What are « bad » sugars, and what are their effects on our skin? Did you know that there exists one non-toxic friendly sugar, that actually « repairs » aged skin?

We all know now that to preserve our health and good looks, reducing our intake in fatty foods is a non-negociable rule. Magazines, TV, our doctors and favorite bloggers have exposed and explained, each in their own way and language, the damages that saturated fats cause to our cells, organs, and bodies. So as good citizens, we have learned to replace butter by a spritz of olive oil, steam-cook instead of deep-fry, chose yogurts, cheeses, ice-creams whose lipid contents are close to zero. Very well. But what about sugars? Just by their sweet name they seem less harmful than the „ugly“ fat. We have all indulged in the oh-so-chic macarons, cupcakes, and other fancy and cute deserts that are out there. Just when we have started to accept (not so difficult, in the end!) the fact that a girl eating desert is sexy, a new scientific discovery comes to light.

During the Winter Academy of Dermatology held in Saint Moritz, specialists from all over the world exposed and discussed the negative effects of sugars on our skin. They called « AGE », acronym for Advanced Glycosilated End-products, the toxic molecules that are produced when the sugars we ingest denature the precious proteins we are made of. In other words, glycation is the chemical reaction where the sugar in our blood bonds to our proteins, thus creating AGE. We know that our skin is composed of many important proteins like collagen and elastin. We start to see where these scientists are going : AGE are our skin’s enemies. Why ? Because they create bridges between our collagen fibers, that become rigid, thus « freezing » our wrinkles and making our skin lose its elasticity, and so accelerating its ageing process.

Ok, enough with the scientific jargon, their unanimous conclusion is that even though all sugars may potentially lead to such devastating mechanisms, there are some sugars that are more harmful than others. Basically the two « good » sugars we may eat without stressing our skin are fructose and honey. Once again, the Mediteraneans are the winners, with their abundance of sun-blushed juicy fruits and their post-dinner sweets made in major part with nuts and honey, like for example the Chebakia (Moroccan sesame and honey cookie). But there is one third non-toxic friendly sugar, that actually « repairs » aged skin. It’s name may be familiar to you: Haluronic Acid. Ha ha! I refer to it as « HA », for how HAppy it makes us, for establishing good HAbits, for  he HArmony it restores to our face, for how HAndsome it can make us look, or just for HAve some more!! Yes, we are allowed, and even advised, a new sugar-fix.

Nowadays, HA is used with great success in rejuvenating injection techniques (Softlifting). It really works wonders. Injected through a soft, blunted and flexible micro-cannula, following very specific patterns, and in a broad dispertion, it restores volume, moisture, luminosity and firmness to the skin. Indeed, the list of positive physiological properties of HA is very long, and it includes the stimulation of skin cells’ activity, of collagen production, of hydration of skin tissues, and of free-radical quenching. Doesn’t that sound wonderful. And the extra perk is that the procedure is painless, and does not induce recuperation time of any kind. In the doctor’s office, and two hours later, back to sweet life…

So ladies and gentlemen, the final words are : what you feed your skin is as important as what you put – or don’t put – in your plate. The secret is craving for the “right” sugars !

Key-word : hyaluronic acid, softlifting

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Themes : Injections, Laxity, Softlift