Foods for Healthy Skin

Oranges: The Fruit Your Skin Craves

If you're slathering on sunscreen through the winter months, good for you! Your skin still needs it even if it's chilly outside.

And here's something else you can do for your skin this season: Stock up on sweet, juicy oranges. The reason? Fabulous Flavonone
Oranges are ripe with naringenin, a naturally occurring flavonone that may help shield skin from UV rays. It won't replace regular sunscreen use, but researchers hope it may help stop skin-cell death.

Cucumber: Summer Vegetable That Refreshes Your Skin

Next time you hit the produce aisle or farmers market, grab three cucumbers for your salads and three for your skin.

This low-cal veggie is chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that nourish your face from the inside out.

The Cool Cucumber
According to RealAge skin expert Amy Wechsler, MD, author of The Mind-Beauty Connection, cucumbers have a little extra something going for them. They contain both vitamin C and caffeic acid, two antioxidants that, when applied to the skin, help fend off wrinkles, sun damage, and more. Vitamin C boosts collagen and elastin, which keeps skin looking young, and caffeic acid protects cells from UV radiation. Carrots are good for your skin, too.

Skin's Best Friend
Dr. Wechsler recommends cucumber therapy for these skin problems, too:

• Puffy peepers: Chilled and sliced, cucumbers fit perfectly over eye sockets to relieve puffy lids. Watch this video to find out why getting your beauty sleep is essential.
• Redness: Cucumbers' natural anti-inflammatory properties calm and soothe skin reddened by rosacea or sunburn. Place thin, cold slices anywhere there's redness. Watch this video to learn which skin care ingredients to avoid if you have sensitive skin.

Smooth Your Skin with a Cup of White Tea

Wrinkles are like birthdays. We'll deal with them, considering the alternative. But here's a potential new option for keeping face creases away: sipping white tea.

According to a recent lab study, extracts in white tea exert an anti-inflammatory effect that slows the breakdown of collagen and elastin fibers -- those super-supportive intracellular structures that skin needs to stay firm and wrinkle-free.

Put the Kettle On
Okay -- so that's what happened in a lab dish. But can drinking tea really fight wrinkles? Research in human skin will be required to confirm it. In the cell study, though, the wrinkle-fighting effects of white tea extracts showed lots of promise. White tea exhibited almost 90 percent more collagen- and elastin-protective activity than the control did. (White tea may have special fat-thwarting powers, too.)

The War on Wrinkles
While research continues into how tea -- whether sipped or slathered on via lotions -- helps fight wrinkles, you'll want to stick with the proven protect-your-skin basics. That means avoiding sun during peak hours, covering up, and faithfully applying sunscreen every day -- even if it's cloudy. And here are a few more off-the-beaten-path ways to keep your complexion fresh and dewy:

• Feed your face. The best wrinkle-smoothing edibles: Oranges, Cantaloupe, Tomatoes, Leafy greens, Salmon, Tuna
• Chill out. Being relaxed lets the rumples out of your face.
• Curl up in bed. Skimping on sleep can affect your skin.

Berry Smoothie for Your Skin

For a sweet treat that'll help your skin from the inside out, try Dr. Amy Wechsler's berry smoothie.

Wechsler, RealAge's own skin expert and author of The Mind-Beauty Connection, has a recipe that really packs in the face-friendly nutrients, thanks to a dose of makes-your-skin-glow omega-3 fats from flaxseeds.

Eat Sweet Potatoes for Wrinkle-Free Skin

No one wants to be a potato face. Unless you're talking about sweet potatoes.

Turns out that the beta carotene in sweet potatoes helps combat rough, scaly winter skin. And the nutrient may protect against UV damage, too. But you need to eat your sweet potato mash, not apply it. Studies showed benefits working from the inside out.

Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Mash
Seems beta carotene helps balance pH and encourages skin cell turnover -- both of which can mean smoother, softer skin. Sweet potatoes are also rich in vitamin C, another skin-friendly nutrient that can combat aging and dryness.

Enjoy Dark Chocolate for Smooth Skin

Think chocolate is one of the worst things for your skin? Think again.

