Try These At-Home Therapies for Eczema Relief
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Eating Your Way to Healthier Skin
The three layers of skin that cover your body do more than keep out foreign threats, viruses, and bacteria. Your skin helps you sweat, grow hair, regulate temperature, and interact with the world through touch.
Maintaining healthy skin, not surprisingly, is a big part of maintaining overall health. Making good dietary choices is one way to do that. At their three New York City locations, Dr. Javier Zelaya and the medical staff at Skinworks Dermatology can help.
Below, Dr. Zelaya discusses what healthy skin needs and the kinds of food that can provide it.
Basics of healthy skin
Skin can be oily, dry, a combination of the two, or clear. Regardless of the type you have, there are certain things your skin needs, such as:
- Cleansing: Keep your skin free of excess sweat and grime for clear pores
- Protection: Use sunscreen to shield your skin from damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays
- Hydration: Drink plenty of water for healthy skin
- Moisturizing: Use lotions and creams to help keep skin from drying out
Nutrients that benefit skin
The food you eat affects your entire body, and these nutrients are good for skin:
Proteins
These substances provide your body with amino acids to create collagen, keratin, and other proteins vital to the structure of the skin. Amino acids also help you shed old skin.
Vitamins
Your skin needs a variety of vitamins for good health, including vitamin A (an antioxidant), vitamin C (helps collagen keep its shape), and vitamin E (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory).
Minerals
Zinc and selenium are great for the skin. The former helps your skin heal after an injury, and the latter is another antioxidant that can help protect against UV rays.
Healthy fats
Contrary to popular belief, not all fats are bad for you; having too few can leave your skin dry and wrinkled. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats help improve your skin’s moisture, firmness, and flexibility, and omega-3 is a fatty acid your body needs to build cell walls.
Foods to improve skin health
Include these foods in your diet to improve skin health:
- Fish (omega-3 fatty acids): tuna, mackerel, and salmon
- Nuts/seeds (omega-3, vitamins): almonds, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds
- Fruits (vitamin C, antioxidants): kiwis, strawberries, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits
- Vegetables (vitamins): broccoli and bell peppers
- Polyphenols (antioxidants): tea, coffee, chocolate, and grapes
If you’re concerned about the health of your skin, schedule a visit with Dr. Zelaya and Skinworks Dermatology today. Call the office in Maspeth, Chelsea, or Park Slope, or request your appointment online.
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