Anti-aging nutritional strategies or the secret to radiant skin

The aging of your skin is an inevitable process. Nevertheless, it is possible to slow its onset and maintain healthy, radiant skin by combining a balanced diet with natural cosmetic care. A diet rich in essential nutrients helps to strengthen the skin's structure, improve its elasticity and protect it from external aggression. At the same time, the application of natural cosmetics specially formulated to combat skin aging can maximize these benefits.

In this article, we'll explain what natural skin aging is, and how it can be slowed down through diet and cosmetics.

What is natural skin aging?

Skin aging is a natural process that occurs with age. Skin becomes thinner and drier, and wrinkles appear. Levels of collagen, a protein that provides the skin's structural support and elasticity, decline. Skin is more fragile and less well vascularized, reducing the availability of nutrients. Skin cells renew themselves less rapidly, which can make the epidermis look duller. The skin is also less able to protect itself against ultraviolet (UV) rays, and its ability to synthesize vitamin D through sun exposure is reduced. The timing of these natural changes is genetically determined and, for the most part, unavoidable. On the other hand, certain external factors can accelerate the skin's aging process.

Accelerated skin ageing

UV rays from the sun or artificial sources, pollution and tobacco are examples of external factors that accelerate skin aging by contributing to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a process that leads to increased production of free radicals, unstable molecules that cause damage to the skin's DNA and structural proteins (e.g. collagen). For example, signs of cutaneous aging caused by exposure to UV rays, or photoaging, can include the appearance of small, dilated blood vessels, wrinkles and pigment spots, as well as loss of tone. These signs appear most often on the parts of the body most exposed to the sun, i.e. the face, neck and hands. Protecting yourself from the sun (e.g., by wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher) remains the best way to prevent photoaging. However, diet can also play a role in preventing skin aging. 

Foods that slow down skin ageing 

A healthy diet can help prevent premature aging of the skin by providing key elements in the protection against oxidative stress: antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds naturally present in plants that enable the body to defend itself against the free radicals produced by oxidative stress. They are found in various forms in foods, such as vitamins (e.g. A, C, E), minerals (e.g. selenium) and compounds of plant origin (e.g. flavonoids, carotenoids). Fruits and vegetables are particularly rich in antioxidants. Some studies suggest that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables can help prevent the damage that leads to premature skin aging. The table below lists some of the best sources of antioxidants.

Discover our natural cosmetics for radiant skin

To maintain radiant skin whatever your age, it's important to nourish and moisturize your skin on a daily basis. That's why we recommend natural cosmetics such as our sorbet body milk and exfoliating body gel. Once you've tried them, you won't be able to do without them.