Can you believe the summer season is here again already? With the humidity, dryness and the hot sun, looking after your skin needs to be a priority. Prevention and protection are the best approach to keep your skin happy and healthy and are some of the ways you can focus on skin health for summer.
Why summer affects our skin
Summer in Australia can be quite harsh on our skin and bodies, with an extreme contrast from the winter weather it makes sense that it would have such an effect on our health. The humidity, hot temperatures, dryness, sunburn, UV exposure and dehydration from heat all add up and result in damaging and drying out our skin.
What contributes to skin health?
Your skin health is determined from both internal and external factors. Factors such as environmental exposure, skin care routine, products used, gut health, hormone balance, hydration levels, nutrition, stress and sleep all play a role. Our skin requires certain vitamins and nutrients to thrive, being the largest organ on our body and also the biggest contact surface it really does need looking after. Some things to focus on that play a big role in our skin health include:
- Gut health
- Your nutrition and eating
- Sleep
- Stress
- Exercise
- Hydration
Health boosters
There are some great functional foods and supplements out there that really can make a huge difference on our skin health simply by adding them into your daily eating. Our favourite ones at Hello Ginseng include:
Probiotics are the natural good bacteria that our gut needs to thrive, making sure the gastrointestinal system’s microbial community is balanced is vital for a healthy gut and healthy skin. Research has shown that the use of probiotics may work to restore the normal skin pH and consequently return protease activity levels closer to those seen in young, healthy skin. They also show promising effects on reducing free radical damage from UV exposure and helping to prevent sun damage (Kober & Bowe, 2015).
Ginseng is a superfood that shows super results for keeping our skin healthy by boosting circulation in blood vessels, potentially ramping up collagen synthesis and firming the skin. As an antioxidant it also helps to prevent free radical damage that can contribute to ageing and wrinkles (Hwang et al., 2015).
Vitamin C rich foods are wonderful for skin health as they naturally boost collagen (one of the building blocks of our skin) while maintaining the level of it and prevent damage to it. Collagen helps to keep the skin firm and prevent sagging, thinning and wrinkles in the skin (Pullar et al., 2017). Some great sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, peppers, strawberries, cruciferous vegetables, white potatoes and tomatoes.
Be a stunner for summer
Keeping your skin healthy during summer doesn’t need to be hard, it just takes small but consistent efforts. The best part is, all the ways you can support your skin health also support your overall health and wellbeing. So have your healthiest summer yet by adding in some of the tips we mentioned above.
References
Hwang, E., Park, S. Y., Jo, H., Lee, D. G., Kim, H. T., Kim, Y. M., Yin, C. S., & Yi, T. H. (2015). Efficacy and Safety of Enzyme-Modified Panax ginseng for Anti-Wrinkle Therapy in Healthy Skin: A Single-Center, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Rejuvenation research, 18(5), 449–457. https://doi.org/10.1089/rej.2015.1660
Kober, M. M., & Bowe, W. P. (2015). The effect of probiotics on immune regulation, acne, and photoaging. International journal of women’s dermatology, 1(2), 85–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijwd.2015.02.001
Pullar, J. M., Carr, A. C., & Vissers, M. C. M. (2017). The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health. Nutrients, 9(8), 866. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9080866