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SKIN CARE
Let?s
face it: only nature can create a perfect, flawless complexion. But
a well-balanced diet, sufficient sleep, regular exercise and a meticulous
skin care regime can all contribute to making the most of your natural
assets and creating a healthy, clear complexion. So take positive
action.
If
you want beautiful skin, it is essential that you follow a skin
care routine, coupled with a balanced diet and regular
exercise. The importance of deep cleansing, both internally and externally,
can never be over-emphasised ? especially if you live in a city, where
your skin is open to attack from harmful environmental elements. And
even perfect skin needs to be protected and preserved to maintain
a healthy bloom.
Inner cleansing
Great skin from within
Skin
is a living organ, which reflects your inner health. If you abuse
your body, your complexion is always the first to suffer. Overloading
with pollutants such as alcohol, coffee, tea, the chemicals involved
in the processing of food, medical drugs and cigarette smoke, together
with a poor input of essential nutrients, leaves the skin looking
dull, lifeless and all too often covered with blemishes. Add to this
an overdose of stress or lack of fresh air, exercise, sunshine and
sleep, and you could end up with the sort of skin problems that no
cosmetic preparation can ever hope to solve. Efficiently functioning
kidneys, intestines and liver are vital to skin texture and clarity.
The
liver remove waste products from the body, but also detoxifies it
of certain drugs, chemicals found in food, drink and water, and poisons
produced bacteria and viruses. When overworked and burdened with fatty
foods, alcohol or emotional upsets such as worry, nervousness, anger
and frustration, the liver?s efficiency is reduced. As a result, toxins
can accumulate in the blood and can be dumped in the skin for elimination,
causing it to look blotchy and blemished.
A
two-day fruit, vegetable and water fast will help to give the liver
a rest and activate the other organs of elimination. Circus fruits
such as lemons, oranges, grapefruit and limes are particularly useful.
They help fortify the liver and are also rich in vitamin C, one of
nature?s most potent detoxifiers. Young dandelion leaves offer an
excellent treatment for liver congestion and are powerful blood cleansers,
as are watercress and parsley, with their high vitamin C and trace
mineral content, and most green leafy vegetables. Encourage the kidneys
to flush away toxins by drinking plenty of pure spring water ? forget
tab water as it contains numerous chemicals.
The
kidneys also need a good supply of the mineral potassium to work well.
Good food sources include potatoes, spinach, bananas, raisins, asparagus
and peaches. The swift passage of food through the intestine is vital
to the cleansing process, as when food lingers too long, wastes start
to be absorbed back into the bloodstream. Roughage, which is present
in the leaves, stalks and roots of vegetables as well as in the skins
and seeds of fruits, speeds up this movement considerably. Try to
shop for organically grown varieties of fruit and vegetables, which
have not been sprayed with chemicals.
These
tend to be concentrated in the fruit and vegetable skins, through
they can also penetrate the inner flesh. They can overwork the liver
and may also cause allergic skin reactions. Other fiber-rich foods
include peas, beans of all kinds, lentils, oats, brown rice, buckwheat,
and other unrefined grains.
Herbal
cleansers
Certain herbs help to make the cleansing process more efficient. Burdock
stimulates the liver; senna and yellow dock are mild laxatives; sarsaparilla
cleans the kidneys and helps to rebalance the sex organs (imbalances
often lie at the root of skin problems); and sassafras is a detoxifier
which is particularly effective at canceling out some of the injurious
effects of cigarette smoke.
These
herbs can be taken either as infusions or in tablet form.
Replenishing
A
good supply of nutrients is essential to make healthy new skin cells.
But, sadly, it?s not good enough simply to select foods that are packed
with vitamins and minerals and then to hope for the best. Tension
and emotional upsets all interfere with the digestion, so food is
often only partially broken down, preventing nutrients being fully
absorbed. Always take time to unwind before sitting down to a meal
? a glass of wine may help ? and try to avoid eating hurried snacks,
which upset the digestive system.
If
you suffer from indigestion, don?t drink water just before or during
a meal, as it dilutes the digestive enzymes, or try taking digestive
enzyme supplements with your food. Refined flour, which is used to
make white bread, cakes, pastries and biscuits, contains gluten, which
attaches itself to the intestinal wall, so hindering the absorption
of available nutrients. Fibrerich foods help to remove this substance,
as can powdered psyllium husks.
