Extreme Diets and Premature Ageing

With the current public debate over celebrities raging, and with models deemed too skinny banned from Madrid Fashion Week, we’re pleased to see the tide turning and people beginning to recognise the negative effects the media’s portrayal of women can have on our body image. At SkinGenesis, we’ve always been aware of the negative effects that crash dieting can have on the body in later life and so we’re pleased to see that people are starting to see the risks associated with extreme dieting

Celebrities rely on looking good, and tiny celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Nicole Richie seem to have based their careers on their low bodyweights. They may look perfectly groomed, but have these celebrities taken into account the effects their slimming could have on their appearances in later life? The nutritional deficiencies associated with extreme forms of slimming may mean other areas of the body will suffer, and the skin is often the first to display signs of malnutrition. No matter how many anti-aging or rejuvenating creams these celebrities use, there is no substitute for ensuring your skin is properly nourished from the inside out.

Essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids that help nurture the skin must come from within, and no amount of external skincare products can simulate their effects. Anti-oxidant food types, for example broccoli, spinach, seeds and nuts, help neutralise free radicals which can cause aging and the unbalanced, crash diets many celebrities favour often cut out these foods altogether. Not only will an unbalanced diet encourage premature aging, but more seriously the lack of anti-oxidants in these drastic diets can lead to increased risks of heart disease and cancer.

And excessive dieting can damage the skin in the present as well as in the future. Those who diet frequently can be left with dry, blotchy skin often in an unhealthy grey or yellow shade, and as their immune systems can often be weakened they are more susceptible to suffering acne or coldsores. So, although these celebrities may look great on the red carpet when the flashbulbs are popping, the effects of their crash dieting and nutritional deprivation are very real threats waiting to catch up with them in later life.  See our skin treatment nutritional advice.