The Role of Ingestibles: As a Tool in Holistic Skincare

By Trudie Dodd – ACSG Skincare Educator and Business Development Manager

Ingestibles are a lifestyle habit I always strive to embrace in my everyday life. Firstly, HEALTH IS WEALTH - investing in your health is one of the best decisions you can make. Small, consistent routines, like drinking water first thing in the morning to hydrate your skin and taking supplements, can significantly impact overall well-being. After researching well being experts, exploring self-help books, and following glamorous Instagram gurus, I've come to understand what the 7 Pillars of Holistic Skincare mean to me.

7 PILLARS OF HOLISTIC SKINCARE

1. DIET AND NUTRITION - you are what you eat!

Food is like fuel for your body, nutrition is everything and if you ingest poor quality food – this will equal low energy and skin issues like dermatitis, impaired barrier and poor mental clarity. It stands to reason that if you treat your nutrition as medicine – it will serve your body (and skin!) well. Balance out your macros with a healthy dose of:

• 30-40g of protein per meal, especially as we age and are active.
• Healthy unsaturated fats such as avocados, olive oil, nuts and oily fish for a supple and toned skin
• Low GI carbohydrates for sustained energy and to keep you in ‘The Zone’ a balance of hormonal homeostasis whereby we are not spiking in energy levels throughout the day.

2. MANAGING STRESS LEVELS  - stress ages you, haven't you heard?

When your body is stressed, you release adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormone. If you have a healthy stress response, this rise in hormones is temporary and the effect on your skin is minimal. But when a single stressful event is too much to handle, or when we experience repeated exposure to stress, these hormones stay active for too long and wreak havoc on our skin.

Cortisol triggers increased oil production which can clog pores and lead to breakouts. Additionally, chronic stress leads to inflammation. Inflammation not only prevents acne from healing but can lead to f lare-ups of skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema, or psoriasis. Cortisol has even been shown to trigger hair loss.

Stress also speeds up the ageing process. When we’re stressed, we experience a decline in the production of collagen, elastin and other skin proteins which reduce the skin’s elasticity and contribute to the formation of wrinkles.

Ask yourself - what are you doing to reduce stress levels? Do you take part in any relaxing activities? Do you take a moment to practice deep breathing? What supplements can we take to aid in our relaxation?

3. SLEEP WARS - invest in the best anti-ageing practice

Set yourself up for a successful night’s sleep, support skin’s circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms are distinct periods of biological activity that occur when we are awake and when we are asleep, controlled by the way the body’s biological clock responds to light and dark. Each and every cell in our body has a circadian rhythm including our skin cells!

At different times of the day, different processes are occurring, and our skin will reflect this first. During the day your skin cells activate to protect themselves against environmental stresses, such as pollution, heating, air conditioning and exposure to UV light, all of which contribute to ageing. This peaks between midday and 3pm.

At night while you are sleeping, skin cells go into restore and repair mode, which means repairing daytime damage, growing new cells and bringing fresh blood to the surface for cycling oxygen and nutrients leading to a boost in hydration. Your skin reaches its peak reparative state between 10pm and midnight.

It stands to reason then that a good night’s sleep is essential for the integrity of your skin – tips to creating a restful night’s sleep may include setting an earlier bedtime and winding down for one hour prior. Reduce light and sound, take an ingestible supplement such as RELAX by Regul8, and add silk sleep masks and pillows - they are like sleeping on clouds!

4. PINNING DOWN YOUR ESSENTIAL SKINCARE ROUTINE - cleanse, refine & nourish!

Have you heard about skin cycling? Exfoliate night/ retinoid night/recovery night/recovery night. This can be a brilliant way that we can ensure that we have a balance of both exfoliation and nourishment.

Remember the saying ‘what you take away, you must put back’.

Can you introduce a product that balances out your microbiome and supports our skin health? Products containing the use of biotic peptides ensure the f lora of our microbiota stays balanced and at optimal health, which leaves the skin barrier nurtured and resilient.

5. EXERCISE - healthy cells are oxygenated cells

Get outside for a walk, be in nature - it’s good for the soul. Move your body – move it or lose it - oxygen and blood flow to the mitochondria of the skin cells and boosts metabolism levels.

By increasing blood flow, exercise carries oxygen and nutrients to working cells throughout the body, including the skin. Blood also helps carry away waste products, including free radicals, from working skin cells.

6. HYDRATE - plump up the body

First thing in the morning re-hydrate your cells. A good analogy of this is when you add moisture to a raisin it plumps up to become a grape – the same is true of our skin cells and this aids in supporting the natural moisturising factor of our extracellular matrix.

When you drink water, the cells throughout your body become hydrated through the bloodstream. Skin, as your body’s largest organ, also becomes hydrated, while flushing out impurities and toxins at the cellular level.

7. INGESTIBLES & SUPPLEMENTS - a compliment to our regime

Par Olive Pearl Marine Collagen: When taken orally, the collagen peptides reach the small intestine. During digestion, di- and tripeptides or free amino acids are formed. These peptides can be easily absorbed by the intestinal mucosa, which leads to them being distributed in the body and reaching the skin. flushing out impurities and toxins at the cellular level.

Regul8 Digestive Tune Up: “The skin is a reflection of the integrity of the digestive system.” By healing the gut, systemic inflammation can be drastically reduced, which will help promote more healthy-looking skin and can aid to restore barrier impaired conditions.

Regul8 Relax: By relaxing your Central Nervous System (CNS), you will improve focus and attention, remain calm and have a better coping mechanism.

DMK EFA Ultra: Omegas (Essential Fatty Acid’s – EFA’s) are required for the synthesis of ceramides that make up 40-50% of the lipids in the skin. This supports a strong skin barrier, balance oil production, improve hydration, subdue breakouts and minimise signs of ageing.