These
come from the seeds of the plantain herb and swell in the stomach
to absorb noxious substance and speed their removal from the body.
Significant amounts of B complex vitamins, which are vital for healthy
skin, are made in the intestine by the bacteria that live there. The
number of these organisms tends to dwindle in times of stress And
illness, and when the diet contains too much meat, refined carbohydrates
and sugars.
Eating
live, natural yoghurt helps to replenish these beneficial bacteria.
Opt for yoghurt made from oat?s or sheep?s milk rather than cow?s,
as this is easier to digest and less likely to provoke allergic reactions.
If you cannot tolerate milk of any kind, it is possible to buy lactobacillus
acidophilus bacteria (present in yoghurt) in tablet or capsule form.
Skin
Supplements
The
B complex vitamins are needed for good circulation, which ensures
that developing skin cells receive a good supply of nutrient-laden
food and gets rid of unwanted wastes. Lack of B vitamins can result
in redness, tenderness and other skin problems. Open pores and blackheads
usually clear up when adequate amounts are present.
Good
sources include yeast extract, liver and wholegrain cereals. Vitamin
A is vital to the healthy manufacture of epidermal skin cells. It
also slows down the keratinisation, or hardening, of cells as they
move to the uppermost layer, so making skin feel soft and smooth.
A shortage causes dead, scaly cells to build up and block the pores,
preventing oils from reaching the surface. The pores then become enlarged
and can turn into unsightly blackheads or whiteheads.
Vitamin
A abounds in fish live oils. Carotene, a substance the body can convert
into vitamin A, is found in orange-coloured fruits and vegetables,
such as carrots, mangoes, cantaloupe melons, apricots, and pumpkins,
and in most green vegetables, egg yolk, liver, milk and butter. The
mineral zinc helps to transport vitamin A from the liver to the tissues.
Research shows that skin conditions often improve when extra zinc
is supplied. Along with zinc, the minerals magnesium, calcium and
manganese all have to be present before proteins, which for a major
proportion of cell material, can be constructed from basic building
blocks ? amino acids.
Large
amounts of the trace mineral sulphur crop up in the protein (keratin)
of skin and hair, which is way it?s often called the beauty mineral.
Foods rich in sulphur in clued eggs, fish, onions and garlic. Essential
acids are vital to healthy skin. The body uses them to construct the
membranes surrounding each skin cell and, if these nutrients are lacking,
the membranes waken.
This
causes the skin to lose moisture and makes is susceptible to bacterial
attack, which in turn encourages spots. Essential fatty acids are
found in oils extracted from olives, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts and
sesame seeds. Within the body, their conversation to membrane-constructing
fats can be blocked by a lack of animal fats and sugar. Evening primrose
oil contains ready-converted essential fatty acids, so it makes a
good supplement for skins that are excessively dry and flaky. It takes
a good three weeks for newly formed cells to reach the skin surface,
so it takes time for lasting results to show. But soon after your
cleansing regime starts, skin can soon begin to show some superficial
improvement.
Skin
care is a vital part of creating a clear complexion.
So where do you start? There are three essentials in caring for your
skin and, without these; it is unlikely that you will get the best
results. Cleansing, toning and moisturizing are three basic steps
that you need to follow and maintain a blemish-free, firm and radiant
skin.
CLEAR SKIN TIPS
? Each morning drink a cup of hot water mixed
with the juice of half a lemon or grapefruit or a whole lime. Add
some honey if desired.
? Drink as much spring or filtered water as you can. Aim to drink
at least eight glasses of water.
? Replace tea and coffee with gerbil teas. Rosehip is rich in vitamin
C, while peppermint is refreshing and aids the digestion.
? Avoid fizzy and caffeine laden drinks.
? If your complexion is blemished or dull, try a mini, two-day cleansing
programme once a month where you should avoid processed foods, meat
and dairy product and eat as many fresh, raw fruits and vegetables
as possible.
? Cut down your intake of alcohol to a minimum. For example, don?t
drink more than two glasses of wine a day and avoid all spirits.
? Don?t take antibiotics unless absolutely necessary, as they can
destroy bacteria in the intestines. Help to counterbalance their effects
with food supplying B complex vitamins and live yoghurt.
? Ensure that your diet is rich in natural high-fibre foods, such
as fruits, vegetables, wholegrain and cereals.
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