Can you eat your way to better skin?
Having been introduced to yet another collagen supplement at the Professional Beauty North show in October, I considered the growing trend of viewing food as building blocks for great skin.
As well as being a business owner and aesthetician, I trained as a human potential coach with the Bulletproof Training Institut and I believe in bio-hacking to get the best results with minimum effort in all aspects of life. An example of a beauty hack is microneedling – promoting the regeneration of collagen for rejuvenating effects, encouraging biology to behave in a way that is beneficial.
I recently underwent a DNA skin analysis and the results informed me of how genetically ill equipped I am for ageing well. Gene MMP1 in particular, which is known to breakdown collagen, told of an increased risk of elasticity breakdown and I was advised certain foods, topical agents and treatments would counteract this.
Genetics and skin ageing
The fantastic field of epigenetics, however, confirms that despite having genes dictating “I wrinkle and sag”, if my environment is healthy I need not ever “express” those genes. The environment in this case is every aspect of life I have control over – my stress levels. So, whether I smoke, drink, exercise, spend time in nature, sleep well, eat well, have a job I love etc.
The chances are your clients are already expressing their genetics and showing signs of ageing, maybe at an accelerated rate compared to their friends, and realise that there’s a limitation to what can be achieved with products. They might also be aware that their efforts are helping their face, neck and hands, but everything else is not as youthful as they are feeling.
Supplements definitely should have shelf space in the beauty salon and clinic but unfortunately not all are created equal. You may have to investigate quite a bit before deciding which to spend your hard earned cash on.
Success with supplements
For me, the light at the end of the ageing tunnel relates to the trickling of breakthroughs in the science of longevity into the beauty world. I retail Prolon, the fasting mimicking diet, and for sure, clients will drop a dress size or two when taking it, but the real benefit is its rejuvenation properties for the skin.
Fasting affords the body an opportunity to regenerate at a cellular level. A process known as autophagy cleans up cellular debris, including free radicals from oxidative stress, and this is the only means of inducing stem cell release. Yes, brand new stem cells coursing through the body seeking out repairs and renewal.
Clinical studies are ongoing but medical professionals are suggesting this method of rejuvenation is the only means of re-introducing elasticity throughout the entire body. The topic of fasting, intermittent fasting, keto-genic dieting and supplements is vast, but with the tools to turn back time available at no extra cost, it’s worth investing the time to make your food choices part of your beauty regime.
Karen Shirlaw is director of Beautique Medispa in Dorking, which won the South East Boutique Salon of the Year 2018 Professional Beauty Regional Award.