The Connection Between Skin And Diet

Our skin is our largest organ, and just like any other organ, it is affected by what we put into our bodies. While topical application of skincare products is certainly effective, your skin will be happiest - and healthiest - when you take a more holistic approach to caring for it. Which leads us to today’s topic: the connection between skin and diet. 

Because our skincare lines are crafted from natural and organic ingredients, we’ve picked up a fair amount of knowledge about the heroes that we include in our treatments and today we’ll be sharing some of our favourite information with you so you can tailor your own skin clearing diet. 

But before we jump into it, we need to discuss two things:

Firstly, although our focus in this blog will be on helping you achieve clear skin, we prefer to look at our recommendations as more of a skin nourishing diet. This is because, although the foods we’ll be exploring can help with acne and any associated issues, they also have wider benefits and we want to celebrate these natural beauties for everything they can do for you. 

Secondly, the most important ingredient in any skin clearing diet is, and always will be, water. All of our organs require adequate hydration to function at their best, and our skin is no exception. Dehydration can cause a whole host of issues to arise and your skin will have no problem telling you that it isn’t getting enough of what it needs - it does reflect how we are internally after all.

You’ll often hear us talking about how our products can help hydrate your skin, but if you’re not drinking enough water, this topical boost may not be enough to keep your skin balanced - no matter how consistently you apply your serum or moisturiser. As a general rule, it is recommended that an adult human consume a minimum of eight glasses (two litres) of water a day but unless you’re going really over the top, there’s no such thing as too much water. 

 

What Is A Skin Clearing Diet?

You’ll hear the words skin clearing diet thrown around a lot, but when asked to explain the concept, many will simply respond, well, it’s a diet that clears skin. While this is obviously the end goal of this form of eating, it doesn’t really tell you what you need to consume, or where you need to start.

For the purpose of this article, we’ll be defining a skin clearing diet as a lifestyle which is rich in ingredients, foods and practices that assist in maintaining balance in regards to both nutrients and skin. Please be aware, our choice of words here is no accident, for any kind of diet to be effective long term, you need to make sustainable, on-going changes. The suggestions we will be making in this article are not restrictive and they are designed to be integrated into a generally healthy lifestyle for best results. 

 

What Foods Should I Be Eating To Help Clear My Skin?

Your skin reflects everything that you put into your body so a generally healthy diet will always be beneficial. Keeping hydrated, eating plenty of fruits and veggies and limiting your “junk” food consumption will all be helpful, but you don’t have to go on a super restrictive diet to help your skin thrive. All of the foods and ingredients listed in this section absolutely adore your skin and adding them to your diet can certainly help with clearing up your complexion.

Berries

Berries are naturally high in skin loving antioxidants so they’re the ideal food to get more of if you’re looking to clear up your skin - especially since they’re so versatile. Antioxidants offer great anti-inflammatory benefits and they’re perfect for fighting off free radicals and other nasties that are damaging to our bodies and skin. Plus, they’re super easy to find - the brighter your food’s colour, the more antioxidants it has!

We suggest munching on your berries fresh, turning them into a delicious smoothie like this vegan super shake that the wonderful Tal has been kind enough to share the recipe for, or even pureeing them into a jam or sauce for your other treats.

Salmon

Rich in both Omega-3 fatty acids which help your skin retain moisture and bring anti-inflammatory benefits, and Vitamin E which is great for supporting your skin’s natural barrier as well as the general promotion of skin health, Salmon is a delicious and healthy protein option for those looking to clear up their skin. In fact, it’s even been referred to as a skin superfood thanks to the support it provides for your complexion.

Oh, and don’t feel bad about eating the skin, it’s full of high concentrations of nutrients, can be made deliciously crispy and salmon fillets have “good” fats so you don’t need to worry about that. 

Potatoes

Bet you weren’t expecting to see these guys in a skin clearing diet! Potatoes, however, are a wonderful source of Vitamin C and we wanted to give you something a little different to what’s normally presented. Vitamin C can help heal damaged skin, provide protection for your cells and reduce inflammation so you’re onto a winner with these tasty, and versatile veggies. Plus, good old Vitamin C can also assist in boosting the radiance of your complexion meaning it can help you achieve brighter, as well as clearer, skin.

Potatoes also contain a whole host of other vitamins and nutrients that are essential for our overall health and are even a great source of antioxidants. 

Greek Yoghurt

Greek Yoghurt is full of helpful probiotics and can be wonderful for assisting in skin detox. It also provides our bodies with healthy amounts of both zinc and lactic acid and is a great way to boost your protein intake if you have a plant based diet. 

Avocado

Full of good fats including monounsaturated fatty acids, Avocado provides a healthy serving of Vitamins B, C and E as well a decent portion of magnesium. This superfood can assist in boosting and maintaining moisture while also providing anti-inflammatory benefits and helping to fight off signs of aging. Everybody wins!

Fun Tip: Lightly fry a salmon fillet in avocado oil and serve it with a baked potato topped with greek yoghurt to get four skin loving foods in one meal!

Dark Chocolate

Although often considered a “naughty” food, dark chocolate is surprisingly healthy and can actually be wonderful for your skin. This tasty treat contains a decent amount of zinc (which has been shown to be effective at assisting with the prevention and treatment of acne) as well as antioxidants for protection, manganese to help improve nutrient absorption and, thanks to its mood boosting properties, it can also help prevent the breakdown of collagen. 

Green Tea

Known best for the amazing amount of antioxidants contained within a brew, Green Tea actually offers a whole collection of other benefits for our skin and body. It features wonderful skin repairing properties, for example, and can also aid in boosting and maintaining hydration. Plus, catechin lends anti-inflammatory properties to this hot drink making it a fabulous all rounder.  

 

Any Other Diet Tips?

Try to keep the majority of your diet to foods which have a low glycemic index (GI). High GI foods create a sugar high in your bloodstream which is great for an instant energy boost, but not so fabulous for your complexion (or your overall health). Sugar spikes have been linked to increased sebum production (the oil that our skin naturally produces) as they make your body speed up the rate at which it produces insulin - in other words, sugary things = inflammation, breakouts and sadness when you crash from that sugar high. Low GI foods, however, provide a slower, more sustainable energy release, won’t give you that crashing feeling and do not cause spikes to blood sugar.

 

What Skincare Should I Pair With My Skin Clearing Diet?

Dermassure is our specialised range for oily, problematic, sensitive and breakout prone skin. Designed to assist in clearing and calming skin, the Dermassure range features everything you need to create a basic skincare routine. 

Start your routine off with our Dermassure Clear & Calm Toning Cleanser to purify, reduce congestion, soothe and tone in a single step. 

Follow with our Dermassure Clear & Calm Flaxy Balance Serum to help control excessive oil production, assist in clearing breakouts and reduce irritation & redness.

Then complete the process with our Dermassure Clear & Calm Matte Comfort Moisturiser to refine the appearance of pores, mattify the complexion, and, of course, moisturise and hydrate.

 

Is There Anything Else I Should Know?

While your diet and skincare routine are two major factors in how your skin looks and feels, they’re not the only aspects that can have an impact. Your workout regime, hormones, self-care practices, environment and more can all affect the health of your largest organ, so don’t forget to look at the big picture and take a holistic approach.

To level up your routine, use our Dermassure Clear & Calm Pore Refining Mask weekly to balance, refresh, clear and nurture blemished or stressed skin.