Age Spots
Dear Caring Medical,
I really enjoyed your past article on how to prevent and alleviate discomfort of varicose veins. Do you happen to know anything about age spots? I’m only in my thirties and I have so many, do you have any suggestions as to what I can do?
Age spots, also known as liver spots, are not only showing up on older men and women, but also young adults in their 20’s. Why? With less attention being paid to proper nutrition and skincare, these spots are more likely to show up at an earlier age.
What causes age spots?
Age spots are caused by accumulation of cellular debris called lipofuscin. Lipofuscin accumulates in many areas of the body—even the brain. Even though we can’t feel or see the debris building up internally, if it continues to collect it will become visible on the surface of your skin in the form of brown patches of pigment. Free radicals in your body aid in building up the lipofuscin. Fortunately, antioxidants stop free radicals from forming and help prevent lipofuscin deposits.
So, how you do prevent age spots?
1. Avoid sources of free radicals like smoking, alcohol, fried and processed foods.
2. Protect your skin from UV, sunlight exposure. Young girls/boys who go tanning outdoors or to a tanning bed consecutively may have results of age spots at an early age. Wear a hat or use a natural sun screen
3. Drink plenty of water-1/2 your body weight in ounces!
4. Eat a healthy diet filled with antioxidants.
What’s a healthy diet?
The Hauser Diet
By eliminating processed foods, food chemicals, artificial flavors, sweeteners and dyes, hydrogenated and saturated fats, you’re already half way to eating healthy. The next step is finding out what you should eat. The Hauser Diet will help you understand your individual nutritional needs. The way we find out exactly what your needs are, is by going through a Diet Typing test. Your results will give you a good idea of what percentage of carbohydrates, fats, and protein you should be eating and which foods are right for YOU.
Regardless of your Diet Type, a diet rich in antioxidants will prevent more age spots from occurring. Start by increasing your vegetables and eliminating simple carbohydrates like sweets, white breads, white rice, and pasta. Choose healthy carbohydrates like brown rice, high fiber cereal, beans, and whole wheat bread. Another healthy choice is to reduce intake of sodas, diet sodas, and flavored drinks out of your daily meals. Replace those sugary beverages with lots of water. Flushing the harmful fillers and extra sugars out of your system is the key to a healthier lifestyle.
Incorporate These Into Your Diet
Vitamin E- found in nuts, seeds, vegetable and fish oils, whole grains (esp. wheat germ), fortified cereals, and apricots.
Vitamin C- found in citrus fruits and juices, green peppers, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, kale, cantaloupe, kiwi, and strawberries.
Beta-carotene- present in liver, egg yolk, milk, butter, spinach, carrots, squash, broccoli, yams, tomato, cantaloupe, peaches, and grains.
|
