Sugar: Not so sweet on your skin!

A relatively rainy and cold April allowed me to hide some extra baggage around hips and thighs, but as of May, it’s pretty official: away with the baggy layers of clothing, hello skirts, shorts and tanks.
The arrival of warm weather has everybody gladly changing their wardrobe, but also self-consciously adjusting their diet. Maybe that late-night green tea ice-cream isn’t such a great idea, and overeating on chocolate, no matter how dark, will result in weight-gain.

When people get in shape for the skin-bearing summer, cutting sugar and “bad” carbohydrates is at the top of their priority list. Sugar is definitely not good for your figure, but more and more research shows that eating sugar and simple carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, potatoes, pasta) will also age your skin.

When you eat sugar or high-glycemic carbohydrates, which the body rapidly converts to sugar, your blood sugar rises rapidly. This quick rise in blood sugar allows the sugar in the form of glucose molecules to attach themselves to the protein molecules in your skin. This process is called “glycation”. The protein in your skin, of course, is collagen and elastin, the elements that make your skin look young and resilient. Through this “binding” or “cross-linking” mechanism between sugar and protein, your skin ultimately becomes stiff and brittle. The result: Loss of elasticity, wrinkles and sagging.

To complicate things further, it is not just the blatantly sugary foods, like candy bars and cookies that spike your blood sugar. A plethora of foods, mostly the processed kinds, contain high fructose corn syrup, including ketchup, salad dressing, pasta sauces and cereal. And even some all-natural foods and drinks will spike your blood sugar with their high sugar content. That glass of pure wholesome orange juice in the morning will not only provide healthful Vitamin C, but also rapidly increase your blood sugar, especially when consumed in large quantities on an empty stomach.

What you eat will show on your face, sooner or later. So should we ban sugar and simple carbohydrates from our diet completely? I know it is completely pointless for me to vow that I will never again eat my favorite red-bean mochi or indulge in green tea ice cream, because I refuse to live life like that. But replacing rice, pasta and bread in my diet with the wholegrain equivalent, and not binge-eating sweets is definitely doable, for the sake of my skin.

While I am not a fan of any extreme food-restrictions, increasing your intake of lean protein and fiber does curb cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. I know from my own experience that this is very true, and have adopted a few helpful tricks, such as eating a handful of peanuts between meals, drinking a glass of unsweetened soy milk before attending a cookie-loaded meeting, incorporating eggs into every breakfast, etc.

Skincare can also contribute positively: In addition to a diet low in sugar and simple carbohydrates, there are actually skincare products that counter the process of glycation in the skin. While there are many ingredients that claim to reverse and prevent the signs of aging, certain ingredients have been shown to have an “anti-glycation” effect in particular, including several peptides (e.g. carnosine, alistine and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-3), black tea ferment, and alpha lipoic acid.
“Anti-glycation” products I have tried and liked include the following:

B. Kamins Therapeutic Brightening Masque

3.5oz for $66 (available at www.dermstore.com). This mask by Canadian pioneer chemist Ben Kaminsky is a rich skin treat that did leave my skin more luminous after the first application, and is a nice choice for mask-lovers.

Dr. Brandt, Anti-glycation Serum

1.5 oz for $99 (available at www.skinstore.com ). A light-weight, clear serum that absorbs very quickly and leaves a nice, matte finish. It has no hydrating properties so it needs to be followed by a separate moisturizer.

JUARA, Sweet Black Tea & Rice Facial Moisturizer

1.5 oz for $45 (available at www.skinstore.com). A fast-absorbing moisturizer with fermented sweet black tea and rice bran oil that immediately increases radiance and luster of the skin. Good for normal to dry skin types.

Chanel Intensive Treatment – Precision Age Delay Rejuvenation Serum

30ml/1oz for $72.50 (available at www.gloss.com). A light, elegant serum, a bit strong on the fragrance side that can substitute for a moisturizer for more oily skin types.

StriVectin-SD

6oz for $135 (available at www.sephora.com ). While the strange camphor smell can be overwhelming, and the waxy texture annoying, this cult-classic has a loyal following. When I tried it, my skin did look smoother and even after a few weeks, but the smell and texture is better suited for skin away from the face and nose.

While applying an anti-glycation cream to you skin will provide benefits, it certainly does not substitute skin-friendly eating habits. As we all know by now, beauty is both from the inside out and the outside in.

Enjoy your sweets – in moderation!

Yoshiko hosts the skincare column here every month. Her skin care line www.juaraskincare.com