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“Superfoods” For The Skin

I had a conversation with a friend today. We talked so much about taking good care of our skin. On the latter part, we arrived talking about these so-called “superfoods” that are believed to help skin prevent wrinkle naturally.

As I browsed the web, I found out that the term “superfoods” is actually just a marketing term that was developed to describe foods with high nutritional content and phytochemical content. However, the term was later on utilized to refer to an exceptional group of nature-given foods that are superior sources of antioxidants and essential nutrients.

There are so many foods (green vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc) considered as superfoods. But let me introduce you to four most common superfoods essential for the skin to prevent wrinkle formation.

1.       Avocado (Alligator Pear): This is widely known for its positive effects in providing a healthy and beautiful skin. This fruit helps nourish the skin due to its high levels of Vitamin E, Vitamin B and Vitamin C. It is also rich in essential fatty acids that are significant in keeping the skin smooth, soft and moisturized.

2.     Blueberries: These are considered one of the greatest healthy foods since they contain more antioxidants as compared to other superfoods. Blueberries also contain high levels of anthocyanins, which keep the collagen of the skin healthy and protected against free radicals.  These fruits are best known for smoothing fine lines.

3.       Green Tea: The high level of antioxidants (polyphenols) present in green tea plays a very important function in reversing the effects of aging. These antioxidants provide the skin with resistance against damages caused by free radicals. Green tea also contains catechin, a compound that effectively protects the skin against sun damage, thus, could help prevent and even eliminate brown-spots.

4.    Eggs: Eggs is known for its high levels of protein. They are therefore excellent source of amino acids more particularly of the three anti-wrinkle amino acids – glycine, proline and lycine. These are the three amino acids needed by the skin during the production of skin fibers (collagen and elastin), which keeps the skin elastic and firm.

These superfoods can be used in making our homemade face masks or moisturizers. But, having them in our daily diet at the same time will give us better results not only to prevent wrinkle development but also for our body to be healthier and aging-free.

Fats can cure wrinkles

There are current buzz on the roles of including fats in our diet in order to cure wrinkles. But which type of fat is it? Can all types of fat achieve this?

As we all know, fats (in general) also plays essential functions in our body as for balancing the hormones, insulating the body and nerve cells, lubricating the joints and keeping skin and arteries supple. There are two main types of fats – SATURATED and UNSATURATED. It is on these two types of fat that the world of diet and nutrition mostly surrounds.

Saturated fats are often called the natural fats. These are the fat that easily hardens when refrigerated or when in cold environment. These fats are found on meat and dairy products. They are commonly associated with increase in cholesterol. However, there are current new researches that emphasizes on the importance of saturated fats in anti-aging. It has been said that those people who actually include foods rich in saturated fats in their diet are less likely to develop premature aging, thus can cure wrinkles.

Unsaturated fats, on the other hand, are the type of fat that remain liquid even at cold temperatures. They are known to be good for the body because they are from plants and could not cause a raise in cholesterol unlike saturated fats. But for everybody’s information, there are three kinds of unsaturated fats – monounsaturated, trans-fat and polyunsaturated.

Polyunsaturated fats are the healthiest kinds which can are derived from soybeans, tree nuts and peanuts. But excessive consumption of these fats is still considered not good because it may result to unbalanced level of Omega-3 and Omega-6 in our body. Trans-fat, on the contrary, are the kinds of fat that we must avoid because they tend to increase bad cholesterols and decrease the good cholesterols. These are the so-called “man-made fats” which we can get mostly from preserved foods.

In conclusion, all fats have an effect in giving us a healthier skin and help us cure wrinkles. However, we must consume them in moderation and only up to a certain level where our general health would be forgone.

Yogurt for the skin

Do you know that yogurt can prevent skin from aging? We could take advantage of this benefit not only by consuming it regularly but also by using it as face treatment.

Yogurt is a product of bacterial fermentation of milk. During the fermentation process, the lactose present in milk is being converted into lactic acid, which in turn reacts with the milk protein giving yogurt its characteristic texture and tangy taste. Together with lactic acid, alpha-hydroxyl acids are also produced during the process.

