Skin care does not only need to be done by washing your face, applying sunscreen or moisturizing your skin every day. Certain foods or eating habits can also cause your skin to age faster.
1. Signs of skin aging
Skin aging is a natural process of the body that will begin to take place from the age of 25. The aging process occurs in all layers of the skin and changes in these layers will appear on the skin surface as signs of aging.
Some manifestations of skin aging include:
- Dark spots appear on the skin.
- Dry, rough skin surface
- Skin pigmentation disorders
- Sagging skin, many wrinkles
2. Foods that increase skin aging
2.1 Consuming too much sugar
Consuming too much sugar in your diet can have negative effects on many health conditions. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, a diet high in sugar can accelerate the aging process.
Consuming too much sugar from food causes insulin levels to increase. This leads to inflammatory reactions.
Eating too much sugar will also cause cells to work too hard, sugar molecules combine with proteins to create the final glycation product. This is the cause of damage to collagen, a protein that keeps the skin firm and elastic. Losing collagen, the skin will begin to sag, forming deep wrinkles, a sign of aging skin.
Therefore, you should eat as little as possible refined sugars such as white sugar or foods high in sugar such as desserts, jams, ice cream, etc.
2.2 High-fat diet
Although fat is a completely necessary and healthy part of our daily diet, consuming too much fat can be harmful to our skin.
Eating too much fat and fried foods can make our skin prone to acne. A diet high in greasy foods is also a cause of obesity and hair loss.
According to a report published in the journal Nutrients, a high-fat diet can increase the risk of dermatitis, which can directly contribute to making the skin look older and less able to recover from stress.
2.3 Eat a lot of processed foods
Some processed foods such as French fries, sausages, hot dogs, bacon, etc. often contain a lot of salt and grease, which can be harmful to health, especially weight gain and increased blood fat. This is also one of the foods that accelerates the skin aging process, making the skin worse and more prone to acne.
In addition, trans fats not only increase the risk of developing heart disease but also harden, clog arteries or narrow blood vessels. This impairs blood flow to the skin, leading to premature aging and the formation of wrinkles.
This is because the frying process can release free radicals, contributing to the body having an excess of these harmful compounds and causing negative effects on health. Among them can affect the skin aging and weakening elasticity.
2.4 Red meat
Red meats have the ability to create free radicals when absorbed into the body, affecting the skin’s ability to protect itself and regenerate collagen.
A recent study by the Cleveland Clinic Health Institute in the US showed that high levels of carnitine, a compound abundant in animals, can cause blood vessel walls to harden, causing wrinkled skin.
However, in your daily eating habits, you should not completely abstain from red meat, because they also provide a lot of protein and nutrients that are beneficial to health.
2.5 Eating too much salt
When eating too much salt, the increased sodium ions will disrupt the skin’s balance, leading to dehydration of cells, especially skin cells. From there, the skin becomes dry, loses elasticity and makes the skin aging process occur more quickly.
Many canned foods are preserved with sodium, which can cause the body to retain water, causing swelling, leading to sagging, sagging skin, and aging skin.
2.6 Spicy foods
Some spicy foods such as chili and pepper can be beneficial for metabolism, but if eaten too much, they are not good for the skin. Because spicy foods can cause capillaries to dilate in some people who are prone to acne or are in menopause. Eating a lot of spicy foods makes the skin sag quickly and lose elasticity.
2.7 Drinking too little water
Many people have the habit of drinking too little water during the day, especially when it is winter, drinking water makes them even more hesitant. A study from Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research shows that people who consume more than 2 liters of water per day (compared to those who consume less than 2 liters) have more water in their skin, which also positively affects other skin functions.
Water plays a role in maintaining the internal balance and tissue function of the skin, so drinking enough water every day is a way to maintain youthful, healthy skin.
2.8 Coffee
Caffeine in coffee is considered a food group that is harmful to health. Using too much coffee will create major side effects such as dehydration in the body, causing rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, disrupting sugar metabolism in the body… Drinking too much caffeine also causes skin irritation, redness, and wrinkles on the skin because it causes the skin to lose water.
