The Functional Approach to Getting Great Skin Through the Holiday Season
Is all that excess sugar intake this holiday season related to my skin issues? In short, YES! Our skin can be a reflection of our overall health. Read on as guest blogger Amy Black, Nurse Practitioner specializing in Functional medicine and dermatology, helps you navigate this holiday season so you can feel and look radiant.
The holiday season brings on a host of emotions from joy to distress. We are asked to perform our normal day to day jobs and activities as well as plan parties, attend parties, be sure our home is presentable for company, shop for gifts, the list goes on. This added stress takes a toll on our bodies. Rather than limiting our sugar intake during the holidays, we unintentionally increase it by consuming more alcohol, more processed foods and treats.
Heightened emotions and stress can lead to overeating and overindulgence in comfort foods. Comfort foods are riddled with the addictive chemical sugar! Stop by Starbucks for a grande peppermint mocha and you’ve just added 54 gm of sugar to your day. The American Heart Association recommends that women have no more than 25 gm of sugars per day and men have no more than 36 gm per day. With just one coffee drink, you’ve doubled the amount of sugar you should have in one day!
Food affecting skin health is not a new concept. Research has shown that what we put in our bodies directly affects how our bodies fight illness and inflammation and whether our skin glows. Our skin is a window to what is going on inside —when we eat the sugary, rich foods and drink alcohol, our total body inflammation goes up, and our skin starts to reflect that inflammation. The increase in skin problems such as acne, dry itchy skin, eczema and psoriasis are very common at this time of year.
Do sweets cause acne? Yes, is the short answer. Sugar is directly linked to acne through an increase in blood sugar levels. When our blood sugar elevates, the body must release insulin to help put the sugar into our cells so we can use it as energy. Spikes in blood sugar cause our hormones to go out of balance which in turn causes our skin to produce more oils and inflammation. This results in acne.
When we increase our sugar intake, we also put our immune systems under stress and make it harder to fight off infections and rashes. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps our bodies fight infection. When we eat a lot of sugar, the sugar and vitamin C compete to enter the cells and often the sugar pushes the Vitamin C out of the way and prevents absorption. This puts our bodies at risk for colds and other illness.
The stress of the holiday season already has our immune system challenged, we should try to eat foods that are good for our skin. Sam is busy with work. She is planning to host a holiday gathering at her home. She hasn’t had time to do her food prep for the week, and she’s been under a lot of stress with planning and work, so she is craving sugar. Her lunches have consisted of grazing on quick pick me ups, such as chocolates or cookies in the break room at work. She’s having a couple of glasses of wine at night to wind down after her busy days and within the course of a week she’s started to notice that she has some dry patches on her skin and her back gets really itchy at night. She’s also noticed that she has a few acne bumps on the chin.
Sugar causing acne on the face and stress is causing her eczema to flare. Sugar causing skin issues is something we can work on. What are the right foods to eat for skin health? What can we do to limit sugar during the holidays?
Prep your brain for the day. Get in the right mindset- prepare mentally for the season. Try meditating for just a few minutes per day to help set your intentions and help to handle stress. This can help to decrease cortisol and in turn will help prevent and calm the skin flares.
Try decreasing sugar intake in the weeks leading up to the holidays so that you don’t have a taste for sugar. You may also notice that when you eat sugar after having a little break from it, it doesn’t make you feel good.
Consider meal planning so that you are eating foods that are good for your skin. Try to fit in at least one super antioxidant packed healthy meal full of veggies or broth to help support the immune system and calm internal inflammation. Arugula, spinach, avocado, artichoke, walnuts, broccoli, sweet potatoes and bone broth all help to calm the skin while boosting antioxidants and keeping us healthy.
Add a few inflammation busting supplements such as turmeric, vitamin C and fish oil. Turmeric has been shown to decrease total body inflammation and has antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Fish oil contains Omega 3 fatty acids which has proven to be beneficial for dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and acne.
Vitamin B5 and Vitamin C can both be used topically as an anti-inflammatory. “I know, I know”, you say, —"I’ll start again Jan 1. I’ll lose the weight; I’ll change my diet”. Starting now by making healthy food choices and limiting sugar will improve your skin health as well as your overall health.
Now you know, sweets cause acne! Now you know that sugar drives inflammation in the skin and worsens the already uncomfortable eczema and psoriasis. Make a conscious choice to limit sugar during the holidays. Don’t wait until January 1! Today is so much better than someday!
Schedule an appointment with Amy Black, NP to discuss skin and health concerns. Amy has been practicing dermatology for 13 years and can help navigate the world of skin care products and routines for your best skin!