Do you have a sugary donut in your hand? Here’s some news that will make you put down that pastry and walk away: Sugar ages you. Although there are lots of factors that ruin your skin, sugar is probably one of the worst offenders for outright accelerating the appearance of aging on your face and body. Not only should you avoid sugar for dietary reasons (U.S. health guidelines recommend you cut way back), you now have the added incentive of protecting your looks from the aging ravages of sugar. Here’s a closer look at how sugar could be aging your face.
Key Takeaways:
- Glycation Process: Sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins, creating harmful molecules called advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which damage collagen and elastin, essential for maintaining youthful skin.
- Visible Skin Damage: The effects of sugar on the skin manifest as wrinkles, sagging and a loss of facial volume, particularly noticeable in areas like the jowls and cheeks.
- Preventive Measures: To combat skin aging from sugar, it's recommended to reduce sugar intake, increase hydration and supplement your diet with vitamins that inhibit AGE formation.
What Is Glycation?
Sugar damages your skin through a natural process called glycation. When you consume sugar, it travels through your bloodstream and attaches to proteins in your body. This glycation process produces harmful molecules known as advanced glycation end products (aptly named AGEs). Unfortunately, the proteins most vulnerable to this process are collagen and elastin, which are the very building blocks that keep your complexion plump and bouncy. Think of AGEs as slowly stiffening the essential scaffolding that keeps your skin firm. And ultimately, the more sugar in your diet, the more quickly this structure weakens.
The Effects of Sugar on Your Skin
1. Damages Collagen & Elastin
The proteins most vulnerable to damage are those that serve as the building blocks for your skin: Collagen and elastin. These proteins keep skin firm and elastic and are responsible for the plump and bouncy characteristics of a healthy and youthful complexion. AGEs make your collagen and elastin stiff, dry and brittle, zapping them of strength and spring. The effects are seen on your complexion in the form of fine lines, sagging and wrinkles.
2. Affects the Type of Collagen You Have
A high-sugar diet also affects the type of collagen you have. Your skin contains three primary types of collagen (named Type I, II and III). The stability and resilience of collagen build with each stage: Type I is the weakest and Type III the strongest. Glycation degrades Type III collagen into Type I, which diminishes your skin’s structural strength and stability. Research suggests that maintaining tighter glycemic control over time may help reduce glycated collagen formation, which means if you act early, the process isn't irreversible.
3. Deactivates Natural Antioxidant Enzymes
In addition to damaging your skin’s essential proteins, AGEs deactivate your body’s natural antioxidant enzymes. Without protection from antioxidants, your skin is more vulnerable to the free radical damage caused by environmental assailants like pollution, blue light and UV rays. Left to roam (and bind to your skin’s structural proteins), free radicals trigger oxidative stress that contributes to premature aging of your skin.
Signs That Sugar Is Aging Your Skin
According to the British Journal of Dermatology, the visible effects of glycation tend to emerge for women around age 35. By this time, the accumulation of oxidative damage, hormonal changes and AGE development compound. Without enough collagen and elastin synthesis to counteract the damage, your skin begins to show wear and tear. Here are the tell-tale signs on your face that sugar is the culprit aging your skin:
- The surface of your skin looks hard and shiny.
- Deep crosshatch lines appear along your upper lip.
- Discoloration and hyperpigmentation mark your skin.
- Deep crevices appear, especially around the laugh line area.
- The skin around your jowl area looks less firm.
7 Ways To Prevent Sugar Damage On The Skin
The good news is that you're never too late to prevent the visible signs of aging. Now that you know how sugar can damage your skin, here’s how you can combat the destruction and look your best:
1. Cut Back on Sugar (Including How You Cook It)
It can be difficult to completely eliminate sugar from your diet, but there are a few ways to cut back. Prevention advises keeping added sugar to no more than 10% of your daily calorie intake and steering clear of “hidden sugars” like barley malt, fruit juice concentrate and maple syrup. The worst of the bunch: high fructose corn syrup. This type of sugar, found in soft drinks, sweetened fruit drinks and many packaged foods, produces the most AGEs.
How you prepare food matters just as much as what's in it. Research shows that dry-heat cooking methods like grilling, frying and roasting can produce significantly more AGEs in food than water-based methods like steaming and boiling. If you're working to reduce your overall AGE load, reaching for a steamed or poached option over a grilled or fried one is a smart swap.
