Page 43 - RPA Magazine December 2020

A s an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and author of The Australian Healthy Skin Diet – a popular handbook for healing skin through making simple changes to diet – Geraldine Georgeou is more than well equipped to give advice on the tricky subject of maintaining skin beauty. Even though she’s known for looking in deep to find out what’s going on with the skin, she begins by giving a rundown of what she does on the surface, to maintain her flawless complexion. “I’m a great believer in making sure that makeup is thoroughly washed off before going to bed,” she said. “However, I never scrub my skin, because all skin is colonised by diverse microbes, meaning that no matter how much you scrub your skin, it will remain covered in its own microbiome that, in fact, protects it from more harmful organisms. “People often comment on how good my skin is, and I can really say my trick is keeping out of the sun, using good sunscreen to protect it, and getting enough sleep and water. I really can’t emphasise how important sleep and hydration are, with sleep deprivation wreaking the most havoc on my skin.” For the rest, she says she uses a moisturiser day and night – not an oil- based one, as this can cause her skin to flare up and pose a risk of rosacea – as well as a serum from time to time. “Supportive vitamins \\\\\\\[and supplements\\\\\\\] are a must, like good fish oil and probiotics,” Ms Georgeou said. “But they’ll not make a tad of difference if my diet isn’t balanced.” A favoured morning pick-up recipe from her book is for a blueberry and pomegranate smoothie bowl. The ingredients, for two servings, are a pomegranate, one cup of frozen blueberries, one cup of low-fat Greek yoghurt, half a cup of vanilla protein powder, one tablespoon of chia seeds, and two tablespoons of shredded coconut, blended into a smoothie, with a few tips around use of the pomegranate. This skin nurturing recipe helps to clarify the importance of nutrition when it comes to skin, which takes us back to Ms Georgeou’s buzz phrase: a balanced microbiome. She emphasises that a balanced microbiome is “the key” for healthy skin, with many skin conditions linked to a microbial imbalance (dysbiosis). “When it comes to skin, it’s all about inflammation and conditions that can trigger inflammation, which impact the skin and can create skin issues such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis and acne vulgaris to name a few,” she said. “Most people, myself included, don’t really start thinking about skin conditions until they’re in their late 30s and onwards, unless they’ve suffered from acne and eczema in their younger years. “I know for a fact that most people don’t know that they’re genetically predisposed to certain conditions that may have been in the background – they only come into awareness when they reach a certain point in their lifecycle.” Moreover, she says 90 per cent of people – accounting for more than 500,000 cases a year – don’t realise that rosacea (red patches, acne and visible blood vessels on the face) can be indicative of metabolic health issues, in addition to other biological underpinnings, such as inflammation and vascular reactivity, in that the condition is not a cosmetic problem but a medical one. Rosacea is common for people aged 35 to 50, and occurs commonly in females, she says. This type of acne, she adds, is different to acne vulgaris – the most common type, often in the form of teenage acne. “The exact cause is unknown, but it may be familial in that often people with the condition have an affected family member, or due to genes or demodex mites, which live in the sebaceous glands in the convex areas of the face,” Ms Georgeou said of rosacea. Proper skin care management, along with topical and oral treatments, is known to improve many of the symptoms SKIN FIX 41 of rosacea. Ms Georgeou advises that hot beverages, alcohol, spices, spicy foods and foods containing capsaicin, such as chillies and peppers, should be avoided as they are known rosacea triggers. Capsaicin, an active component of chili peppers, is an irritant that can cause a burning sensation in any tissue with which it comes into contact. However, capsaicin can prove beneficial in other cases, as it: • Can trigger the release of endorphins. • Is an active ingredient that can speed up metabolism, ease sinus and nasal congestion, lower bad cholesterol, and help relieve respiratory problems. • Can have a positive effect on circulation and cardiovascular health. • Contains antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-carcinogenic properties. Another common element that can aggravate rosacea is cinnamaldehyde, which is the aldehyde that gives cinnamon its flavour and odour, Ms Georgeou says. “Cinnamon, citrus, tomatoes and chocolate give me pimples,” she said, citing the common lament of ‘Why am I getting wrinkles in my 40s and 50s?’ It could be from a chemical, she advises. Inflammation begins in the gut The gut is where skin conditions originate, says Ms Georgeou, who underscores the importance of looking after the gut microbiome, which enriches skin and impacts mood and gut microbes positively. “It’s all about nourishing and nurturing the skin, which means that if a person is taking care of their gut health, they can in fact reprogram their skin,” she said. One of the ways to do this, she adds, is for people to consume more premium probiotics and healthy carbohydrates. She highlights that diets that prompt adherents to eliminate carbohydrates in the pursuit of weight loss are damaging. “This results in people not only neglecting the fat-free mass in their skin and lazy skin, including collagen, but also losing the fat pads and valuable plumping part of their skin, which cause premature ageing,” Ms Georgeou said. “So, balance is important – from combining healthy carbohydrates and low GI carbohydrate grains with monounsaturated fats, such as extra virgin olive (think Mediterranean) to getting adequate lean protein. “These can be combined in a diet that can be the nutritional prescription to ease inflammation or inflammatory responses and allergic skin conditions.” RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • DEC 2020