Skin Health: Why and How to Nurture Your Largest Organ

Your skin does more than keep you looking good---it’s your body’s largest organ and your first line of defense against infection, injury, and environmental stressors. This is your reminder to give your skin the care it deserves! 

Daily Habits That Protect and Nourish 

Cleanse Safely and Gently 

Skip harsh scrubs and use a mild cleanser once or twice daily. Over-cleansing strips your skin’s natural oils and weakens the skin barrier. Skin care ingredients matter! Here’s a list of some ingredients you want to steer clear of when purchasing skin care products:  

• Aluminum 

• Phthalates 

• Parabens 

• Formaldehyde 

• Lead 

• Benzalkonium chloride 

• Methylisothiazolinone 

• Plastics 

• PFAS 

• Propylene glycol 

• Oxybenzone 

• Sodium lauryl sulfate 

• Triclosan

• Fragrance

Hydrate Inside and Out 

Drinking enough water supports overall health, but topical hydration matters too! Choose fragrance-free moisturizers to lock in moisture, especially after showering or bathing.  

Sun Protection 

The sun is extremely important for your overall health, however excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays can contribute to premature aging and skin cancer. Here are some safe sun tips: 

• Limit your time in the direct sun between the hours of 10a and 2p 

• Wear clothing with SPF 

• Wear a broad-brim hat  

• Use safe, non-toxic sunscreen 

• Wear sunglasses if you’ll be in the sun for a long period of time

Eat to Nourish Your Skin 

What you eat, or don’t eat, impacts the health of your skin. Obviously, ultra-processed foods, alcohol, and added sugars should be limited. These foods and drinks use up skin health nutrients and introduce toxins that need to be dealt with by your body. They also increase inflammation and disrupt blood sugar control, hormone balance, and gut microbiome health.  

As for what you may want to add to your diet, colorful fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids, and lean proteins provide antioxidants and the building blocks for collagen. A Mediterranean dietary pattern is a great first place to start if you’re new to making diet-related changes.  

Exercise 

Exercise is important for overall health, but it’s also helpful for creating radiant skin. Exercise helps improve circulation (which improves the flow of oxygen and nutrients to your skin), it promotes detoxification, helps to reduce stress, combats the signs of aging, and stimulates collagen production.  

If you’re new to exercise, start out by walking as much and as often as possible. Once you get that foundation in place, start experimenting with a variety of cardiovascular and strength training exercises. 

Get Enough Sleep 

Sleeping enough, but not too much, helps your skin by promoting hydration and elasticity, allows your skin cells to repair themselves, and increases blood flow and collagen production. Aim for 7-8 hours of restful sleep each night.

Mind Your Environment 

Since your skin is the primary barrier between you and the environment, it’s particularly prone to damage from external threats. Cigarette smoke, indoor heating, air pollution, and water contaminants can all have a significant impact on skin health. Avoid the toxins you can and practice other healthy lifestyle habits that can help you mitigate the toxins you can’t avoid.  

Have a Skin Professional on Your HealthCare Team 

Regular self-checks for new moles or changes in existing spots are essential. But meeting with a dermatologist for annual checkups is a great way to keep the health of your skin front and center. Definitely see a dermatologist if you notice any non-healing rashes or sores, rapidly changing moles, or if you have a history of sunburn or skin cancer.  

The Takeaway 

Healthy skin is not about perfection---it’s about protection and prevention. By adopting consistent daily habits and seeking professional guidance when needed, you can keep your skin resilient, comfortable, and radiant all year long! 

If you're struggling with uncomfortable skin or other symptoms, check out my book,

The Holistic Psoriasis Management & Nutrition Guide or contact us for an appointment today! We can help you uncover the root causes and teach you have to heal your body for good!

Sources:   

1. 12 Toxic Ingredients to Stay Clear of In Skin Care Products - GoodRx 

2. Dry Skin (Xeroderma): Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Prevention 

3. Defining skin aging and its risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PubMed 

4. Resistance training rejuvenates aging skin by reducing circulating inflammatory factors and enhancing dermal extracellular matrices - PubMed 

5. The Skin Interactome: A Holistic "Genome-Microbiome-Exposome" Approach to Understand and Modulate Skin Health and Aging - PubMed 

6. Adult skin acute stress responses to short-term environmental and internal aggression from exposome factors - PubMed 

7. Beneficial Effects of Plant-Based Diets on Skin Health and Inflammatory Skin Diseases - PubMed 

8. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet in patients with psoriasis and its relationship with the severity of the disease: A case-control study - PubMed