Home > Is Beauty Only Skin Deep?

by Dave Foreman

Wow, is that a painful question! With the proliferation of sexy magazine covers and the desire to look like the cover girl or guy, Americans are constantly looking for a way to look and feel better. Is beauty only skin deep? My experience is that you need to work at your outer appearance in two ways: by what you put in your body; and what you put on your body.

Let’s start with what you put in your body. The foundation of my “Four Pillars of Great Health” is supplementation, which is designed to make up for what is missing from your diet. Healthy skin grows from the inside out, right? Well, then, proper nutrition is the best way to achieve the skin you have always wanted – regardless of your age. Antioxidants are a great start.They can help your body fight the free radical damage that causes aging. Free radicals cause us to “rust” in a way; and that “rust” leads to breakdowns in the skin (the largest organ of the body). Wrinkles, age spots and skin cancer all have links back to free radical damage, and the one thing we know is that consuming antioxidants helps neutralize free radicals.

The following are a few of the more popular antioxidants I would use to help reduce free radical damage: Alpha Lipoic Acid; Bilberry; CoQ-10; Grape Seed Extract; Green Tea; Lutein; Lycopene; Mixed Carotenoids; Pycnogenol®; Selenium; Vitamin C; Vitamin E; Zinc. This list is nearly endless because many of the herbals like Green Tea are naturally high in antioxidants as well. Another important supplement for skin health is water. Most of us don’t consume enough water, and I therefore consider water a supplement. How much you need depends on you and your activity levels. The bare minimum for everyone should be 64 ounces a day. If you are an active person, then you require more. Since your body is made up primarily of water, it is important to make sure you are well hydrated. I have seen many people’s wrinkles decrease just by consuming more water alone. Give it a try: your body will thank you.

The last internal supplement suggestion is a good EFA (Essential Fatty Acid). Vegetarian products containing Flax, Borage or Evening Primrose Oil are very effective. A blended product like Udo’s Perfected Blend (Flora®) can provide the extra good fats needed for healthy, smooth and supple skin. Fish Oil products like Coromega® (my personal favorite) can also provide you with the EFAs needed for healthier skin. On a personal note, many of my friends and family have used EFAs to eliminate dry skin and other skin issues that have affected them for years. Generally, follow the manufacturer’s label instructions or consult your natural health care provider for the dose that is right for you.

Externally, there is also an abundance of things you can do to support healthy skin. Just walk into your local Vitamin Shoppe, and see how the personal care section has grown. Many of these topical products contain moisturizing agents such as Palm Oil, Almond Oil or Shea Butter. They even taught us about these in my pharmacy school program. Often, herbal extracts will be added to these types of ingredients to achieve other benefits. I usually recommend adding Calendula, Lavender or Chamomile if you have itchy or irritated skin. It has now become popular to add antioxidants like CoQ-10, Green Tea, Vitamin E, Alpha Lipoic Acid and even Berry Extracts to your skincare regimen.The belief is that by applying these directly to free radical damaged skin (from sun, chemicals, perfumes, etc.), you can attack the damage at the point of contact.To date, there is limited research showing that this will work effectively.Having said this, I am still a firm believer in using antioxidants topically to assist in the fight against free radical damage. The more popular brands of natural products to consider are Aubrey Organics, Kiss My Face, Jason Natural Cosmetics, Burt’s Bees, Avalon Natural Products and Tom’s of Maine. It may not even be fair to stop at this short list, but you can consult with a Vitamin Shoppe health enthusiast for more information on the line of topical products that are right for you.

Other factors and lifestyle habits that will positively impact your outer appearance include: limiting exposure to UV rays (sun); staying clean; and buying organic foods and products.

Finally, it is important to stress that beauty is not just skin deep.You are on the outside what you are on the inside.There is a philosophy in natural medicine that your skin is a direct reflection of your bowel health. This may sound kind of strange, but I believe it to be true. If you are having other issues like acne, eczema or psoriasis, you may wish to try internal cleansing. Using pre-packaged products like Cleanse Smart, Ultimate Cleanse or even the tea Flor-Essence are great for eliminating toxins from the body and can have remarkable effects on skin health. Even if you don’t have “bad” skin, it is recommended to cleanse internally at least two times yearly.

Remember, looking younger is not something that happens overnight. It takes weeks and even months of taking care of yourself inside and out to achieve the look you want. Be patient and committed to the program. In time, you will love what you see in the mirror.