How Weight Loss Diets May Damage Your Skin

We all know that sun exposure and smoking can cause skin damage. However, do you know that getting on a weight loss diet can also damage your skin?

Many people went on crash starvation diets, managed to lose weight drastically, but before they can rejoice on their weight loss success, they ended up worrying about their sagging skin. So if you are on a drastic diet to lose weight, don't be surprised to find new wrinkles on your face and other skin damages.

This condition is especially prevalent amongst "yoyo" dieters. Yoyo dieters are those who gain and lose large amounts of weight with episodes of repeated dieting.

When someone loses weight, that person loses subcutaneous fat (fat beneath the skin) as part of the weight loss process and in extreme cases, even the supporting structure of the skin. As such, the originally stretched skin of the obese person becomes lax and saggy.

Furthermore, since the dieter drastically reduces caloric consumption, the body reacts by going into the "starvation mode" to conserve energy and sends its metabolism plummeting dramatically and these forces the body to shed muscles as well.

That explains why people on weight loss diet, even when they are successful do not usually get the attractive body they thought they would get because they have lost a fair amount of muscle tone and developed saggy skin condition.

Therefore in order to avoid skin damage, go on a healthy diet with a good exercise program to protect your skin and develop a well toned but slender and trim attractive body.

Another option is to lose weight gradually. In a healthy weight loss program, you should lose about 1 to 2 pounds per week and anything more is an indication that you may be losing muscle as well.

To save your skin when you are losing weight, you should avoid sun exposure as well as refrain smoking as these two activities are known to cause your skin to age prematurely.

So maintaining a healthy lifestyle and by avoiding the sun, you will slow down the aging process of your skin by delaying the onset of wrinkles, pigmentation and other skin damages.

It is also a good idea to moisturise your skin regularly with moisturising creams especially those with retinoid (vitamin A) and those that do not contain fragrances, alcohol and other skin irritants.

Your diet should also be rich in antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, E and B complex and minerals such as zinc and selenium. Antioxidants help to mop up skin damaging free radicals. This will help you to keep your skin supple and radiant because of the preservation of collagen and elastin which free radicals love to gobble up. Collagen and elastin are the fibers that support your skin structure.

Also you must hydrate your body to keep your skin moist and supple. So the age old advice of drinking eight glasses or more water is also useful in this regard.

So, if you want to lose weight and get an attractive and elegant body, then you should avoid crash starvation diets and save your skin.