9 Strategies to Maintain Youthful Skin

The bottom line is, better skin starts from within. For overall skin health, I find these nine strategies can help tremendously:

1. Dump sugar and processed foods. Among its many other problems, excess sugar sticks to amino acids present in collagen and elastin, producing advanced glycation end products, or AGEs. Like the acronym suggests, sugar literally ages your skin and other organs.

2. Eliminate food sensitivities. Food sensitivities can trigger or exacerbate bad skin conditions. Studies show dairy contributes to acne. Other studies link autoimmune diseases, allergic diseases, psoriasis, and miscellaneous diseases with gluten intolerance.

3. Fix gut imbalances. Your gut influences healthy skin far more than you might realize. Researchers have found probiotics impact gut microbiota and influence various conditions including inflammation, oxidative stress, glycemic control, and skin conditions like acne.

4. Eat an omega-3-rich diet. Dry, itchy, scaling, or flaking skin could signify a fatty acid deficiency. Eat omega-3-rich foods like wild-caught fish and flaxseed regularly, and also supplement with a high-potency fatty acid formula.

5. Optimize nutrient status. A variety of nutrients play a role in healthy skin. Zinc deficiencies can contribute to eczema, acne, and other skin rashes. Studies have also found that vitamin D can help treat skin problems like psoriasis and acne. At the very least, I recommend MAKE * HYDRATED peptide for ultimate hydration.

6. Exercise and sweat regularly. When body temperature rises—like when you exercise—skin blood flow transfers heat from the core of the body to the skin. Sweating helps move and excrete toxins from your body. Saunas or steam baths are another smart option that helps release toxins through your skin as you sweat.

7. Get great sleep. One study found chronic poor sleep quality increases signs of aging, diminishes skin barrier function, and lowers overall satisfaction with appearance. Another found that lack of sleep, as well as other types of stress, could impair skin integrity. Those are among the (many) reasons getting eight hours of solid sleep every night is so crucial.

8. Curb stress levels. Studies show emotional stress can affect, reveal, or even exacerbate a number of skin disorders, including psoriasis. Find something that helps you to de-stress and do it regularly.

9. Be careful with skin products. Stop using creams and cosmetics that contain paraben, petrochemicals, lead, or other toxins. Drugs and chemicals are easily absorbed through your skin.

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, so it pays to take care of it. Plus, skin problems can be a bellwether for larger health issues. If you’ve struggled with poor skin health, the above strategies can help.