Its Halloween and my sons use to (youngest still will) go out trick and treating, which would mean load of sweets in the house and I would of course help my children get through them as any loving mother would!
But after years of denial about the effects of sugar on the skin, (and finding research to back this up!) the last few years I have had to face reality…..it does! And how do I know this? Not through more research papers but through my clients, my family and my skin.
I have a 16 year old son who has inherited my teenage acne, I do regular skin care treatments on him and he is really good as using the right products and although this helps control his acne (you cannot cure acne) diet does have an influence. The more sugar and diary he eats the worse his skin.
Now I'm not saying the odd sugar eating induced coma is going to cause skin problems, its frequently eating sugary foods.
Sugar and Acne
Acne is caused by a combination of the skin producing too much sebum and a build-up of dead skin cells which clog the pores and leads to a localized infection or spots.
Eat sugar = blood sugar levels increase = body produces insulin = increase sebum production and skin cell growth = increasing the factors responsible for acne.
A 2007 Australian study showed that young males who were put on a strict low GI diet noticed a significant improvement in the severity of their acne.
Sugar and Ageing
Eat sugar = blood sugar levels increase = body produces insulin = puts unnatural demands on your body = leads to a burst of inflammation throughout the body = break down of collagen & elastin
Inflammation produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging skin and wrinkles. Digested sugar permanently attaches to the collagen in your skin through a process known as glycation. Aside from increasing the effects of ageing, glycation can also exacerbate skin conditions like rosacea. Plus, the more sugar you eat, the more likely it is you’ll develop insulin resistance, which can manifest as excess hair growth (hirsutism) and dark patches on the neck and in body creases.
So, what can we do about this?
I could never give up sugar! I hear you say or is that just me talking? But by considering a low GI diet and trying to reduce your sugar intake and swapping to natural sugars it can help. I found Divina’s 5 weeks to sugar-free helpful and it made a big difference to my skin.
If you would like to know more, come in for a face mapping session where we can do a full skin analysis and give advice on diet, products and lifestyle for your optimum skin health.