RealAge skin expert, Dr. Amy Wechsler, has a recipe for hot chocolate that can make your skin glow.

Dark Is Key
In one study, just 6 weeks of a daily dose of cocoa made skin smoother, better hydrated, and less sun sensitive. And 12 weeks did even more. All thanks to the skin-boosting antioxidants in cocoa, called flavonols. But it's got to be dark chocolate, according to Wechsler. "Skip cocoa mixes, which don't have the same flavonol levels, and go for the real thing: dark, unadulterated cacao powder that contains 70 percent or more cacao."

Three Must-Have Vitamins for Great Skin

Sometimes your skin likes it better when you slather on your vitamins rather than swallow them.

To give your skin a youthful glow, RealAge experts Michael Roizen, MD, and Mehmet Oz, MD, recommend trying the topical versions of these vital vitamins.

Vitamin A: Derivatives of vitamin A known as retinoids may be the only reliable wrinkle-fighter on the skin care market. Retinoids also help repair sun damage and prevent the development of actinic keratosis, a type of precancerous skin growth. Tretinoin is the prescription-strength version of this skin helper, but there are some milder over-the-counter creams and lotions that contain a type of retinoid called retinol. Ask your dermatologist what would be most beneficial for your skin.

Vitamin C: This antioxidant vitamin stimulates your skin's production of collagen and elastin fibers, making it firmer and more elastic. To give your skin a solid dose of C, look for products that contain at least a 10 percent concentration of L-ascorbic acid. Vitamin C may also work from the inside out.

Vitamin E: Also a potent antioxidant, E can help slow down the formation of wrinkles and improve the performance of your sunscreen. Look for dl-alpha-tocopherol on labels -- it's the only form that's been shown to produce noticeable improvements when used topically.

To get the most benefit from these nutrients, apply the products at night, right before you hit the sack. Sunlight will zap their strength. Want to hear more of Dr. Roizen's best health, life, and beauty advice straight from the doc himself? Check out his brand-new DVD, YOU: Inner and Outer Beauty with Dr. Michael Roizen.

Omega-3 Protects Against Skin Cancer

Clams, shrimp, salmon . . . which one can do nice things for your skin? Salmon has the edge. New research suggests that dining on fish high in omega-3 fatty acids -- such as salmon -- could decrease your odds of developing potentially precancerous skin growths called actinic keratoses.

The Fish Factor
In a 5-year Australian study, people who ate a serving of tuna, salmon, or sardines at least once every 5 days were almost 30 percent less likely to develop the troubling skin spots, compared with people who ate little or no fish. Why? Maybe because these fish are particularly high in omega-3s, fats that seem to help calm inflammation in skin cells. They are also a good source of vitamins D and A, two other nutrients known for either cancer-fighting or age-fighting qualities.

Care About Keratoses?
Actinic keratoses result from years of sun exposure and may appear to be something as insignificant as a rough or scaly patch of skin that won't go away. Not all of them turn into cancer, but you should have a dermatologist examine any changes in your skin's texture or appearance.

Squash It

Next time you shop for skin care products, make your way to the produce aisle and pick up some squash.

Butternut would be ideal. No, you don't rub it on your face. The veggie works from the inside out, thanks to its rich supply of pH-balancing and skin-cell-turnover-boosting vitamin A.

The Right Balance
Butternut squash is one of the best things you can eat to get more vitamin A from your diet. And you want more, because vitamin A and healthy skin go hand in hand. The nutrient helps keep your skin's pH on the acidic side (just enough to keep bacteria at bay) and promotes cell turnover, so your skin doesn't become dry, rough, and scaly. As if that weren't enough, winter squash also gives you sunburn-protective and wrinkle-fighting beta carotene and vitamin C.

4 Steps to Beautiful Skin
You don't need a 2-hour spa treatment to get a healthy glow. All a healthy skin care routine really needs are these 4 steps:

1. Cleanse. Not too harsh, but not too gentle.
2. Moisturize. But you need the right one for your skin type.
3. Exfoliate. Gentle scrubbing helps unclog pores and remove old, dead skin cells.
4. Protect.

