The Skinny on Skin Health

In response to my recent beauty product recommendation, one of our readers, thechemist-coture wrote in and offered some expertise based on his knowledge of chemistry and his delight in pampering the skin. He had the following to say:

"I love beauty regimens. Nothing lifts my spirits, or my baggy under eye, like devoted personal pampering. But behind all the crèmes, potions and chemical concoctions I wondered, not surprisingly, what was the science behind the facial potpourri’s of our beloved regimens. To dig deeper into how we make ourselves look lifted, rested and restored I thought I might do some research into the science of skin. In my quest for the dermatological truth, I found that taking care of our skin’s health can be divided into three areas: cleaning, nutrition and aging.

"As for cleaning, there are loads of scrubs, washes, soaps and lathers that claim to be for any of a variety of skin types. But overwhelmingly dermatologist suggest an unscented, 30% moisturizing, dye free soap for daily cleansing. Nothing with extreme detergents. Mild is the name of the game when finding the right facial bar. Special soaps such as acne creams containing a range of chemicals like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid can dry out skin if overused. So only use these during an outbreak, not as a prophylactic. So when it comes to cleaning, stick with bar soaps like Ivory. Unscented, undyed and non-deodorant. This soap is the cleanest of clean for healthy skin.

"The next two areas, aging and nutrition are really one set of cause and effect. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and your diet has an enormous effect on it’s health. And while many of the skin care products on the market lay claim to give results from the mixture of vitamin, minerals, retinol(vitamin A), and chamomile-rose petal-serum-oil-of-the-gods-awesomeness. The truth is that while you need (most) of these awesome things, it is much better for you to get them from the food you eat than from topical application. That doesn’t mean that these products don’t work (I mean they sell like hot cakes, somebody is getting results!) It’s just that it is so much better for you when you get the nutrition your skin needs naturally. Getting nutrients form the “inside” where the skin is growing is like feeding a tree at the root. Think of it this way—taking a daily multivitamin orally is a great way to get every mineral vitamin and metal you need for the day in one pill. But while this gets us the dose we need, our body doesn’t uptake as much of those awesome nutrients as when we eat some green leafy veggies simply because that isn’t the form that your body expects and is made to process. So put down the eye-lifting-micro-derm-smoothing cream and pick up a carrot, blackberries, and plums (to name a few). And don’t forget the 8 glasses of water a day to wash away all those nasty toxins that make our skin blotchy and oily. 'Everything you eat becomes a part of not only your inner being, but the outer fabric of your body as well. The healthier the foods are that you consume, the better your skin will look,' (Samantha Heller, MS, RD)

"Lastly, I feel that my dermatology summary wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t say something about sunscreen. You’ve heard it before, but it’s so so very true. The sun is the enemy when it comes to skin health. So apply strong (high SPF) and often. Remember that even in the middle of winter the suns UV-B rays are still coming in just as strong to attack our precious skin’s DNA. This is the perfect time to have a little moisturizer action added to your routine. But remember to keep it mild. Keep away from products with any oils or PEG-ylated lipids in the top 5 ingredients. Of course it must be said that just like your overall health, your skin’s health is unique to you. These tips are the basis for good skin health, and may need to be supplemented."

Regarding, thechemist-coture's observations about nutrition and skin health, from my own personal experience and the fount of knowledge that is the professional make-up artist, who is doing my make-up for my wedding, I couldn't agree more. Even if it's pure placebo effect or more related to self-perception, I feel like my skin looks better when I drink 8 glasses of water a day and when I eat a nutrient-rich diet, including some healthy fats from my beloved olive oil.

As we head into the middle of the semester (or quarter), it's a good time to remember to take time to pamper ourselves (it's all too easy to get bogged down with article revisions, mid-term grading, lecture prep, and student emails), and one of the best things that we can do to take good care of ourselves is to care for our skin. This is the kind of pampering that will pay us back ten-fold (and hopefully through the tenure process).