One of the major villains in the world of young-looking skin is sugar. Yet it takes a little more than just curbing our sweet-tooth to prevent premature aging of our skin. A simple lifestyle change such as intermittent fasting, accompanied by skincare products that target the sugar damage to our complexion is essential in reversing the not-so-sweet effects sugar has on our skin.
Sugar from our diets cling onto collagen and elastin – two essential proteins to keep our skin firm and plump. The process is known as glycation. During the process, advanced glycation end-products (aptly abbreviated as AGEs) are formed, in which protein fibers in our body become rigid, weakening their ability to maintain the elasticity of our skin.
Research shows that intermittent fasting helps with fighting against the accumulation of AGEs in our body. Don’t be intimidated by the word “fasting” though – it’s indeed easier to execute than it sounds.
The “16/8 method” is among the most talked about intermittent fasting trends of late. It is a time-restricted fasting that involves consuming foods during an eight-hour window, and abstaining from any meals for the remaining 16 hours of the day. The easiest way to do so is by including our beauty sleep at night in the 16-hour fasting window, and wake up to a more rejuvenated complexion.
Keeping your body in the fasted state in the morning may require skipping breakfast. But that doesn’t mean that your caffeine fix is out of the door – as long as you’re not loading up yours with creamer and sugar.
Appreciate the pure joy a cup of steaming hot black coffee can offer with Ralph’s Coffee’s Roast Drip Bags. Drip coffee is slightly milder on the palate so you can savor the aromatic signature blend from Columbia, Papua New Guinea and Peru, packed conveniently in the pour-over drippers for a fresh, nutty brew to get you through the morning hours. Plus, it has zero calories so it’s completely a win-win.
While the flexible 16/8 intermittent fasting, for the most part, doesn’t come with crazy strict rules, it doesn’t hurt to introduce healthier foods with anti-glycation properties to our diets during the non-fasting hours. Next time you’re whipping up a soup or a smoothie, stir in a spoonful of True Life – Turmeric Powder or Beanie – Organic Spirulina Powder, both available at Green Common. Turmeric is a great source of antioxidants; whereas spirulina encourages skin cells renewal so your complexion will thank you later.
Hold up! Before you reach for that pint of ice cream, fight the temptation of late-night snacking with CheckCheckCin’s Rice Water range. Available at Eslite Spectrum, the Dusk Rice Water is made with red rice, white rice, black sesame, and black soybeans. Rice water helps with such skin concerns as acne, eczema, and inflammation.
Now that you got the intermittent fasting routine down, a little help with an array of anti-glycation skincare goodies that actually lives up to their anti-aging claims won’t go amiss.
Don’t let the delicate skin around the eyes give away the secret of your age. Begin your skincare routine with a lightweight essence that can be applied to the eye contour areas. FANCL’s BC Beauty Concentrate strengthens skin elasticity and skin structure to smooth out fine lines. It also encourages the collagen renewal cycle to combat glycation, so you can look bright-eyed 24/7.
Pat the essence in and follow that up with a moisturizer. The A.G.E. Interrupter by SkinCeutical is formulated with 30% concentration of proxylane™ and is proven to improve the appearance of wrinkles and the overall texture of skin. It helps reverse erosion of elasticity and firmness caused by glycation and improves skin creping and thinning – the ultimate culprits that cause unwanted wrinkles – all in just 12 weeks.
Make POLA’s B.A TABLET and B.A LIQUID your anti-glycation sidekicks. The beauty house’s original “Ch-A Extract” – derived from walnuts and Japanese raisin tree seeds – is the hero behind the duo, to effectively tackle dull skin caused by glycation.
It’s never too late to start fighting off skin glycation, but if glycation has already given you traces of dull complexion and rough lines, AMOREPACIFIC’s Youth Revolution Radiance Concentrator is here to the rescue. One push of the dual-chamber releases the radiance-boosting elixir, which harnesses the regenerative power of white peony and green tea polysaccharide to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and improve skin firmness. The potent blend is also powered by Vitamin C, which targets those stubborn dark spots.
Every lady is a relentless age-fighter. Lucky for us, simple diet and lifestyle changes, together with the right skincare routine work magic in slowing down the process and allow us to age gracefully.
