The Christmas season is a time when dietary and other excesses are common. These dietary transgressions can have consequences for the skin, especially if you suffer from dermatological diseases.
In fact, our skin generally benefits from the consumption of foods with high antioxidant properties, such as fruits, vegetables and dried fruits and nuts.
What foods are recommended to be consumed during the holidays?
These foods can be consumed during the holidays, and many, such as nuts, are part of the Christmas gastronomic tradition of our country.
To this end, we should try to consume products with fats of vegetable origin, avoiding excessive consumption of carbohydrates, since processed foods with a high glycemic index are often associated with cellular aging of the skin, and can cause skin diseases such as acne.
During the festive season, we should try to continue with the basic characteristics of a Mediterranean diet, that is, one that is rich in vegetables, olive oil and fish rich in Omega 3.
The incorporation of these foods to the Christmas menus can help us to improve both from a cutaneous and cardiovascular point of view. Thus, some studies show that eating a Mediterranean diet can even have an influence in reducing the risk of suffering from certain types of cancer, such as melanoma.
Foods and meals to avoid during the Christmas holidays
The fact is that the consumption of an excess of meat and/or other hyper-protein foods that are normally consumed during these dates implies an increase in the free radicals that the skin receives, a fact that causes aging.
Some diseases, such as psoriasis, are related to diet, and a diet rich in saturated fats or alcohol consumption can make the disease worse. In fact, patients with psoriasis may have certain alterations at the cardiovascular level that will not benefit at all from excesses in diet, alcohol consumption and smoking.
Other disease, such as acne, is directly influenced by the consumption of diets high in sugars, foods high in carbohydrates and/or dairy products. These foods usually have an assured place at the Christmas table, so you should moderate your intake if you suffer from acne and do not want an outbreak before the end of the year.
Some problems such as urticaria, dermographism or cutaneous pruritus can worsen at this time of the year depending on the consumption of foods rich in histamine that are often part of Christmas traditions: seafood, cured ham, nougat, red wine, marzipan… If you suffer from any of these conditions, you should moderate your consumption or you should prepare yourself to suffer an outbreak of your disease.
The consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol implies an oxidative factor that is added to the organism, including the skin, thus favoring cutaneous cellular aging.
Other tips to keep in mind at Christmas
It should be noted that in our country, at Christmas time, temperatures are quite low, a fact that can cause the production of fat in the skin to decrease, especially at the level of the extremities, so care should be taken to moisturize with creams to avoid itching and the appearance of eczema on the skin.
At the same time, the excessive use of unsuitable make-up can favor the appearance of dermatitis or acne in those predisposed to it.
Finally, in relation to hair care, it is worth mentioning that using hairstyles with excessive traction, such as a tight bun, is associated with an increase in hair loss, especially at the front, this problem being known as tractional alopecia.
For more information, consult a specialist in dermatology.