Dr Vanessa Lapiner is a Specialist Dermatologist and Founder of root4, South Africa’s first clean medical-grade dermocosmetic skincare and nutraceutical range. She shares with Glamour how to apply her groundbreaking DR. L protocol to defend, renew and liberate the gut, brain and skin axis to reignite inside-out beauty that results from understanding that the gut is where the seeds of beauty are planted.
1. Polyphenols to make you pretty – plant foods are bursting with them, which protect and repair the skin from the battle against skin-damaging free radicals. Switch on your body’s antioxidant powerhouses with minerals such as selenium iron, zinc, manganese and copper.
2. Reinforce your sunscreen from the inside – studies have shown that lycopene from tomatoes and watermelon reduces the skin-damaging effects of sunlight by up to 33%.
3. Stop inflamm-ageing – reduce inflammation caused by pollution and our frenetic lifestyles with foods that regulate your immune system. Add broccoli, salmon, avocado, nuts, seeds, and spices such as turmeric.
4. Add garlic and onions, which are high in glutathione to support detoxification. To remove toxins, you need to assist your liver, sweat and promote healthy stool habits.
5. Rejuvenate the skin by speeding up your skin-cell turnover cycle with Vitamin A-rich foods such as liver, herring or sweet potatoes.
6. Nourish your gut ‘beauty bugs’ with the fibre, prebiotics and fermented foods they love.
7. Bolster your skin’s building blocks: while smoking, sugar and sunlight break down the collagen and elastin that keeps your skin looking youthful, you can help rebuild it with bone broth, eggs, hydrolysed collagen powders and Vitamin-Crich foods.
8. Switch on your skin’s mitochondrial energy with fatty acids, pistachios and grass-fed protein sources or try intermittent fasting.
9. Regulate your hormones with zinc, vitamin B3- rich sweet potatoes and phytoestrogens from edamame beans and flaxseeds together with green leafy veggies to jumpstart oestrogen elimination.
10. Water for the win! - Hydrated skin appears plumper, smoother and less dull. Start your day with a warm glass of water with lemon juice, fresh ginger and turmeric.
This article was originally published in Glamour’s November 2022 Issue. Grab your digital copy here.
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