Sweet as Satan
This medicine won’t go down easy, but you’ll want to ditch that spoonful of sugar in your other hand. And no, you can’t pick up a low-cal sweetener instead (most of them still have fructose in them).
Refined sugar is bad for you.
Your teeth hate it. Your skin hates it. Your body hates it. But we consume so much of it because it’s hard not to; our brains find it highly addictive.
Negative Effects
Besides the cavities and weight gain, the refined sugar we dump in our coffee, tea, sports drinks, and desserts offers no nutritional value and a high amount of calories. High sugar intake can be linked to greater risks of cancer, depression, heart disease, and diabetes.
As for your skin, sugar affects that too. Acne, early aging, and hyperpigmentation can all be caused by sugar. The more you eat, the more unstable your blood sugar, insulin, and other compounds become. Aside from increasing the effects of aging, glycation can also exacerbate skin conditions like acne and rosacea. Plus, the more sugar you eat, the more likely it is you’ll develop insulin resistance, which can manifest as excess hair growth (hirsutism) and dark patches on the neck and in body creases.
- Early aging is partially linked to compounds that control your skin’s elasticity. An increase in sugar causes those compounds to damage the proteins that hold your skin together, making it saggy and dull.
- The spike in your blood sugar from sweets aggravates acne and hyperpigmentation. This sudden rise increases the body’s oil and inflammation response.
Don’t Touch the White Stuff
Some people have heard “sugar is as addictive as cocaine.” That isn’t true, but humans can develop a dependency on refined sugar and go through withdrawals. Once our brains rely on high amounts of sugar for energy and happiness, we start to crave it.
Depending on your intake, you can experience headaches, dizziness, and low energy if you immediately cut sugar out of your diet. But your skin and health will thank you in the long run!
Check ingredient labels to find the lowest possible gram of sugar per serving. Use honey instead of sugar in your tea, and don’t buy processed drinks. Try making your own instead!
After ditching sugar, I’ve had clients see improvements in as little as two weeks with no other change to their skincare routine. Products regularly help, but I always work with my clients to find the causes of their skin concerns rather than only addressing the symptoms.
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