Beauty comes from within
ROSY, healthy skin is always in style. It is not about how good you can cover up your flaws but how you glow naturally from within.
Nutrition can modulate the physiology and condition of different tissues and body systems including our biggest organ, the skin.
The understanding of how nutritional science has an impact on the skin is what makes nutricosmetic possible.
Nutricosmetic is an emerging science that uses nutrition or nutritional supplements to support the function, structure and wellness of the skin, helping it appear youthful and healthy.
How does nutricosmetic work?
Vitamins and antioxidants represent the most crucial among the nutricosmetical ingredients.
The best known antioxidants are the endogenous (bodily produced) antioxidants such as glutathione and alpha lipoic acid.
Depending on its nature, most antioxidants would help boost the body’s antioxidant defence system, improve skin hydration by enhancing collagen production, help skin renewal and reduce skin inflammation.
However, nutricosmetic usually takes a longer time to exert noticeable effects in comparison to topical products.
In general, it takes at least 30 to 60 days to show an initial change on skin, particularly on consumers with skin conditions such as acne, wrinkles, dry skin and unfavourable skin tone.
This can be explained by comparing topical cream and oral vitamin C.
Oil-based topical cream creates a barrier on the skin, giving almost an instant effect of preventing moisture loss. However, it does not treat the root problem from within.
Consuming oral skincare such as vitamin C takes a tad longer as the process involves the production of collagen that eventually helps attract water molecules.
If you prefer natural food nutrient that is chemical-free and less invasive, nutricosmetic may be the answer but it works slower.
Top five skin nourishing natural antioxidants
Glutathione: A naturally existing smallchain protein in the body that depletes with age. Trusted strongly by the Japanese, it is the key antioxidant proven to suppress the production of dark pigments, produce collagen, as well as aid liver detoxification.
Alpha lipoic acid: Sugar is one of the culprits for wrinkles and premature ageing skin. Alpha lipoic acid prevents sugar from destroying the collagen structure in the skin, giving you resilient and supple skin.
Lycopene: The most important vitamin A for what a tomato is well-known for. It provides photoprotective properties that help avoid sun damages and sun ageing. Besides, due to its natural colour pigments, it is proven to impart redness to the skin, which explains the rosy complexion.
Vitamin C: Other than being an immune booster, it is also a whitening agent, an antioxidant as well as a co-factor in collagen production.
Zinc: A mineral that helps soothe inflamed acne and gives a clearer skin by encouraging skin renewal.
A trusted nutricosmetic should have scientifically proven efficacy.
It can also help boost confidence by demonstrating the time required to see the initial changes in your skin.
Additionally, keep an eye on the combination of antioxidants.
Antioxidants work within a system and often perform synergistically with each other.
This information is brought to you by the in-house pharmacists at Cambert (M) Sdn Bhd. For details, call 1300 881 712 or 03-5638 3660.