2. Increase Water Intake
Drinking water doesn’t directly impact your skin’s hydration but does help your body carry out the key functions that support healthy skin more effectively. Water is essential to the production of collagen and elastin, and keeping your body hydrated can improve its ability to counteract the aging effects of glycation. Drink plenty of water and incorporate water-rich foods like cucumber, tomatoes and watermelon into your diet to maintain hydration.
3. Supplement Your Diet
A number of published studies cite Vitamins B1 and B6 as AGE inhibitors. Vitamin B1 (thiamin) can be found in green peas, sesame seeds and spinach, and has powerful antioxidant properties that help in the fight against free radicals. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), which is essential for skin development and maintenance, can be found in chickpeas, pinto beans and sunflower seeds.
4. Load up on Antioxidants
Antioxidants neutralize and protect the body from the damaging effects of free radicals. These naturally occurring vitamins and minerals throw a wrench in glycation by preventing sugar from attaching to proteins. Your body produces antioxidants naturally, but you can also find them in everyday foods like berries, leafy greens and coffee. You can even find them in your skin care. Look for products that contain vitamins C and E which help collagen and elastin hold their shape and maintain their strength for your skin.
5. Sleep
One of our best beauty secrets is to get enough sleep. While you’re sleeping, your skin goes into overdrive, regenerating and repairing any damage done during the day. Studies show that lack of sleep contributes to more fine lines and wrinkles, uneven skin tone and less elasticity. But, it comes down to more than the quantity of sleep; just as important is quality. Your body does the most work during deep sleep to counteract the aging effects of sugar and other stressors.
6. Try a Skin Detox
A skin detox is another way to mitigate the damage done by glycation. Our Eminence Organics Product Support Team explains that “the benefit of detoxifying the skin is that it allows the skin a fresh start. Detox stimulates a healthier environment for the skin and can encourage increased production of collagen and elastin. These changes can help increase cell turnover and improve the skin barrier overall.”
7. Adopt a Skin Care Routine
We may be hinting at cutting out the sugar, but there’s nothing wrong with using deliciously sweet products on your skin. One dessert delight is the Chocolate Mousse Hydration Masque. Rich in cocoa aromas, this mask will remind you of a decadent chocolate treat. For cleansing, the Firm Skin Acai Masque provides a fruitilicious treat for the skin and a concentrated boost of vitamins and nutrient-rich ingredients that help your skin appear refreshed and revitalized.
If you’re concerned with dry lips or fine lines around the mouth, the Rosehip & Lemongrass Lip Balm SPF 15 is a hydrating lip balm that contains zinc oxide, rosehip oil, lavender and SPF protection. This delicious formula keeps your pucker looking plump and perfect.
The Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant provides your face with some gentle exfoliation for a bright and radiant-looking complexion. Rice flour absorbs oil while lactic and salicylic acids remove dead skin cells, and strawberries and rhubarb infuse the skin with antioxidants. Who can resist a little indulgence every now and again?
Commonly Asked Questions About Sugar and Your Skin
Does fruit cause glycation?
Technically, yes, fruit contains sugar, and all sugar can contribute to glycation. But whole fruit is far less of a concern than refined sugar, for two reasons. First, the fiber in whole fruit slows how quickly sugar enters your bloodstream, which limits blood sugar spikes and reduces how much glycation occurs. Second, fruit also contains compounds that naturally help block glycation processes in the body. Fruit juice is a different story. Once the fiber is removed, the sugar is absorbed much faster and those protective compounds are largely lost.
Can you reverse sugar damage on your skin?
You can't undo existing AGEs entirely, but you can absolutely slow new ones from forming and support your skin's natural repair processes. Reducing sugar intake, increasing antioxidants in your diet and skin care routine, protecting your skin from UV exposure and prioritizing sleep all help your skin look and function better over time. Early action makes the biggest difference.
What does glycation look like on the face?
Glycation tends to show up as a dull, slightly hardened skin texture, deep crosshatch lines around the upper lip, uneven pigmentation and a general loss of firmness around the jaw and cheeks. Because these changes accumulate gradually, they're easy to miss until they become pronounced, which is why prevention is so much easier than correction.
Is high fructose corn syrup worse than regular sugar?
Yes. High fructose corn syrup, found in many soft drinks, fruit-flavored beverages and packaged snack foods, produces more AGEs than other forms of sugar. If you're scanning ingredient labels for hidden sugars, it's the one to watch most closely.
Have you tried any of these skin care products to prevent the signs of aging caused by sugar? Find out more at your Eminence Organics Spa Partner for product recommendations.
