Complete Wellness™ Dentistry - Sydney, Australia
Causes Of Unhealthy Skin
Reasons why skin can be unhealthy:
- Stress
- Poor diet high in sugar
- Too much sugar in your diet attaches to the skin’s collagen causing skin damage and accelerates skin damage by causing skin thinning, loss of elasticity and discolouration.
- Along with skin ageing, high blood sugar is associated with poor wound healing, ageing, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis and acne.
- Hormonal imbalances
- A simple blood test ordered by your general practitioner can detect thyroid hormones.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding change the body’s hormones and needs for energy.
- Genetics and ageing
- You cannot change your genetics but you can change your diet and home skincare routine to help slow down the ageing process.
- Vitamin/ Mineral deficiencies such as:
- Beta-carotene (from plants) deficiency can cause dry, scaly, tough/ rough skin and a weakened immune system.
- Copper (legumes, nuts, shellfish, seeds) is an antioxidant that is important in making collagen, elastin, melanin and is needed in iron metabolism.
- Selenium (seafood, lamb, pork, turkey, chicken, brazil nuts) helps protect against free radicals and is involved in the immune system, hair and nail health.
- Zinc (oysters, crab, lean ground beef, plain yoghurt, sunflower seeds) is an antioxidant that is important for wound healing, taste, skin, hair and nails, and can be involved in acne.
- Essential Fatty Acids (Omega 3) (salmon, chia seeds, walnuts) are important for the skin. Deficiency can cause dandruff and chronic dry skin. Omega 3 fatty acids maintain the skin’s barrier and are important in acne, eczema, psoriasis and rosacea.
- Skin bacterial flora imbalance
- Antibiotics can throw off the body’s balance of good and bad bacteria.
- Oxidative stress
- Involves oxidants and free radicals that our body cannot keep up with to fight off and prevent skin damage. Free radicals damage our all-important collagen causing our skin to lose elasticity, be dry, less firm, more wrinkly and less supple.
- Is our daily exposure to toxic pollutants we breathe in, environmental pollution, substances in our diet and UV radiation exposure.
- Antioxidants are anti-inflammatory, protect against UV damage and provide anti-ageing skin benefits.
- Antioxidants defend the body against oxidative stress. These include beta-carotene, Vitamins C and E, resveratrol, curcumin (in turmeric) and green tea.
- Free Radicals
- Damage collagen and destroy the firmness and suppleness of our skin. This causes our skin to be dry, wrinkly, have fine lines, and be less elastic.
- Damage DNA, RNA, proteins and fatty acids.
- Topical antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamins C and E work to stabilise free radicals and prevent skin damage.
- Consuming phytochemicals (plant-derived organic molecules that are bioactive) e.g. fruits and vegetables have great health benefits including fighting free-radicals.
- Sun damage
- Causes premature ageing and skin cancers. UV radiation causes cell damage, increased skin inflammation and a decrease in collagen being made by your skin.
- Our ozone layer is the most damaged, and Australia has the world’s highest levels of UV radiation. Slip, slop slap!
- Smoking and tobacco use
- Reduces the blood flow to your mouth and skin
- Is associated with periodontal disease where bone, tooth and gum irreversibly recede and teeth become loose.
- Causes premature ageing and wrinkles
- Causes spider veins
- Is associated with a high incidence of oral and mouth cancers.
How Is Your Skin?
Want to know more? Call iDental Surgery for a consultation on (02) 9557 7775.