Inflammation – Your Skin’s Enemy

We usually think of inflammation in terms of the serious disease it’s linked to such as arthritis, type 1 diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Inflammation refers to our bodies’ effort to protect and heal itself. If we are continuously eating junk food and soda, our bodies often respond with chronic inflammation – that is ongoing mild inflammation that doesn’t go away so long as we continue with the poor quality diet.  Other causes of inflammation are stress, pollution and lack of sleep. However,  the number one cause of inflammation is diet-related. The worst foods offenders are saturated fats, fried food, refined sugar and refined carbohydrates.

Inflammation’s effect on our bodies and skin can be disastrous.  Inflammation increases the levels of cortisol in our blood. And increased cortisol is a major culprit in decreased collagen production. Yet, collagen is our bodies very best natural anti-aging agent.

Healthy levels of collagen naturally promote skin vibrancy and elasticity.  Sculptra, one of our favorite fillers, helps increase collagen production leading to a naturally full and youthful look our patients love.

While unhealthy foods promote inflammation, a number of healthy foods are anti-inflammatory. Eating these foods actually help reduce the inflammatory response and therefore helps your skin naturally renew and increase collagen production. The top list of anti-inflammatory foods includes: tomatoes, olive oil, green leafy veggies, almonds and walnuts, fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines and fresh fruits such as strawberries, cherries, blueberries and oranges.

Our most important goal is you looking and feeling your best from head to toe! While we have a variety of amazing treatments that promote skin quality, you can jump-start your way to beautiful skin by eating a diet rich in the foods that fight inflammation and keeping your junk food consumption to a minimum.

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