Inside-out Beauty

Better skin isn't as easy as taking a daily capsule, but it could help. We look beyond the beauty supplements and what we need to focus on first

- LEANDRI DE KOCK

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT 

Besides the addition of supplements and topical treatments, the majority of the blame (or praise) will come from what you eat. However, paradoxically, food alone won't give you good or bad skin so it's unwise to rely on it alone.

Because all our organs work wonderfully in conjunction with each other, what we ingest will benefit our health in general, and not just our skin. Our bodies also have the amazing ability to use, process and direct the nutrients to the part of the body where it is most needed. That said, our skin is our biggest organ and we need to take into consideration that it has more functions than just contributing to our physical appearance alone. Skin has a metabolic function, so it orchestrates how we produce things like vitamin D; it has an immune function, and with that, immune cells that make us more predisposed to conditions like skin cancer. By ensuring those functions work optimally, you inherently affect your skin's health and ultimately its appearance. So instead of searching far and wide for 'skin superfoods', instead focus on tackling any underlying health issues you have first, or delving deeper into what you want to change about your skin. Often the problem isn't that you're eating the wrong foods, but rather that you're not looking at your food from a nutritional standpoint.

Sugar and dairy