Fresh Fruit, Fresh Complexion

You really can fight wrinkles from the inside out. And there's a fruit that can lead the charge.

It's papaya. What makes papaya so perfect? Easy. Vitamin C. Papaya has loads of it, and getting lots of vitamin C may mean more youthful skin -- fewer wrinkles and less thinning and dryness. A recent study in women over 40 confirmed it.

The Mysteries of C
Vitamin C is a natural friend to skin. The nutrient is essential for making collagen, the protein fibers that give skin its strength and resiliency. And being a powerful antioxidant, C also disarms free radicals that would otherwise chip away and weaken collagen. (Did you know? Vitamin C helps protect skin from this sun scourge, too.)

Fruit is not the only food that can fight wrinkles.

More Food for Your Face
A little extra vitamin C isn't all it takes to plump your complexion. Here are a few more food tips that can help keep your face fresh:

• Munch on walnuts. In the vitamin C study, researchers also noted that diets rich in linoleic acid -- an essential fatty acid in walnuts -- meant moister, plumper skin. (Bonus: Walnuts will make this happy, too.)
• Ease up on fats and refined carbs. Scientists found both were linked to aging skin. Discover the dark side of processed foods with this article.
• Think whole grains. The magnesium and B vitamins you get from them help with the regeneration of skin cells.
• Keep the fruits and veggies coming. To stay smooth and healthy, your skin needs a whole slew of antioxidant-rich produce.

Green Superfoods for Healthier Skin

Ever had a sinister little bump or growth removed from your skin? Eating these might help keep that spot from coming back: leafy greens.

In people with a history of squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer, a diet high in leafy greens was associated with a reduced risk of another round of the disease.

Reducing the Rounds
The link between a greens-rich diet and lower squamous cell carcinoma recurrence needs more research, but a recent study suggested a possible 50 percent risk reduction. Promising news, especially since people who've experienced one growth have a higher risk of getting another. Researchers aren't sure why leafy greens may have an impact, but we already know that the veggies are full of skin-friendly vitamins and nutrients, like lutein and zeaxanthin.

More Ways to Keep Skin Covered
Of course, nothing beats the tried-and-true basics of skin protection, such as wearing sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats, keeping covered, and avoiding the sun during peak hours. But eating more leafy greens certainly couldn't hurt, either. When you need a break from fresh garden salads, try these takes on lettuce, kale, and spinach from EatingWell.

• Creamy Spinach Dip -- It has less fat, but it's still perfect for dipping those baked chips.
• Five-Spice Turkey & Lettuce Wraps -- Crisp lettuce makes a low-calorie wrapper for the tangy Asian filling.
• Kale with Apples & Mustard -- This sweet and sour dish is big on flavor.

Cheap and Tasty Wrinkle Fighter

For younger looking skin, skip the high-priced wrinkle creams and invest in a 50-cent can of this: tomato paste.

Eating a little tomato paste every day not only may help your wallet, but a new study suggests that it may give you deep-down 24/7 protection against wrinkles and skin cancer, too.

A Tomato in the Sun
In a small study, people supplemented their normal diets with about 2 1/2 tablespoons of tomato paste mixed with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil every day for 10 weeks while a control group got just the olive oil. The volunteers also sat under a sun lamp at the beginning, middle, and end of the study -- just long enough to lightly sunburn their shoulders. But by week 10, the tomato-paste group showed 40 percent less sun damage than the olive-oil eaters did. (Here are a few more foods that offer added sun protection.)

Power in the Paste
Tomatoes are one of the best sources of lycopene around, and scientists speculate that this antioxidant may help to soften some of the sun's damaging effects on skin. Of course, no food can take the place of using good sunscreen and being smart about sun exposure.

So use the following tips and advice to keep that face of yours young, fresh, and wrinkle-free:

• Watch this video to find out whether organic sunscreens do a better job.
• Learn what "broad spectrum" and "SPF" really mean.
• Follow this rule if you tend to go for the cheap sunscreen.
• Find out what oft-neglected body part needs sun protection, too.

Courtesy of Real Age http://www.realage.com