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our skin is a two sided organ. its the largest organ and is our protector. We are pretty harsh on our largest organ, especially given how much we put it through. hot water, freezing cold temperatures, the sun, and then add to that what people choose to do (or not do) to their skin. acid peels and lack of spf are doing your skin what types of favors? we don’t see the consequences of our choices until decades down the road if we are lucky. (can you imagine if we could see our liver or arteries?!) I am not here to say if you don’t have perfect skin you’ve done a disservice to your skin. some of what we see as we age is bound to happen. it’s the price the skin pays for being exposed to the elements and going on our journey with us. but let’s circle back to the whole double sidedness of it all. as with our internal organs, what we put into our bodies has an effect on our organs, and that includes the skin. what you eat, how much sleep you get, and even your thoughts have a real influence on your skin that you can see, it just manifests differently in people. for someone like me, my sugar binges are going to be reflected in some not so beautiful cystic acne… as will a long bout of stress. for other people, their sugar binges will show in premature signs of aging like glycation. sugar not only increases inflammation in the skin, but it eats away at collagen and elastin. stress and unresolved trauma also play a major role in how we age – just look at any presidential pictures; those famous befores and afters and you’ll see that they’ve definitely aged more than 4-8 years during that timeframe. all this is to say, if you want to age well, it’s not just about what you put on top of your skin, but also lifestyle choices, food habits, and stress management.