Anti Aging Skin Tips

Acid Peel or Self Heal Peel?

Can a healthy diet and increased water intake replace the need for skin resurfacing/acid peel? Could this positive change to the skin reverse or shed the faces outer appearance? I haven't found an answer so far.

Public Comments

1. It's funny that I stumbled upon this question-I just read about different types of peels and other procedures for your face in O-The Oprah Magazine. You should definetely see if you can find it still (it's the March 2007 issue-which is technically this month, but magazines tend to come out a month early so I don't know if they are still selling it) It's quite interesting because I read that there are a lot of different kinds of peels out there and they very quite a bit. The effects of some last only a few days while others last decades. It outlines the price, how many procedures need to be done of each to recieve the effect you want, and how much they cost. I know your question isn't really about different kinds of peels/other skin treatments, but maybe you'd find those facts useful in comparing the difference between lifestyle and diet changes vs. cosmetic surgery. The biggest thing that I found that contributed to skin damage on the face (such as sun spots, wrinkles, etc) according to the articles that explained why people have these procedures to begin with, was by far sun damage. Smoking, i'd say, would be next, followed by environmental factors (pollution, stress) and finally diet and fitness. So, to answer your question, no, I don't think a healthy diet and increased water intake by themselves can replace the need for skin resurfacing, peels, etc. because the main culprit here is sun damage, and unfortunetely, sun damage cannot be reversed and the skin cannot heal itself from the inside out-they only thing you can really do is to surgically peel away the layers and force the skin to regenerate. However, if you add applying a high SPF (45 or 50) on your face as part of your morning routine and quit (or don't start) smoking, along with a healthy diet and plenty of water, I think you'd be doing your skin a huge favor. Word of caution though, sun damage is irreversible, so what's already done is done. You might have to someday get a chemical peel or resurfacing treatment if you want to minimize the effects that a burn or two or frequent tanning will have on your face several years down the road. This window between initial damage and wrinkles/sunspots, etc... shortens dramatically, obviously, as we age, and to make matters worse, it builds on itself. So when we're a kid and we burn our face, we peel and a few days later we have a nice little tan and we don't think anything of it. Well, our skin remembers. And our skin will remember every single time we tan or burn, every time, we are losing elasticity and damaging another, even deeper, layer of skin. The more we do it, the younger we'll be when our skin loses it's elasticity and starts to sag and wrinkles appear. Our risk of skin cancer becomes more of a probability than a chance. We'll notice discoloration and sunspots earlier in life and will spend the rest of our lives trying to prevent it from getting worse or going to extreme measures (cosmetic surgery) to make them go away, if only temporarily. So by all means, eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water-those things will make your whole body healthier, you'll have more energy, and you'll just feel good. You'll greatly reduce your risk of developing all kinds of problems which lead to all kinds of nasty diseases (such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure which leads to heart disease, the number one killer of women in the US) But while you're at it, incorporate a high SPF sunscreen into your morning routine. Slather it on your face and neck, and, of course, if you are in a warmer climate and expose more skin, put it on there to. If you don't like your natural skin tone and want to be darker, use a sunless self tanner or, do what I do and get yourself a nice big fat blush brush and a nice color blush that goes well with your skin's undertones and apply everywhere where your skin is exposed. (I like blush because it's less of a commitment than self tanner and if you don't like the color you can just wash it off and try another one-also, it looks more natural and it gives you a nice glow year-round) Good luck and go out and get Oprah's March '07 magazine if you get a chance. Take care!