These acids that are present in yogurt have the effect of increasing the thickness of the skin as well as the ability of the skin to hold moisture. At the same time, the acids are capable of peeling off the dead skin cells. With these effects, yogurt can prevent skin from aging by keeping it properly hydrated, firm, smooth and free of fine lines and wrinkles. 

In addition to these beneficial acids, the presence of good bacteria in the yogurt also gives it an anti-bacterial property. Yogurt is also rich in vitamins such as the vitamin B-5 (pantothenic acid) that could encourage skin healing.

As for its application, you can directly apply the plain yogurt on your face or you may add some lemon and honey to it to make a yogurt face cream. Wash your face with warm water and massage it all over your face. It is then allowed to stay on the skin for 20 minutes. Afterwards, the face should be rinsed twice with warm and cold water, in that order. Use this remedy twice or thrice a week as part of your regular skin care to have that moisturized, smooth and refreshed skin and further prevent skin from aging.

Eggs for the face

It’s been over a week now since my 44-year old mom constantly asks me to look for a wrinkle treatment for her. When I told her to just go and see a dermatologist for a medical treatment, she refused. She only wants to try a simple natural wrinkle treatment that she can do at home. When I began to browse (just to stop her from bugging me), my interest was caught upon seeing homemade facial masks using eggs as the ingredient.

It is the egg white that is being used in making facial masks added with a small amount of lemon juice. The egg white mask can be applied both on the face and neck. It is allowed to stay for about 15-30minutes until totally dry. Talking and laughing while having this mask on must be avoided to allow the mask stretch your skin while drying. It is then rinsed with warm water.

The egg white mask is said to be one of the best natural wrinkle treatment you can do at home. Egg whites are actually contains high amount of protein, water and water-soluble nutrients. The protein content of egg whites also provides the skin with the nourishment they need to repair. As per Livestrong.com, egg white masks helps in skin tightening, oil-blotting and even acts as a whitehead remover.

The egg yolk, on the other hand, is being used as a moisturizer. Some people use this after having the egg white mask to restore the moisture of the skin. It is also applied on the skin and stayed for 20-30minutes before rinsing with cold water to close the pores. Egg yolks, compared to egg whites, contain more nutrients and essential fatty acids making them more effective in moisturizing and soothing the skin. Others are also signifying that it can help reduce dark spots.

These treatments, however, are not recommended to those who are allergic to poultry products. It must also be applied only once or twice a week. There are actually various ingredients (fruits, plant oils, etc) that are being used as a natural wrinkle treatment. The good thing with egg is it is cheaper, readily available and you can already have two treatments in just an egg – a face mask and a face moisturizer.

Facial Exercises For Forehead Wrinkles

 

Do you know that there are also exercises for face muscles? Just like any part of our body, we also need to exercise our face muscles if we want it to be firm and healthy. Facial exercises are widely recommended to get rid of forehead wrinkles.

The muscles on our face help us to make certain face movements. These muscles form folds and creases according to our facial expression may it be frowning, squinting, raising of eyebrows and even when talking, laughing or eating. But as we grow old, there is a decrease in production of skin fibers (collagen) making the skin less and less elastic. As a result, these creases and folds formed from our repetitive facial expressions tend to become wrinkles.

In order to get rid of forehead wrinkles, a facial exercise called the Pointer Finger Exercise is both suggested by Livestrong.com and AntiForeheadWrinkles.com. This exercise is performed as follows:

a.        Place your pointer fingers above your eyes (just below your eyebrows).

b.       Pull down your eyes while lifting your eyebrows to stretch your forehead muscles.

c.        Perform this exercise ten times.

d.       End this exercise by caressing your whole face with both hands from your cheeks to over your forehead to massage and relax the muscles.

This exercise is believed to help stretch our forehead muscles, relax face muscles and also improve blood circulation which plays a major role in giving us a wrinkle-free skin.

If you are really determined to get rid of forehead wrinkles, perform facial exercises regularly together with a healthy diet and proper skin care.