Health & Wellbeing

24 Health & Wellbeing

Keeping Your Skin Looking Young & Healthy

By Heather Smith

There is a genetic link to how our skin ages, of course, but there are also other factors which affect how your skin ages. The first factor is stress. Chronic stress will increase blood sugar levels, which correlate with the speed of ageing. Excess cortisol can cause degradation of collagen and connective tissues, both of which will contribute to how your skin looks. Another factor is menopause. Oestradiol levels drop considerably during menopause, which results in drier skin with reduced elasticity and lower collagen content. Looking at the nutrition side of things, we know that a diet high in grains and gluten can weaken connective tissue. We know that eating sufficient good quality fat is a good thing for reducing age related skin dryness. Eating a good variety of vegetables is always a good thing, and low intakes of vitamin C have been significantly associated with the prevalence of wrinkles, due to its involvement in making collagen.

Overall, higher intakes of antioxidant rich veg is thought to reduce the effect of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AGEs are proteins or fats which become glycated, and are something we want to reduce our exposure to as they can make collagen lose flexibility and become more susceptible to damage. AGEs can also damage elastin which can lead to sagging and wrinkled skin. AGEs are also associated with liver spots on the skin. Regularly eating food exposed to high and dry heat contributes to production of AGEs, with things like crackers and cookies being shown to be the biggest producers. Marinating your food in lemon juice or vinegar for a few hours before cooking can reduce AGEs by about 90%, which is pretty good going! Also consider steaming most of your food. Smoking, sun damage and a generally poor diet high in sugar will also contribute significantly to AGEs. Heather Smith is a fat loss specialist Personal Trainer. Get in touch for a free five-day meal plan www.fitbiztraining.co.uk

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HCPC REGISTERED

Sports Injuries, hypermobility

Health & Wellbeing / Business Profile 25

Foot care

The importance of children’s feet

Conditions such as flat feet, walking pigeon toed or hypermobility can cause tiredness and often difficulty when participating in sport for children. As a specialist in children‟s feet for over 25 years, Dr Patsy Parfitt regularly treats Severs, Tendo Achillitis, Plantar Fasciitis, hypermobility and heel pain. Patsy told us, “Early treatment of children‟s flat feet/knock knees and in-toeing gait is recommended as it helps prevent more serious and often painful, knee and back problems as an adult. It also improves upper body posture. Often I treat the parent too.” Patsy continued, “I have just opened a new clinic in Chichester and am offering a £20 discount for new patients during October and November.” Dr Patsy Parfitt, Phd, MSc, MPodA, HCPC. Podiatrist. 9 Belgrave Crescent, Chichester, PO19 8RY. Contact: 077911 04311, email: info@parfittpodiatry.co.uk or visit www.parfittpodiatry.co.uk

Contact Parfitt Podiatry T: 077911 04311 E: info@parfittpodiatry.co.uk

Chichester Practice at: 9 Belgrave Crescent, Chichester PO19 8RY

Nail Surgery