Sugar & Skin

Happy New Year Everyone!
Now that the holiday season has passed and hopefully the 'over indulgence' on my end has stopped I can now reflect on just how 'bad' my unhealthy eating has affected not only my waistline but also my skin!
I started the holiday season off with good intentions. I was determined not too overeat and of course I had absolutely no intention of satisfying my sweet tooth with all the incredibly tempting desserts and candy that my sister and daughter had shipped from the United Kingdom (and for those of you who have never had the privilege to try British chocolate boy oh boy have you missed out)!
The first temptation began on Christmas Eve when the dreaded chocolate made its appearance. My mind along with my willpower tried to block out the sound of my family unwrapping the glorious treats. I desperately tried to block my ears to there rambling words such as 'delightful' and 'delicious' but temptation became the better of me when I started to envision myself eating this heavenly chocolate.....eventually willpower and the word 'unhealthy' were taken over by my 'need' to indulge. I would love to say that I came to my senses on day five of my 'weakness' when I started to notice the waistband on my pants became a little too snug....but that was not the case. Panic only started to set in when I began to notice that my skin was not only looking dull but I also had dry patchy areas along with some small, but in my eyes very conspicuous zits! Fortunately for me I have never suffered with zits on a regular basis and they have only occurred when I have been sick or that TOTM and prior to my 'extreamely' high sugar consumption my skin had gone from very good condition to horrible in only a matter of five days. It therefore got me thinking as to how important it is not only to take care of our skin on the outside but also from the inside. Food, especially high in sugar can have an adverse effect on the skin. Most people do not realize that excess sugar is considered one of the main causes of premature aging. The more sugar we eat, the more sugar we have entering our bloodstream. Over time, this can result in a process known as glycation, which is when a glucose (sugar) molecule damages a protein molecule by sticking to it. The new molecules formed are called advanced glycation end-products, or AGEs. AGEs damage collagen in skin, cartilage, and ligaments and promote a loss of elasticity....wrinkles then form and skin begins to sag.
Therefore the more sugar we consume, the more vulnerable we become to the damaging effects of glycation and skin aging and the sugar impact is felt mostly after the age of 35 as tissue regeneration slows down and glycation increases.
Will I stop overindulging during the next holiday season? probably not...but it has certainly opened my eyes as to how too much sugar can affect the skin and hopefully it will encourage me to take control of my sweet tooth. (Why oh why after writing this article do I have the urge to eat a Snicker Bar)!