In a world where there is mountains of advice on how to take care of your skin best it can be hard to sift through the noise and find what really helps. This is why I wanted to take the time and share with you some of my favorite skin care secrets.
Questions about skin care is perhaps one of the most common things I’m asked about in my daily practice. As we get older we start to notice the wear and tear of life appear in lines on our faces.
So what can we actually do to age more gracefully?
When it comes to your skin care ritual, you’re going to need to consider the things that you eat along with what you put on your face. Your gut and skin are strongly connected, which is why so many skin conditions actually start in the gut. A few examples of this include rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis. The gut-skin connection means that if you’re buying expensive skin care products but not considering your diet, you’re likely to see limited results.
Due to this, my recommendations combine both things you should be eating as well as important ingredients you should make sure your skin care products include.
Because I was getting so many questions on ideal skin care from my patients, I decided to put together my own line of skin care products. My Mini Miracle Kit is a combination of the different ingredients I’ve seen work best over the years. You’ll find why I think each ingredient is so wonderful at the end of this article, but first we’ve got to start from the inside out.
Radiant Skin Starts in the Gut
If you’re having skin issues I recommend checking your diet first. Often the sources of unwanted acne, redness, rashes, and accelerated aging are caused by diet. So be sure you’ve ruled out food sensitivities with an elimination diet or a food sensitivity test with your functional medicine doctor first and foremost.
Here are a few foods to consider avoiding for better skin:
- Sugar
- Gluten
- Alcohol
- Processed foods
- Dairy (if you’re sensitive)
- Any individual food sensitivities
Here are a few foods to consider adding to your daily ritual for better skin:
- Collagen – Collagen is literally the glue that holds your skin together. Everyone could use more collagen in their diet and you can do so through eating the parts of the animal that we often throw away, such as the skin, bone marrow, and gelatin which is found in bone broth.
- Vitamin A – Vitamin A is incredibly important to skin health and protecting you from sun damage. It also happens to be a vitamin A lot of us are missing in our diet. You can get more vitamin A through organ meats, fish oils, and supplements like cod liver oil.
- CoQ10 – CoQ10 is protective to the skin both when ingested and used topically. Foods that are highest in CoQ10 are mostly animal products, including grass-fed beef.
- Antioxidants – Other antioxidants are important because they fight free radicals, which are damaging to the skin. You can get more antioxidants through berries, green leafy vegetables, and other plant sources.
Ideal Skin Care Ingredients
When it comes to putting things on your skin I’d like to focus on specific ingredients because there are a number of companies that do skin care products very well. Ultimately, you want to be sure that everything is as natural as possible with few preservatives, unnecessary additives, and no ‘fragrance.’ Fragrance is a blanket term used to hide many harsh chemicals that can seriously damage the skin.
Above all, be careful with what you’re putting on your skin including through your makeup – which can contain toxins, chemicals, and many harsh ingredients I’m sure you’d be surprised to find in your beauty products.
I worry about the many of the saturated paper face masks that have become popular due to social media. Check the ingredients of these, many are produced in China and have minimal ingredients listed – OR the ingredients on the packaging are downright terrible for your skin in the long run.
Stick to natural ingredients first and foremost.
I could go on and on about the dangerous ingredients found in skin care products, but this article’s focus is on those that are beneficial to your skin care regimen. However, I can’t stress enough the importance of eliminating toxic chemicals in your beauty products – they add to your overall toxic burden and can contribute to inflammation in the body.
Your skin is similar to your gut in that everybody is going to be a little different in what works best for them. This is why I always recommend experimenting with certain products to find what works and what doesn’t. Don’t make massive changes to your skin care ritual all at once, add a little at a time.
With that in mind, here are some of the best ingredients you should look for in your skin care products.
- Tretinoin – Topical tretinoin is concentrated vitamin A, which increases collagen production. I love trentonian because it reduces the visibility of photodamage from the sun, wrinkles, and helps with acne. These benefits are why it’s one of the primary ingredients in my RA cream of the Mini Miracle Kit .
- Hyaluronic acid – I know that word acid might make you worry if it’s good for your skin but hyaluronic acid is important to your skin because it prevents moisture loss. You’ll notice lots of high quality skin care products use hyaluronic acid for this reason and it’s why it’s included in step two of my Mini Miracle Kit – the Vita-CE with Ferulic Acid.
