables as possible preferable at least 5-7 serves per day. Try eating fruit before your main meal as it will reduce the amount of the main meal. Steaming is best for cooking vegetables as less nutrients are destroyed. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is important as different colours provide different nutrients.
2. Decrease Fast Foods
   Wean yourself off refined and processed foods. Most fast foods are a nutritional disaster largely because of their excess fat, sugar and salt. Over one third of Australian food dollars are spent on fast foods and it has been estimated on average Australians gain 1 gram of body fat a day.
3. Don’t Skip Meals
   Skipping meals almost always results in people making up for it with snacks of low nutritional value. Snacks are important as multiple small meals each day are much healthier than just one or two large meals. A long time between meals can result in a detrimental insulin response by the body. The message is to stop skipping meals and learn to choose better quality snacks. Consider healthy snacks such as fresh fruit, raw vegetables like carrot and celery, raw nuts, rice crackers with a healthy dip.
4. More Fish Less Meat
   Try and limit red meat to 3 meals or less a week due to the high content of unhealthy fats. When you do have red meat limit the size of the serve to less than one third of the plate. Leaner meat is better so cut off excess fat and it is best to avoid cooking with any oils.  More fish is recommended as fish contains healthy fats (long chain omega 3). If cooking fish avoid fried or battered fish. If eating canned fish choose in springwater or brine rather than in vegetable or canola oil.
5. Go Low GI
   The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a method used to classify foods according to their ability to raise blood sugar levels. The lower the GI the better as there is less raising of blood sugar. Sweets and refined sugars have very high GI whilst vegetables and fruits have much lower GI.Avoid high GI foods such as those with added sugar like sweets, ice creams, cordials, softdrinks. Avoid many”white foods” such as white bread, pasta, white rice, potatoes. Wholegrain breads, cereals and rice have a much lower GI. GI values for Australian foods are available on the labels of a range of foods. Also, you can visit www.glycemicindex.com, www.gisymbol.com

Adequate Fluid Intake

Adequate water intake is essential to maintain optimal skin hydration.  Drinking plenty of water also helps flush acidity from your system as well as stimulating circulation.  Fresh water should be consumed on a regular basis throughout the day not just at dinner time.  The recommended intake for an adult is 2 – 2.5 litres of water per day (i.e. 8 -10 glasses of water).  Be aware of the potential dehydration effects of fluids such as excessive alcohol and caffeine.  Consider trying herbal substitutes for tea and coffee.

Multisupplements

Whilst your necessary nutrients can be obtained from a healthy diet unfortunately not everyone has the time, inclination or knowledge for optimal intake. In addition even if we were to eat all the right foods and none of the bad foods, it is more than likely we may still be missing some vital nutrients due to the poor health of the soil that or vegetables and fruits are grown in. Hence nutrient supplementation has become an important addition to a healthy diet to supply the body with the necessary nutrients for healthy skin.

At the Cosmetic Laser and Medical Centre we recommend every adult considers the daily use of a good multivitamin and mineral supplement. One tablet should be taken twice a day as water soluble vitamins such as B vitamins are excreted from the body quickly. We recommend the Swisse range either the Men’s or Women’s formula.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a special situation. In a society that is increasingly aware of the dangers of excessive sun exposure combined with many indoor occupations and hobbies, the consequence is that an increasing number of people have very low vitamin D levels.

How do we get Vitamin D?

The main source of vitamin D is in the skin though exposure to sunlight (UVB light).  Vitamin D can be ingested in the diet especially from oily fish and in many European countries cod liver oil is routinely given where exposure to sunlight is limited.  In some countries vitamin D is added to certain foods especially diary products (so called Vitamin D fortification).

Who is at risk of Vitamin D deficiency?

Populations at risk of vitamin D deficiency include those with minimal sun exposure because of lack of time spent outdoors, overzealous sun avoidance and sunscreen use, extensive use of clothing such as for religious reasons and people who get absorption problems such as coeliac disease.  Dark skinned people are particularly vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency as they require greater sun exposure (5-10 times more) to manufacture adequate amounts of vitamin D. This is because melanin (which gives the skin its pigmentation) works as a natural sun block. Up to 2.5 hours of sun exposure per day may be needed to supply enough vitamin D for people with darker skin.

Most experts agree that the current western diet is inadequate with respect to vitamin D intake, especially in countries such as Australia where most food is not fortified with vitamin D. Some studies estimate 20-30% of the Australian population are vitamin D deficient (amongst the elderly in residential care the incidence of vitamin D deficiency can be as high as 50%). For adults living in the southern parts of Australia such as Victoria with indoor occupations there is a higher risk of Vitamin D deficiency particularly during the winter months.

Why is Vitamin D deficiency so important?

