Wrinkles and fine lines aren’t just caused by aging—they can also be accelerated by what you eat. Certain everyday foods may actually break down collagen, the protein that keeps your skin firm and youthful. Experts warn that regularly consuming these “collagen killers” can speed up wrinkle formation, leaving your skin looking older sooner than you’d like. Here are four popular foods to watch out for if you want to maintain a smooth, radiant complexion.
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1. Seed Oils
Dr. Eric Berg says that many people think the sun, toxins, and sugar are the worst things for skin. While this may be true to an extent, he reveals that chronic low-grade inflammation from seed oils is the real culprit.
This can include soy, corn, cottonseed, and canola oil. These build up a lot of inflammation in your cells, which then turns into premature aging of the skin and wrinkles. “This food contains high levels of omega-6 fats. This is inflammatory and gets embedded into your membranes in your skin for a very long time, like 600 days!” The more you know!
“We know sugar is bad for the skin, but sugar doesn't accumulate like this,” he notes. “These highly inflammatory industrial oils no longer have the protective factors that the natural oils have.”
He suggests that you focus on choosing butter, coconut oil, olive oil, tallow, lard, and fish oils.”
2. Potato Chips
Many kinds of potato chips have super high salt content. Dr. Simran Sethi, MD, founder of RenewMD and skin by Dr. Simran Sethi, notes that these foods will never help hydrate your skin (and this can contribute to faster wrinkling along with cracking and peeling). "Due to osmotic pressure, salt draws water out of cells, including skin cells, leading to dry skin,” Sethi explains.
Instead of salt, she suggests to try "seasoning foods with lemon, black or red pepper and dried herbs." Sethi adds that "over time, the body will stop craving higher levels of salt while remaining more hydrated."
3. Instant Noodles
Dr. Elaine F. Kung says that instant noodles are also loaded with sodium, which can also dehydrate your skin (leading to premature aging if eaten in excess along with similar foods). "Scientific studies have demonstrated that high salt intake has been shown to impair dermal tissue remodeling, inflammation in the skin, and increase hormonal vasoreactivity," Kung warns.
Therefore, she goes on, "salt may have implications in wound healing and aging." MSG is another ingredient in this food that can mean a more inflamed complexion. Ultimately, Kung says it's "well known to induce flushing of the skin, which can worsen conditions like acne rosacea."
4. Refined Carbs
Refined carbs can be found in many popular processed foods, so it's easy to obtain many of them in your diet without noticing. Eating this type of food, Dr. Nadir Qazi, DO, board-certified physician, cosmetic dermatology surgeon, and owner of Qazi Cosmetic Clinic explains, can "stimulate sebum production."
Sebum is the "oily, waxy substance your skin naturally produces to moisturize and protect your skin," he notes. Too much sebum can "cause the skin to look oily, make your pores look more prominent, and even trap dead skin inside your pores, leading to acne and blackheads," he adds.
Highly refined carbohydrates, like those found in pastries and white bread, are "too easy for our bodies to digest, creating a chain reaction like dominos," Qazi says. When refined carbs are digested, "they cause significant insulin spikes." He says that the spikes cause our bodies to release androgens and produce more oily skin and wrinkles.