- Vitamin C – Vitamin C promotes collagen synthesis and prevents photodamage.
- Vitamin E – Vitamin E is incredibly important to your skin because it’s a fat-soluble antioxidant that protects from free radical damage. Vitamin E is also protective against photodamage.
- Ferulic acid – Ferulic acid stabilizes vitamins C and E, and doubles its photoprotective properties.
Again, this is why I developed my Mini Miracle Kit – to be sure to include all of these critical elements for beautiful, radiant skin.
Skincare Bonus: Microneedling
Another skincare tip I like to include is microneedling. Microneedling rollers basically cause slight damage to the skin, which triggers your body to naturally boost collagen production. There are lots of good resources online on how to safely do this, but be sure you don’t over microneedle and actually cause permanent damage. When you do microneedling right, it can be a very powerful tool to reduce wrinkles naturally, safely, and effectively.
I hope this article helps you find better, safer, and more effective natural ways to improve your skin.
Remember, you are beautiful – on the inside and out!
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583892/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583891/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17166106
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583886/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673383/
I’ve found that eating properly, gentle exercise and meditation, I have no need for skin products AT ALL.
Damage done, can be undone, if you eat fruit and vegetables and cut out the toxic meats, alcohol and all that that does not do you good.
Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated.
I’m 55 and have been consistently told I look in my 30s!!!!!!!!!
I also put this down to being very energetic.
Hi Dr. Jill – I am impressed with your ability to articulate information in layman’s terms. I have been “studying” nutrition & practicing whole body health on my own for about 10 yrs. I have (slowly) lost 30 lbs., I exercise 5-6 times per week. Love to hike, plus zumba & yoga. I eat organic and have been doing intermitting fasting (loosely) for about 9 mos. I also gave up gluten & some dairy & I eat very little red meat. I had a hysterectomy (making it difficult to regain a flat stomach). All this to say…I am 61 yrs old – (5’2 @ 153lbs. – still want to lose another 25 lbs) I do not see Doctor’s & don’t med’s. But I have this pain in the middle of my gut (under breasts). It feels like a cross between being hungry & being full. Its not real bad (about a 3-4 on the pain scale). Nothing has helped (I’ve tried illuminations, probiotics, fermented foods, lots of water, etc). I’m not under stress. My question is should I see a specialist? Or is there a natural way to combat this issue? I can’t tie it to any food or even eating. Does feel better if I don’t eat at all, though. I don’t take OTC drugs either. Any suggestions as to where to begin to fix this? Thanks again! – Cheryl D.
Hi Cheryl, you may have issues with gallbladder or gastritis.
I suggest seeing a doctor to get a diagnosis – in the meantime you can try something like DGL to see if that gives you relief.
warmly
Dr Jill
Hello Jill. Thanks for the great article. It’s really very informative. I am gonna show this to my aunt lol.
Thanks for the great info. I am 66 and try my best to live as clean as possible in all areas of my life. I had ovarian cancer 10 years ago. Granted I am 66 but I feel like my face has taken a toll from the cancer journey. I read some time ago that hyaluronic acid should be avoided by anyone that has or has had ovarian cancer. Do you have any thoughts on that? I’d love to use it if I could!
I am not sure about that Susie, best to ask your oncologist
Great information – thank you!
I’ve been to my primary physician regarding the problem that I have with my ‘gut’ or intestine or??? feeling like it’s twisting or cramping. He was concerned and set me for an ultrasound. Nothing showed up, so that was that; however, I continue to have the problem. When it occurs, I press hard on the affected area until the feeling subsides. It usually occurs when I’ve bent over or have been lying down and sit up. I’m not overweight and have a strong core as I use a ‘wobble board’ regularly. Do you have any idea about what could be going on with my gut? Could it be an actual cramp in my intestine. One more thing – it doesn’t always occur in the same spot, but always feels like something is twisting or cramping inside.
You may want to find a functional doctor to do additional testing for SIBO or SIFO or other dysbiosis
Dr. Jill,
Is there a specific microneedling kit you recommend for at home use? Or any recommendations to watch out for?
I recommend seeing a professional esthetician for microneedling