If you have dry skin, you know just how hard it can be to fix. Most people think that dabbing on a new moisturizer will help get the job done, but skincare experts say that the real solution comes from your diet!
There are certain foods that we enjoy every day that could actually be drying out our skin and making it worse–and, they can even cause other skincare problems like acne, too.
So, do yourself (& your skin!) a favor and avoid these dehydrating foods if you’ve got dry skin:
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1. Chips
Chips and other foods that are high in sodium are bad for your waistline and your skin. "Excess salt in the body draws more fluid out of the cells to help neutralize the salt and draw it out of the body," says Beth Warren, RD. "As a result, your skin gets drier because of the lack of fluid."
2. Candy
Foods that are high in refined sugar like candy and chocolate are extremely bad for the skin. Not only can they cause acne to form, but they can also dry out the skin, too! According to Dr. Nicholas Perricone, dermatologist and nutritionist, digested sugar permanently attaches to the collagen in your skin, which can cause the skin to prematurely age and exacerbate skin conditions like acne and rosacea.
3. Alcohol
Alcohol is a diuretic and draws out liquid from the body, causing severe dehydration. "Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it causes you to pee more," says NYC-based dermatologist Whitney Bowe, MD. "But it also hinders the production of the hormone vasopressin. That hormone helps you reabsorb water. So alcohol is kind of a double whammy, in that it's forcing out water and making it harder for your body to rehydrate itself."
4. Coffee
Like alcohol, coffee can also dehydrate your skin. It constricts your blood vessels and allows less fluid to flow through to your skin. This effect is worsened when you drink coffee on an empty stomach, so always make sure you've eaten something before having a cup of coffee for the sake of your skin!
5. White Bread
Simple carbohydrates like white bread are considered to be a high-glycemic food, which cause a spike in blood sugar and increase the amount of insulin in your body. White bread and other simple carbs affect your skin the same way sugar does. "Your body metabolizes these processed carbs the same way as sugar, meaning they actually cause wrinkles by damaging the collagen in your skin," Andrea Cox, RD, says.
6. Vitamin A-RIch Foods
You may think that eating foods that are high in vitamin A would be good for your skin, but dermatologist Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi says that they have a negative effect on the skin. "Foods high in vitamin A, when eaten to excess, could be drying to the skin," she says. "Excessive amounts of vitamin A can cause skin dryness and hair brittleness, so don’t take 'mega' vitamin doses of vitamin A."
Popular veggies like kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach and broccoli are high in vitamin A, so make sure you're eating them in moderation.
[Photos: Shutterstock]