Vitamin D has long been known to be important for the prevention of bone disorders such as rickets among children and osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults.  However there is increasing evidence that vitamin D deficiency can result in reduced muscle function (leading to increased falls especially in the elderly), can contribute to or exacerbate cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and impaired immune function. There are also a number of cancers where there is an association between low vitamin D and increased risk of or mortality from the disease. These include gastrointestinal cancers, (colon, oesophageal, gastric, pancreatic, prostate, bladder, kidney) and breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer as well as lymphoma.

How do you know if vitamin D is low?

If you have vitamin D deficiency you will usually be asymptomatic (i.e. you don’t know) or you will present with one of the illnesses associated with vitamin D deficiency. A blood test is the only way to know if your vitamin D level is low.  The standard blood test to determine vitamin D status is to measure serum 25- hydroxy vitamin D. A level above 75 nmol L is considered optimal for maintaining good overall health.

What do you do if vitamin D is low?

If you have mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency ( 25-50 nmol/L blood level) supplement with vitamin D3 3000 IU to 5000 IU per day for 2-3 months then repeat blood test.

If you have moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency (<25nmol/L) higher dosage of supplementation is usually required which may include intramuscular injection. Vitamin D supplements may need to be administered with calcium supplementation in some because of possible combined deficiency.

Whilst sun exposure can be used to treat vitamin D deficiency this has to be balanced against the risk of skin damage.

How do you prevent vitamin D deficiency?

Adequate sunlight remains the simplest effective way to maintain levels of vitamin D. Recommendation is for exposure of around 15% of body surface (that is hands, face and arms or legs) to around one-third of a minimal erythemal dose of sunlight (the amount that causes faint redness). For people with fair skin, 6 to 8  minutes of sun exposure before 11 am or just after 3 pm most days in summer or around 20 minutes at noon most days in winter.

The daily requirement for vitamin D is probably between 1000 and 2000 IU but a higher dose may be required in some people to maintain adequate blood levels. In general at least 1000 IU daily is needed for sun deprived individuals.

Supplements for specific conditions

Specific nutritional supplements can be of benefit to assist in the management of certain skin conditions. For example:

If Taking Antibiotics

If you are taking antibiotics e.g for acne you should be taking a probiotic. Probiotics are friendly bacteria that protect the gut and prevent antibiotics from damaging the lining of the gut. Probiotics can be found in yoghurt or by taking a supplement. If taking yoghurt use low fat yoghurt with no added sugar eg Jalna. If taking a supplement  use one containing  Acidophilus and Bifido eg  Nutrition Care Polybac.

Sundamanged Skin

Vitamin A is important for mitigating the effects of sun damage. Vitamin E is also important as an antioxidant in its own right but Vitamin E also ensures proper functioning of vitamin A. Vitamin C is important as an antioxidant and also plays a key role in skin healing through its effect on collagen production. Selenium is a mineral that is a powerful antioxidant and supplementation at 50-200 micrograms has shown promising results in protecting against skin cancers.

Sunburn

Antioxidant vitamins E and C reduce the degree of sunburn induced redness and increases the ultraviolet light exposure required to produce a sunburn reaction.

Acne

Nutritional supplement for acne can reduce inflammation and infection and can complement conventional treatment especially in severe or poorly responsive cases. Vitamin A is beneficial in inflammatory conditions such as acne and vitamin E is an antioxidant that also helps vitamin A function (eg Vitamin A 5000 IU, vitamin E 400IU).The omega 3 fatty acids (EPA, DHA) are well known for their antiflammatory action and help in acne (eg 1400mg EPA, 1000mg DHA)

Zinc is an important immune modulator and helps in acne by reducing inflammation, killing acne bacteria and changing the skins environment to  retard further bacterial growth (eg Zinc Gluconate 30-50 mg).

Chromium supplementation of at least 200mcg daily has been reported as useful in some patients.

Avoiding certain foods is also important such as avoiding high GI foods which tend to cause excessively oily skin and contribute to acne.

Eczema

Probiotics are important if you have a tendency to eczema as beneficial bacterial help repair and protect the gut lining. Bacterial imbalance in the gut is implicated as a factor in altered intestinal permeability. Increased intestinal permeability allows exposure to food antigens and bacterial toxins and has been associated with many skin conditions including eczema and acne.

Avoiding certain foods can also be important as in some people foods such as milk, eggs, tomatoes and prawns can aggravate eczema.

Omega 3 supplements have a strong anti-inflammatory effect and have also been shown to be helpful to keep the skin soft and reduce eczema and acne.

Cold Sores

Herpes Simplex (cold sores) are a common problem that tends to be recurrent. As well as the inconvenience of an acute lesion there is also a concern for possible scarring. Certain supplements can reduce the recurrence of cold scores and shorten their duration if an outbreak occurs. Lysine, Vitamin C, Zinc and Garlic can be beneficial . A good combination supplement is Blackmores LYP-SINE which contains Lysine (500mg), Vitamin C (250mg) and Zinc (10mg).  To prevent attacks take one tablet twice a day, for an acute outbreak take two tables twice daily.

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