27 Feb 2025

Blackmores

How to get glowing skin

3 mins to read

Discover expert tips on how to get glowing skin naturally. Learn lifestyle tips, skincare routine, and skin-friendly diet for a radiant, healthy complexion.

Nails hair and skinWellbeing newsWellbeing news

When your skin looks dewy, fresh, radiant, youthful, and luminous, you may not even need to wear makeup, which can be a major confidence booster. As the saying goes, 'When you look good, you feel good.'

Skin radiates when the skin is hydrated, bright, youthful, plump, dewy, clear, smooth, and even skin tone. However, achieving this takes more than just expensive and fancy creams.

What is the secret to glowing skin?

Lifestyle

There is truth to the saying that beauty starts from within. The quality of your food, drink, and lifestyle habits can show up on your skin.

A healthy diet with the right vitamins can nourish your skin with the nutrients to help achieve that outer glow.

Adequate sleep, stress management and regular exercise also affect skin appearance.

For example, a couple of studies have shown a lack of sleep can negatively impact skin hydration.

During sleep, the body goes through repair and restorative processes. This includes an increase in the production of growth hormone, which is involved in collagen production. Collagen is a protein that makes up the skin, providing it with elasticity and hydration and can prevent wrinkles.

The American Academy of Dermatology Association reports how stress can trigger or exacerbate skin conditions, such as increasing oil production, breaking down collagen and elastin in the skin, and negatively impacting rejuvenation.

Meanwhile, exercise can help improve skin circulation, nourishing skin cells with oxygen. During sweating, the pores open to remove waste products from the skin. All this contributes to giving your complexion a vibrant look.

Skincare routine

A good skincare routine with the right products can also help you achieve that glow.

Why is your skin dull?

Clogged pores

A buildup of dead skin and dirt can clog the pores, leading to imperfections or breakouts in the skin.

Dry skin

Lack of moisturisation of the skin means the complexion can appear dull.

Signs of aging

Sunscreen is your greatest weapon against developing signs of aging, and it is important to start using it as young as possible. According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, the sun causes about 80 per cent of visible skin aging. These signs include dry skin, fine lines, and wrinkles, and nothing is glowing about that.

As one research paper points out, as we age, collagen production and skin hydration decreases, with increased fragility.

Thankfully, we can take steps to delay skin aging and help our skin look as lush as possible.

Which factors contribute to glowing skin?

As the skin is the body's biggest organ, providing a protective barrier against environmental factors, it's important to feed it well. Your skin is what you eat, so if you would like healthy, nourished, and fresh-looking skin, ideally, you would consume foods with the following properties:

Antioxidants

Foods containing vitamins A, C and E, all antioxidants, can help protect the skin from free radicals. Free radicals can contribute to premature ageing of the skin and dark spots.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A repairs and maintains healthy skin. It can be found in dairy, egg yolks, organ meats, and fish. Beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A in the body and can be found in the orange pigment of different coloured fruits and vegetables, such as green leafy vegetables and carrots.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C plays a role in the formation of collagen and is anti-inflammatory. Sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, berries, kiwi fruits, tomatoes and bell peppers.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E defends the skin from cell damage and ageing. Avocadoes, walnuts, and other nuts and seeds are excellent sources of vitamin E.

Vitamin B

Our skin cells are in a constant cycle of regeneration and renewal, with vitamin B aiding in this process. According to the Tri Medical Center, two of the most significant benefits of B vitamins for the skin are cell renewal and stress relief. Of the eight B vitamins, B3, B5, and B7 provide the main benefits for the skin. Vitamin B3, also known as nicotinamide, is a particular B vitamin that has been shown to be useful for supporting the structure and integrity of the skin. So, adding foods such as these high B3 sources: meat, fish and poultry plus avocado, mushrooms and potatoes may be useful. (reference: Vitamin B7, called biotin, protects cells from water loss and keeps the skin hydrated and plump. It's found in eggs, salmon, pork, sweet potato, nuts, seeds and avocado.

Water

Drinking adequate amounts of water can also keep your skin hydrated. Cucumbers, spinach, and lettuce are great foods due to their high water content.

Omega 3 fatty acids

It is mainly found in oily fish, such as anchovies, salmon, sardines, mackerel and trout. Omega-3 fatty acids are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, which help prevent signs of this from showing up on the skin for inflammatory conditions such as acne. Walnuts also contain omega 3s if you cannot eat fish.

Zinc

Zinc is an essential skin-healing mineral found in oysters and mussels.

Green tea

Green tea is high in antioxidants to help fight oxidative stress, which can lead to premature skin aging.

An effective skincare routine for skin that lights up

For each step, choose products that suit your skin type, whether dry, oily or combination.

Cleansing

Cleansing is the first and essential step, morning and night. When done regularly, it can help your skin look fresh and radiant by removing dead skin cells, dirt, and debris from the skin, all of which can clog the pores, leading to breakouts, blemishes and dull complexion.

Exfoliating

Exfoliate after cleansing to remove dead skin cells and reveal smoother, fresher, brighter skin. Limit exfoliating to just once or twice a week, depending on your skin type. This is even more important as we get older because as we age, our skin cell turnover starts to slow. Exfoliating can help stimulate this turnover process. Be gentle when using physical scrubs to prevent irritation, and don't use them on broken or inflamed skin.

Serums

After your morning cleanses, applying a serum may aid collagen production.

Moisturiser

Moisturise night and day to improve skin tone and texture.

Facial massage

Massaging the face as you apply products stimulates blood flow and delivers oxygen to the skin to bring a glow.

Sunscreen protection

Try to find a moisturiser with sun protection, at least SPF 30+, and apply a separate sunscreen after your moisturiser and before any makeup.

Summary

To encourage healthy skin, we suggest you do your best to manage your stress, get a good night’s sleep, exercise and wear sunscreen. Include a diet high in antioxidants, zinc, omega fatty acids and collagen. Consider a topical skincare regime to support a glowing appearance.

REFERENCES

Jang SI, Lee M, Han J, Kim J, Kim AR, An JS, Park JO, Kim BJ, Kim E. A study of skin characteristics with long-term sleep restriction in Korean women in their 40s. Skin Res Technol. 2020 Mar;26(2):193-199. doi: 10.1111/srt.12797. Epub 2019 Nov 6. PMID: 31692145.

Feeling stressed? It can show in your skin, hair, and nails, American Academy of Dermatology, accessed 5 February 2024, https://www.aad.org/news/stress-shows-in-skin-hair-nails

Skin Cancer Facts & Statistics- What You Need to Know, Skin Cancer Foundation, accessed 5 February, 2024, https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts/#:~:text=An%20estimated%2080%20percent%20of,is%20caused%20by%20the%20sun.&text=People%20who%20use%20sunscreen%20with,do%20not%20use%20sunscreen%20daily.&text=Sun%20damage%20is%20cumulative.,exposure%20occurs%20by%20age%2018.

Reilly DM, Lozano J. Skin collagen through the lifestages: importance for skin health and beauty. Plast Aesthet Res. 2021;8:2. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2347-9264.2020.153